montón

Montón is a masculine Spanish noun that designates a heap, pile, or mound of objects. It can describe a physical accumulation, such as un montón de hojas, piedras o ropa, or a gathered mass in a particular place. It also appears in figurative uses to indicate a large quantity of something.

In everyday language, the phrase un montón means “a lot” or “many.” It functions as a colloquial quantifier and is typically followed by de to express quantity: un montón de libros, hay montones de gente, me gustó un montón. This construction is very common in informal Spanish; in formal writing, much or a large amount is preferred.

Etymologically, montón comes from monte with the augmentative suffix -ón, signaling a large or sizable collection. The accent mark on the ó shows that the stress falls on the final syllable (mon-TÓN). The plural form is montones, used for multiple piles or large quantities.

Related terms include pila, cúmulo, and aluvión, which can serve as more formal or regionally preferred synonyms for a heap or large quantity. The word is widely used across Spanish-speaking regions, though its informal sense as a quantifier is especially prevalent in conversational speech.