What does ‘mola’ mean in Spain?
In Spain, mola means “it’s cool” or “I like it”: it comes from the colloquial verb molar, which works like gustar, so Me mola tu chaqueta means “I love your jacket” and ¡Cómo mola! means “How cool!”. It is informal and very common in relaxed conversation.
What mola means
Mola: it’s cool Colloquial
On its own, mola praises something: Esta canción mola (“This song is cool”), Mola mucho (“It’s really cool”).
Me mola: I like it Colloquial
Built like gustar, with the thing you like as the subject: Me mola este barrio, Me molan tus zapatillas (plural thing, plural verb).
No mola: not cool Colloquial
In the negative it describes something you dislike or behaviour you disapprove of: Eso que has hecho no mola nada (“What you did is not cool at all”).
Where and when you will hear it
Molar is used throughout Spain in casual speech. It sounds young and relaxed, so it fits chats with friends and colleagues you know well; in formal contexts use gustar or encantar instead.
It is far less common in Latin America, where each country has its own words for “cool”.
Examples from everyday Spain Spanish
- ¡Cómo mola tu bici nueva!Your new bike is so cool!
- Me mola mucho este barrio, tiene muchísimo ambiente.I really like this neighbourhood, it’s so lively.
- ¿Te mola la idea de ir a la sierra el finde?Do you like the idea of going to the mountains at the weekend?
- Lo que le has dicho no mola nada.What you said to her wasn’t cool at all.
How to say it
MOH-lah, stress on the first syllable, with a pure o as in “more” (without the r). The plural molan is MOH-lahn.
Dictionary sources
- Real Academia Española & ASALE, Diccionario de la lengua española — molar — Defines molar as colloquial: “to please, to be pleasant or great”.