vélo
/ve.lo/masculine
The French word for bike is vélo.
vélo is a masculine noun used to refer to a bicycle.
Meaning: bicycle (noun)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
vélo is the common, informal term used in everyday speech. For a more formal term, use bicyclette.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the verb faire to mean 'to go biking' or 'to do cycling', you must use the partitive article du in the phrase faire du vélo.
How do you pronounce it?
vélo is pronounced /ve.lo/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word vélo is masculine, but its formal counterpart bicyclette is feminine, requiring a change in adjectives and articles.
- The term vélo is a shortened version of the obsolete word vélocipède, which was the original name for these early machines.
- The word vélo is often used in the phrase vélo-taf, a portmanteau combining 'bike' and 'work' to describe commuting to a job by bicycle.
Examples in context
- Elle a un vélo.She has a bike.This sentence shows how to state that someone possesses a vélo.Tatoeba #4030181 by mouche, translation #1548367 by CM
- As-tu un vélo ?Have you got a bike?This sentence is a way to ask if someone owns a vélo.Tatoeba #7204243 by Micsmithel, translation #2611846 by sundown
- Quel beau vélo !What a nice bike!This sentence is used to express admiration for a vélo.Tatoeba #6465900 by GB3, translation #6460037 by ilkeraltinok365
- J'utilise mon vélo pour aller au travail tous les jours.I use my bike to commute to work every day.
- Le vélo est un moyen de transport écologique et économique.The bike is an eco-friendly and cost-effective mode of transportation.
- J'ai acheté une nouvelle bicyclette pour faire du sport.I bought a new bicycle to exercise.
- J'ai acheté un nouveau vélo hier, il est vraiment cool!I bought a new bike yesterday, it's really cool!
- 253 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are talking about their commute to work.
- NathanJe vais au travail à vélo.I go to work by bike.
- ManonC'est super, moi je prends le bus.That's great, I take the bus.
- NathanTu veux essayer mon vélo ?Do you want to try my bike?
- ManonOui, avec plaisir, Nathan !Yes, I'd love to, Nathan!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bike” translations and entries vélo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vélo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
