répandent

Répandent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb répandre. Répandre means to spread, disseminate, or scatter something across an area, among people, or through media. The verb is transitive and commonly used with a direct object, as in ils répandent des rumeurs sur le sujet or les entreprises répandent des communiqués de presse. It can describe the dispersion of liquids, powders, or substances, as well as the distribution of information, ideas, or practices. In everyday French, répandre is used in both concrete and abstract senses, from spreading fertilizer on fields to spreading news.

Étymologie: répandre derives from Old French répandre, itself from Latin repandere or pandere, with the sense of extending, spreading out. The prefix re- in this sense reinforces the action of spreading over a surface or among recipients.

Usage et registre: répandre is a standard, neutral verb suitable for journalism, science, business, and everyday speech. It contrasts with répandre se répandre, a pronominal form meaning to become widely distributed or to spread intransitively, as in les rumeurs se répandent rapidement. In the present tense, the form répandent is specifically the plural you will see with ils/elles répandent.

Formes liées: the past participle is répandu; agreement follows standard rules with auxiliary avoir when a direct object precedes the verb. The noun phrases that serve as direct objects typically determine agreement in compound tenses.

In summary, répandent denotes a plural present action of spreading or disseminating and is widely used across contexts to describe the distribution of tangible substances or intangible ideas.