Montar en la bicicleta es bueno para la salud.

to be

Breakdown of Montar en la bicicleta es bueno para la salud.

• bueno: good
• para: for
• la salud: the health
• la bicicleta: the bicycle
• montar: to ride

Questions & Answers about Montar en la bicicleta es bueno para la salud.

Why is the infinitive montar used here, instead of a conjugated form like monto?

In Spanish, the infinitive can act like a noun and be the subject of a sentence. Here, montar functions as the “thing” that is good for your health. It’s similar to using the -ing form in English, for example: “Riding a bike is good for your health.”

Why do we say montar en la bicicleta instead of montar la bicicleta?

When referring to the activity of riding a bike, Spanish typically uses montar en (or andar en) to convey that you are on the bicycle, rather than simply matching montar with a direct object. Although you might occasionally hear montar la bicicleta, it’s less common and often sounds more literal, as if you were just getting on the bike rather than riding it.

Why is the definite article la present before bicicleta?

Using la before bicicleta is a standard way to refer to a bicycle in a general sense when using the structure montar en la bicicleta. You may also hear montar en bicicleta without the article – often that phrasing sounds more general, referring to the activity itself without pointing to a specific bicycle.

Why do we use bueno and not buena when referring to la bicicleta?

Here, bueno is describing the entire action of montar en la bicicleta, which is treated as a masculine singular concept because infinitive expressions in Spanish are typically considered masculine nouns (el montar, el comer, etc.). So we say es bueno rather than es buena.

Why do we say para la salud and not por la salud?

In Spanish, para often indicates purpose or benefit. In this case, para la salud means “for (the purpose of improving) your health.” Using por la salud would sound like you’re doing something “because of” health or “on behalf of” health, which isn’t the intended meaning here.