Nous n’irons pas loin à vélo, à moins que la piste cyclable soit complètement sèche.

Irons is the future simple form of aller for nous:

• je irai
• tu iras
• il/elle ira
• nous irons
• vous irez
• ils/elles iront

So Nous n’irons pas loin means We will not go far.

French often uses the future here because the sentence is talking about what will happen under certain conditions.

This is because of elision. When ne comes before a vowel sound, it usually becomes n’.

• ne + irons → n’irons

So:

• Nous ne irons pas ❌
• Nous n’irons pas ✅

This is very common in French:

• je n’ai pas
• il n’est pas
• nous n’allons pas

French negation usually uses ne ... pas around the conjugated verb.

Here the verb is irons, so:

• n’ goes before the verb
• pas goes after the verb

That gives:

• Nous n’irons pas

Then loin is added after that:

• Nous n’irons pas loin = We won’t go far

So the structure is:

subject + ne/n’ + verb + pas + rest

Loin means far. In this sentence, it works as an adverb describing how far they will go.

• aller loin = to go far
• ne pas aller loin = not go far

French does not need an extra word like very here. The idea is simply distance, not intensity.

Examples:

• On va loin. = We’re going far.
• On ne va pas loin. = We’re not going far.

Yes, literally it looks like at/by bicycle, but idiomatically à vélo means by bike or on a bike.

French often uses à with ways of traveling:

• à vélo = by bike
• à pied = on foot
• à moto = by motorcycle

But with many other means of transport, French often uses en:

• en voiture = by car
• en train = by train
• en bus = by bus

So à vélo is just the normal expression you need to learn as a set phrase.

À moins que means unless.

It introduces an exception to what was just said:

• Nous n’irons pas loin à vélo = We won’t go far by bike
• à moins que... = unless...

So the full idea is:

We won’t go far by bike, unless the bike path is completely dry.

It is a very common expression in French, but it is important because it is usually followed by the subjunctive.

Because à moins que normally requires the subjunctive.

The verb here is être, and the subjunctive present form for elle / la piste cyclable is soit.

So:

• la piste cyclable est = indicative present
• la piste cyclable sera = future
• la piste cyclable soit = subjunctive present ✅ after à moins que

This is one of the most important grammar points in the sentence.

Other expressions that often trigger the subjunctive include:

• il faut que
• bien que
• pour que
• avant que
• à condition que

That is a very good question. In more formal or traditional French, you often do see:

à moins que la piste cyclable ne soit complètement sèche

This ne is called an expletive ne. It does not make the clause negative. It is just a stylistic/grammatical feature that appears after certain expressions, including à moins que.

So both of these can be correct:

• à moins que la piste cyclable soit complètement sèche
• à moins que la piste cyclable ne soit complètement sèche

The version without the extra ne is very common in modern spoken and informal written French.

Piste cyclable means bike path, cycle path, or bike lane, depending on context.

• piste = track/path/lane
• cyclable = suitable for cycling / for bicycles

So it refers to a path or lane meant for bikes.

A learner should know that French has a few related terms:

• piste cyclable = often a separate cycle path
• bande cyclable = often a marked bike lane on the road

But in everyday use, piste cyclable is often understood broadly as bike path.

Because sèche is an adjective agreeing with la piste cyclable, which is feminine singular.

The basic adjective is:

• masculine singular: sec
• feminine singular: sèche

Since piste is feminine:

• la piste est sèche ✅

If the noun were masculine, it would be:

• le sol est sec

So the adjective changes to match the noun it describes.

Complètement is an adverb, and it modifies the adjective sèche.

• complètement sèche = completely dry

This is similar to English word order:

• completely dry
• fully ready
• totally impossible

So complètement tells us the degree of dryness.

The comma separates the main clause from the à moins que clause:

• Nous n’irons pas loin à vélo,
• à moins que la piste cyclable soit complètement sèche.

This makes the sentence easier to read and reflects a natural pause.

In English, you also often write: We won’t go far by bike, unless the bike path is completely dry.

The comma is not the main grammar point here, but it helps show the structure clearly.

Yes, that is possible in some contexts. Nous n’allons pas aller loin uses the near future (aller + infinitive), while Nous n’irons pas loin uses the simple future.

Both can mean something like we’re not going to go far, but there can be a slight difference in tone:

• Nous n’irons pas loin = a bit more neutral or written
• Nous n’allons pas aller loin = often sounds more immediate or conversational

In this sentence, n’irons pas is very natural and concise.