Andar a vs. andar en

Question

In the context of riding something.

Quite a while ago I learned the terms “andar a caballo” and “andar en bicicleta”. I recently encountered the terms “andar en camello” and “andar en elefante”, and realized that the assumption that I had made on the basis of just 2 examples was that “andar a” went with an animal, and “andar en” went with inanimate things (whether or not I was consciously aware of that assumption- I really only thought I had learned 2 phrases, but when I encountered the first of these new phrases, I realized my subconscious had indeed generalized incorrectly).

I have looked up burro and it also seems to be “andar en”, and the same with “moto”. So, in the sense of riding something, does “andar a” only go with caballo?

And does the same go with montar (I have seen somewhere that you can say “montar en un caballo” or "montar en el caballo negro” for example but need to say “montar a caballo” if you are using it in the general sense).

(I do also realize that “andar a” is used in a number of other phrases having nothing to do with riding something.)

Answer 1

We have the same issue in Englsish - why do we get on a bus or a train but ride in a car?

..

(I think it has something to do with public transport vs private transport... we get in a private car, but on a public tram... but then my theory falls to pieces when we get in a shared taxi, hehehe.)

I will post a question to this in a few minutes that I have been thinking of posting anyway. - Stadt, Jun 17, 2011

Thanks, my question is not the why (I never ask why, because I understand the historical development of languages), just as to whether this is the single exception, or if there are others I should know? - Stadt, Jun 17, 2011

Get in vs. Get on question posted. See my theories. - Stadt, Jun 17, 2011

Answer 2

And does the same go with montar (I have seen somewhere that you can say “montar en un caballo” or "montar en el caballo negro” for example but need to say “montar a caballo” if you are using it in the general sense).

I think you've got this just right with "montar". Think of it as "to ride by horse" (a caballo) vrs. "to ride on a horse" (en un caballo).

Regarding andar I think you are right in your supposition, but could stand to be corrected. When I am in Mexico I travel in and out of town on a mountain bike, and ride with Mexican friends there, and it is "andar en bici", never "montar en bici". Not that you suggested otherwise.

J

Thanks, I get the sense that choice of montar vs. andar is regional; the base of my question is still whether "a" is used for anything in this sense, other than caballo. - Stadt, Jun 17, 2011

In Spain we use "montar" most of the time, although some people say "andar" sometimes too. - lazarus1907, Jun 17, 2011

Answer 3

Ejemplos de uso:

Me gusta andar a caballo(=montar a caballo,viajar a caballo).

Me gusta andar en moto(=viajar, conducir)

Luis andaba mucho en bicicleta.

Los bebes andan a cuatro patas.(walk)

Los bebes andan a gatas (apoyándose en brazos y piernas, como los gatos)

No me gusta andar por las ramas (dar rodeos a un tema o problema sin profundizar en él).

Aquel Ferrari andaba a más de 3oo kilómetros por hora.(=viajaba, corría )

Answer 4

Stadt, I read your question a few times and waited for some more skilled speakers to answer.

My first response is that we handle prepositions in a similar manner in English. We "ride a horse" or "ride on a horse". They are difficult enough for me to handle in English, but a rule I have followed (probably totally wrong) is to fashion the sentence or phrase in Spanish in a similar manner to English. For example, where I would say "ride a horse", I'd use "andar a caballo". In places where I would use "ride on a horse", I'd use the "andar en un caballo". I wouldn't put a lot of confidence in that rule either. It makes the sentence sound like an English speaker that is trying to speak Spanish. Anyway, they are pretty tolerant of my mistakes, so I don't know if that is wrong or not.

The people around here can figure out what I intend to say, but they give me a strange look when when I use "montar" to describe riding on a bicycle or motorcycle. The video on this site (I believe) uses "montar", but I hear "andar" more frequently than "montar" among the Spanish speaking people here.

Thanks, I am not looking for montar vs. andar, or nything except, when speaking to the generality and not specific, whether everything uses "en" except caballo, or if there are other exceptions. - Stadt, Jun 17, 2011

Answer 5

This is one of the reasons I hate prepositions. . .even the subjunctive is far easier.

I agree, in both English and Spanish it almost seems random some times. - Stadt, Jun 17, 2011

The subjunctive is far much more logical than the random choice of prepositions... both in English and Spanish. - lazarus1907, Jun 17, 2011