faire du vélo
To ride a bicycle in French is faire du vélo.
This phrase is used to describe the act of traveling or moving about using a bicycle.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means 'to do some bicycle', combining the verb faire (to do/make) with the partitive article du (some/of the).
Which one should you use?
While English speakers use the verb 'to ride', French uses the verb faire to describe the activity. You may also see the form faire de la bicyclette, which is a slightly more traditional way to express the same idea.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the masculine partitive article du because vélo is a masculine noun. If the noun were feminine, this would change to de la.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using monter un vélo to mean 'to ride a bicycle'. While monter can mean to go up or climb, it is not the standard way to express the activity of cycling.
Did you know?
- While faire du vélo is common, you might hear pédaler to describe the physical act of pedaling, which is often used colloquially to mean 'working hard' or 'struggling' to make progress.
- The word vélo is actually a shortened version of the much longer word vélocipède, a term for an early type of bicycle that is now considered obsolete.
- The verb faire in this phrase is used similarly to how French describes other hobbies, such as faire du piano or faire du ski, rather than using specific verbs for each action.
Examples in context
- Je dois faire du vélo.I must ride a bicycle.This sentence shows how to express a necessity to ride a bicycle using faire du vélo.Tatoeba #3642412 by sacredceltic, translation #258203 by CK
- Je sais faire du vélo.I can ride a bicycle.This sentence demonstrates the ability to ride a bicycle using faire du vélo.Tatoeba #3642419 by sacredceltic, translation #258206 by CK
- Bill sait faire du vélo.Bill can ride a bicycle.This sentence shows how to express that a third person can ride a bicycle using faire du vélo.Tatoeba #13200 by Micsmithel, translation #34498 by CN
- Je fais du vélo tous les jours pour me rendre au travail.I ride a bicycle every day to go to work.
- Hier, j'ai passé toute la journée à pédaler dans la campagne.Yesterday, I spent all day pedaling in the countryside.
- On va faire du vélo ensemble demain après-midi ?Shall we go biking together tomorrow afternoon?
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are planning their weekend activities.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu veux faire du vélo demain ?Do you want to ride a bicycle tomorrow?
- ManonOui, c'est une excellente idée.Yes, that's an excellent idea.
- GabrielOn peut aller au parc ensemble.We can go to the park together.
- ManonParfait, j'adore faire du vélo en plein air.Perfect, I love riding a bicycle outdoors.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, faire, vélo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
