montaña rusa
/montaɲa ɾusa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "roller coaster" is translated into Spanish as montaña rusa.
montaña rusa refers to an amusement park ride featuring steep slopes and sharp curves on a high track. To express the action of riding a roller coaster, you typically use the verb montar followed by the preposition en, as in montar en la montaña rusa.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase montaña rusa literally translates to "Russian mountain".
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the phrase is montañas rusas.
How do you pronounce it?
/montaɲa ɾusa/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, if you describe a situation as being in a montaña rusa, you are not talking about an amusement park, but rather a volatile or unstable emotional state.
- The term montaña rusa is a direct translation of the French montagnes russes, which refers to the 'Russian mountains' or 'Russian swings'.
- The phrase is used in Spanish to describe a volatile stock market or an unstable economy.
Examples in context
- Tom montó la montaña rusa.Tom rode the roller coaster.This sentence shows how to use montaña rusa with the verb to express riding the ride.Tatoeba #1167701 by marcelostockle, translation #1164260 by CK
- Esta atracción es la montaña rusa de madera más alta y larga del mundo.This attraction is the tallest and longest wooden roller coaster in the world.This sentence describes a specific wooden montaña rusa using superlative adjectives.Tatoeba #8102076 by Seael, translation #10831791 by SillyDonut7
- ¡Vamos a subirnos a la montaña rusa y disfrutar de la emoción!Let's get on the roller coaster and enjoy the thrills!
- La montaña rusa es muy rápida.The roller coaster is very fast.
Example conversation
Two friends are standing in line at an amusement park.
- María¿Quieres subir a la montaña rusa, Daniel?Do you want to go on the roller coaster, Daniel?
- DanielNo, me dan miedo las alturas.No, I am afraid of heights.
- María¡Pero es la mejor montaña rusa del parque!But it is the best roller coaster in the park!
- DanielPrefiero ir a los carruseles.I prefer to go to the carousels.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries montaña, montaña rusa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
