Learn Hardcore French: Avec ce budget limité, louer un vélo est la meilleure option selon le marchand. - With this limited budget, renting a bike is the best option according to the merchant.

In French, the infinitive verb can function like a noun (a verbal noun) when it stands at the beginning of a sentence. Here, louer un vélo (“to rent a bike”) is the subject of est, just as “Renting a bike is the best option” would be in English.

Why do we say la meilleure option and not le meilleur option?

The noun option is feminine in French, so any adjective describing it must also be in the feminine form. Thus we use la meilleure (feminine superlative of bon) to agree with option.

What exactly does selon le marchand mean, and why use le instead of un?

selon means “according to.” By using the definite article le, we indicate a specific merchant—either someone known from context or the typical merchant whose advice we’re citing. Saying un marchand would introduce a new, unspecified merchant.

Could we place selon le marchand elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. You could say:
• Selon le marchand, louer un vélo est la meilleure option avec ce budget limité.
or
• Louer un vélo est la meilleure option, selon le marchand, avec ce budget limité.
French allows some flexibility in adverbial phrase placement, though the meaning stays the same.

Why is it avec ce budget limité and not avec un budget limité?

Using ce (this) refers to a specific budget previously mentioned or understood in context. un budget limité would simply introduce “a limited budget” for the first time, making it less precise.

Why is the adjective limité placed after budget rather than before it?

Many French adjectives can go either before or after the noun, but adjectives that qualify amount, size, or a specific characteristic—like limité—typically follow the noun. So you say budget limité, not limité budget.

Is marchand the same as vendeur, and when would you use one or the other?

Both mean “seller,” but marchand often implies a merchant or trader—someone selling goods as a business—whereas vendeur is more general (anyone who sells, even in passing). In a market context or when speaking of a shopkeeper, marchand is common.

Can the infinitive phrase louer un vélo be replaced by a noun, for example la location d’un vélo?

Yes. You could say:
Avec ce budget limité, la location d’un vélo est la meilleure option selon le marchand.
Here la location d’un vélo (“the rental of a bike”) is a noun phrase, and you must adjust the article and preposition accordingly.