El ciclista pedalea con chaleco reflectante.

Ciclista means cyclist or bicyclist.

It is a noun that can refer to either a man or a woman. The word itself usually stays the same:

• el ciclista = the male cyclist
• la ciclista = the female cyclist

So in your sentence, el ciclista tells you the cyclist is masculine.

El means the.

So:

• el ciclista = the cyclist

Spanish often uses definite articles very naturally, just like English does, but sometimes even more often than English. Here, el simply identifies a specific cyclist or a cyclist being talked about in general, depending on context.

If you changed it to un ciclista, it would mean:

• un ciclista = a cyclist

Pedalea is the third-person singular present tense of pedalear (to pedal).

Conjugation:

• yo pedaleo = I pedal / I am pedaling
• tú pedaleas = you pedal / you are pedaling
• él / ella pedalea = he / she pedals / is pedaling

Since the subject is el ciclista (the cyclist), Spanish uses the él/ella form:

• El ciclista pedalea.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Spanish present tense often covers both of these English ideas:

• He pedals
• He is pedaling

So El ciclista pedalea could mean either:

• The cyclist pedals
• The cyclist is pedaling

If Spanish wants to emphasize the ongoing action, it can also use:

• El ciclista está pedaleando = The cyclist is pedaling

But in many normal situations, pedalea is perfectly natural.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• con chaleco reflectante = with reflective vest / wearing reflective vest
• con un chaleco reflectante = with a reflective vest

Without un, Spanish often sounds a little more general or descriptive, especially when talking about clothing, accessories, or visible features in captions, descriptions, or headlines.

So:

• El ciclista pedalea con chaleco reflectante.
  = The cyclist is pedaling with a reflective vest / wearing a reflective vest.

Adding un makes it sound a bit more like you are pointing out one particular vest.

In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• chaleco reflectante = reflective vest

This is the normal order in Spanish:

• coche rojo = red car
• casa grande = big house
• chaleco reflectante = reflective vest

English usually puts adjectives before the noun, but Spanish usually puts them after.

Reflectante is an adjective, and it agrees in number with the noun. In the singular, it often looks the same for masculine and feminine.

Examples:

• chaleco reflectante = reflective vest
• chaqueta reflectante = reflective jacket
• chalecos reflectantes = reflective vests
• chaquetas reflectantes = reflective jackets

So in your sentence:

• chaleco is masculine singular
• reflectante is also singular

The plural would be reflectantes.

Yes. That is very natural.

• El ciclista lleva un chaleco reflectante.
  = The cyclist is wearing a reflective vest.

This version focuses more directly on what he is wearing.

Your original sentence:

• El ciclista pedalea con chaleco reflectante.

focuses on the action of pedaling and describes him as doing it with that item on.

Both are good; they just highlight slightly different things.

Yes, often it can.

Spanish frequently drops subject pronouns and even noun subjects when the meaning is clear from context. So if everyone already knows who you are talking about, you could simply say:

• Pedalea con chaleco reflectante.

This means:

• He/She is pedaling with a reflective vest.

However, keeping El ciclista is useful when you want to identify who is doing the action.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• El = ehl
• ciclista = see-KLEES-tah
• pedalea = peh-dah-LEH-ah
• con = kohn
• chaleco = chah-LEH-koh
• reflectante = rreh-flehk-TAHN-teh

A few notes:

• In most of Latin America, c before i sounds like s, so ciclista starts like see-
• ch sounds like English ch
• The r in reflectante is usually a tapped or trilled Spanish r
• The stress falls on:
  • ciclista
  • pedalea
  • chaleco
  • reflectante

Yes, but the original order is the most neutral and natural.

Normal order:

• El ciclista pedalea con chaleco reflectante.

You might also hear different word orders for emphasis, for example:

• Con chaleco reflectante, el ciclista pedalea.

That sounds more marked and may emphasize with a reflective vest.

For a learner, the standard order is best:

• subject + verb + complement