continueraient

continueraient is the third-person plural conditional form of the French verb continuer, which means "to continue." In English, this translates to "would continue." This verb tense is used to express hypothetical actions or situations in the present or future, often implying a condition that is not met or is uncertain.

For instance, in a sentence like "Ils continueraient leur voyage s'ils avaient plus de temps," the verb continueraient indicates that "they would continue their journey if they had more time." The conditional mood here suggests that the condition of having more time is not currently met, and therefore, the continuation of the journey is hypothetical.

The conditional tense in French, including continueraient, is formed by adding specific endings to the stem of the verb. For regular -er verbs like continuer, the stem is typically the infinitive minus the -er ending, and the conditional endings for the third-person plural is -aient. Thus, the stem continu- combined with -eraient forms continueraient. This grammatical structure is essential for expressing nuanced meanings related to possibility, politeness, and hypothetical scenarios in French.