Steve Neago a écrit:
>
>What is the
>difference between "Radonneur" and "Radonneuse" handlebars? Could this be
>subtleties of French male/female gender for grammar or singular versus
>plural? Is the Rene Herse frame listed on ebay below a frame for a female
><GRIN>? No wonder it is going to be expensive to afford, it really looks
>like a great frame and setup!
Randonneur is masculin, Randonneuse, she ees femenin, like zee word "bicyclette"
It's a bit weird, 'cause "vélo" and "cycle" are masculine, but "bicyclette" and "bécane" (bike) are feminine.
In French the word "bicycle" refers to a high wheeler. "Bicyclette" is the diminutive, feminine term for a "safety" bicycle.
"Bicyclette" is probably the most formal, dignified of the French terms for the English "bicycle." They also call the bicycle "la petite reinne", "the little queen"...
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