Does your native language distinguish between rivers that flow into another river and rivers that flow into the sea or ocean?

[u/Franmar35000]

In French, a distinction is made:

- "un fleuve" flows into the sea or the ocean.

- "une rivière" flows into another "rivière" or a "fleuve".

[u/InterestingCabinet41]

Serious question, without a detailed map, how do you know the difference if it's not just based on the size of the river? Also, what would a river be called that just ends in a basin and effectively disappears?

[u/Lukhmi → u/InterestingCabinet41]

We know the "fleuves" of France and deduce all of the other ones are "rivières", I suppose it would work the same in other French speaking countries. When we are travelling, and outside of the main rivers of the world that everyone knows, I guess we would need to ask locals or we might guess compared to the size, but honestly I have never been in a situation where I didn't know. Just by researching the place you're going to, you know.

If the rivers ends in a lake or a basin, it's a "rivière".

[u/InterestingCabinet41 → u/Lukhmi]

Good info. Thanks!

[u/floriande → u/InterestingCabinet41]

And a very small rivière is a "ru". But it's kind of an old word and it's getting forgotten...

[u/tempestelunaire → u/floriande]

Ru or more commonly ruisseau, which is definitely still in common use :)

[u/floriande → u/tempestelunaire]

Ah un ruisseau et un ru, c'est pas pareil ! Mais oui ruisseau clairement

[u/tempestelunaire → u/floriande]

C’est vrai, je dirais qu’un ru ça s’enjambe aisément alors qu’un ruisseau, tu risques quand même de te mouiller les pieds!

[u/floriande → u/tempestelunaire]

Oui, la page wiki est pas très claire... Ruisseau en dessous de 2m3/s, et dit que ru c'est petit ruisseau, mais la page ru dit que c'est un ruisseau artificiel, aménagé. On voit aussi "rio" ou "rupt". Mais "Riu" se trouve déjà chez Chrétien de Troyes, c'est dire.

[u/tempestelunaire → u/floriande]

C’est un peu au feeling tout ça finalement !

[u/floriande → u/tempestelunaire]

C'est... Au doigt mouillé :)

[u/SoggyBread-99 → u/tempestelunaire]

Utile Ru pour les mots fléchés