Yet Another Cycling Forum

Off Topic => The Pub => Topic started by: MSeries on 04 April, 2008, 09:59:19 pm

Title: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: MSeries on 04 April, 2008, 09:59:19 pm

and sportifs

as in Le Coq Sportif

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: Wowbagger on 04 April, 2008, 10:02:02 pm

But a coq is not usually feminine.

(Health warning: that's a wild guess and I'd wait for one of those clever Francophile like Frenchie or Nutty to come along and confirm it).

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: Mike J on 04 April, 2008, 10:27:16 pm

Quote from: wowbagger on 04 April, 2008, 10:02:02 pm

But a coq is not usually feminine.

Le is masculine and la is feminine.

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: border-rider on 04 April, 2008, 10:31:14 pm

Mmm.  Sportif/ive is an adjective so it can be either depending on the gender of the noun it applies to

l'homme sportif
la femme sportive

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: Wowbagger on 04 April, 2008, 10:32:12 pm

Mais oui, but les adjectifs ont les endings différents dependant on whether ils sont masculine ou féminine.

Le grand vélo mais la grande bicyclette.

N'est-ce pas?

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: MSeries on 05 April, 2008, 09:19:41 am

Wikiepedia reckons cyclosportive is short for randonee cyclosportive which is feminine. It was always sportif in the early days before they became popular.

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: nickwill on 05 April, 2008, 12:26:24 pm

I might be totally wrong here, but I always thought that the term sportive applied to the event, and sportif to  the participant.

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: Martin on 05 April, 2008, 12:47:07 pm

the event itself would be called une epreuve, therefore the adjective is sportive.

Title: Re: Shouldn't it be sportif and not sportive ?
Post by: Frenchie on 08 April, 2008, 06:47:26 pm

Une etape ou epreuve sportive.

Both feminine.