What does ‘mogollón’ mean in Spain?
In Spain, mogollón is colloquial for “loads” or “a ton”: un mogollón de gente is a huge crowd, and me gusta mogollón means “I like it loads”. It can also mean a big commotion or a mess.
Hear it in a real scene
In the Lince app, you hear mogollón in a scene from Vaya Semanita, “La vida es eso, tía”:
«Claro, tía, la vida es eso, ¿no? Mogollón de experiencias.» Of course, girl, that's what life is, right? Loads of experiences.
What mogollón means
(Un) mogollón de — loads of Colloquial
Before a noun, with or without un: Había mogollón de gente, tengo un mogollón de cosas que hacer.
Mogollón — a lot (adverb) Colloquial
After a verb it means “a lot” or “loads”: Me ha gustado mogollón, te echo de menos mogollón.
Un mogollón — a commotion, a mess Colloquial
A crowd scene, a scramble or a chaotic situation: Se armó un mogollón en la puerta.
Where and when you will hear it
Mogollón is a Spain word, common in relaxed speech across all ages. In formal contexts, or anywhere in Latin America, un montón is the safe equivalent, and it is just as common in Spain.
Do not drop the accent in writing: mogollón, with the plural mogollones for commotions.
Examples from everyday Spain Spanish
- Había un mogollón de gente en el concierto.There were loads of people at the concert.
- Tengo mogollón de deberes este finde.I’ve got a ton of homework this weekend.
- Me ha gustado mogollón la película.I liked the film loads.
- Te echo de menos mogollón.I miss you loads.
- A la salida del partido se armó un mogollón tremendo.There was a huge commotion as people left the match.
How to say it
moh-goh-YOHN: the stress is on the last syllable, which carries the written accent, and ll sounds like the y in “yes” for most speakers in Spain.
Frequently asked questions
Is mogollón formal?
No. Mogollón is informal; in formal speech, or in Latin America, un montón is the safer way to say “loads”.
Do I need un before mogollón?
Both are fine: había mogollón de gente and había un mogollón de gente both mean “there were loads of people”.