respondón
/respondon/from spelling rules
The English phrase "smart mouth" can be translated into Spanish as respondón.
The term respondón describes a person who is habitually talkative in a defiant or cheeky way. It is typically used for someone who gives impudent or sarcastic answers to people in authority, often in response to being corrected or scolded.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective respondón changes its ending to agree with the subject: use respondona for a smart-mouthed female and respondones for the plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/respondon/
Did you know?
- The suffix -ón in respondón is an augmentative, meaning the word literally describes someone who 'over-responds' or responds too much.
- In some Latin American cultures, a child who is respondón may be viewed as possessing a precocious intelligence rather than just being rude.
- A person who is respondón might be described as having lengua larga (a long tongue), a common idiom for someone who speaks too much or is too blunt.
Examples in context
- No seas tan respondón con tu padre.Don't be such a smart mouth with your father.
- Ese niño es muy respondón en clase.That boy is a real smart mouth in class.
- Me cansó su actitud de respondón.I got tired of his smart mouth attitude.
Example conversation
A mother is scolding her son for his behavior towards his teacher.
- MateoMateo, no puedes ser tan respondón con la profesora.Mateo, you can't be such a smart mouth with the teacher.
- ElenaSolo dije la verdad, mamá.I only told the truth, mom.
- MateoTu tono fue muy irrespetuoso.Your tone was very disrespectful.
- ElenaLo siento, no volverá a pasar.I'm sorry, it won't happen again.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries respondón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
