Spanish word

montón

Pronunciation

IPA/monˈton/

Meaning

  • masculine nouna lot

Example

Hay un montón de gente en la plaza.

There are a lot of people in the square.

Illustration for montón (a lot)

More examples

Tenemos un montón de trabajo esta semana.

We have a lot of work this week.

Core concept

A mountainous pile of objects.

Common phrases

  • tener un montón de

    have a lot of

  • un montón de trabajo

    a lot of work

Similar words

cantidad: An amount or number of something that represents its size or measure.
pila: A compact stack of objects that sits one on top of another.

Definition in Spanish

Cantidad muy grande, usada tanto para montones físicos como para cantidades imprecisas en lenguaje cotidiano.

Word origin

Derived from Latin mons 'mountain' with the augmentative -ón, so the word conveys the idea of a 'big mountain' and by extension a great number or amount.

Usage tips

  • Used also as an adverbial phrase after verbs (for example, me gusta un montón, meaning someone likes something a lot), so expect un montón both before nouns (with de) and after verbs in speech.

Other meanings

  • a tonadverb

Opposites

Related words

  • amontonamientoaccumulationnoun
  • amontonarpile upverb

Word lists with this word