supposés

Supposés is the plural masculine form of supposé, a French past participle used as an adjective. It derives from the verb supposer (to suppose) and agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: supposé (m. sg), supposés (m. pl), supposée (f. sg), supposées (f. pl). As a noun, supposé is uncommon, but the phrase un supposé can appear to refer to a person who is claimed or presumed in a tentative sense.

Usage and meaning: Supposé indicates that something is assumed, hypothetical, or putative. It is common in formal or scientific writing to describe conditions, hypotheses, or results that are taken for granted for the sake of argument, for example, “les coûts supposés” or “l’hypothèse supposée.” In logic and mathematics, the phrase “Supposons que…” is standard to introduce a hypothetical scenario, meaning “Let us suppose that….” In legal or journalistic contexts, supposés can describe claims about people or facts, such as “des auteurs supposés” (the alleged authors) or “des faits supposés” (alleged facts). For people, however, “présumé” is often preferred to emphasize status rather than hypothesis.

Examples: “Les résultats supposés ne concordent pas avec les données.” “Supposons que la valeur soit constante.” “Les suspects supposés ont été interrogés.” Etymology: from Latin supponere, suppositus, via Old French supposer.

Notes: Supposés conveys a sense of assumption or putative status, not a confirmed fact. Its use tends to be more neutral and formal than terms that imply judgment about a person.