montar en burro
/montaɾ en buro/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'ride the donkey' can be translated into Spanish as montar en burro.
This phrase is used to describe the act of sitting on the back of a donkey to travel.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb montar (to ride/mount), the preposition en (on/in) and burro (donkey).
Which one should you use?
While montar en burro is a general way to say 'to ride a donkey', adding the definite article el (montar en el burro) specifies a particular donkey.
Did you know?
- The word burro is a distant relative of the English word 'pyre', as both originate from the Proto-Indo-European root for 'fire'.
- In some rural cultures, donkeys are seen as symbols of humility and hard work, making the act of montar en burro a sign of modesty rather than poverty.
- If you call someone a burro in many Spanish-speaking countries, you are not talking about their ability to ride animals, but are actually insulting their intelligence by calling them 'stupid' or 'stubborn'.
Examples in context
- ¡Monta el burro, primo!Ride the donkey, cousin!
- Sería fantástico si los niños pudieran cabalgar el burro durante el evento.It would be fantastic if the kids could ride the donkey during the event.
- Recuerdan cuando nos dimos una vuelta en burro en aquella playa paradisíaca?Remember when we took a donkey ride on that paradise beach?
- El niño quiere montar en burro.The boy wants to ride the donkey.
- Los niños quieren montar en burro.The children want to ride the donkey.
- No deberías montar en burro tan rápido.You shouldn't ride the donkey so fast.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are at a rural farm festival.
- Sofía¿Quieres montar en burro conmigo, Javier?Do you want to ride the donkey with me, Javier?
- JavierSí, me encantaría montar en burro.Yes, I would love to ride the donkey.
- Sofía¡Qué bien! Vamos hacia los animales.Great! Let's go towards the animals.
- JavierEspera, Sofía, tengo un poco de miedo.Wait, Sofía, I am a little scared.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries burro, en, montar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
