vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Lechón" is a noun which is often translated as "piglet", and "pollo" is a noun which is often translated as "chicken". Learn more about the difference between "lechón" and "pollo" below.
el lechón, la lechona(
leh
-
chohn
)This means that the noun can be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to (e.g., el doctor, la doctora).
1. (animal)
a. piglet
El lechón se pasa el día mamando y durmiendo.The piglet spends the day suckling and sleeping.
2. (colloquial) (dirty person)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. pig (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
¿Solo te duchas una vez a la semana? ¡Vaya lechón!You only take a shower once a week? You're such a pig!
b. slob (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Carmen es una lechona y cuando te acercas a ella huele a sudor.Carmen is a slob and when you're up close to her, you can smell her body odor.
A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
3. (culinary)
a. suckling pig
En Navidad mi abuela solía cocinar lechón con patatas.My grandmother used to do a suckling pig with potatoes for Christmas.
b. sucking pig (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
Elena metió al horno el lechón y lo dejó 20 minutos para que se dorara antes de bajar el fuego.Elena put the sucking pig in the oven and left it to brown for 20 minutes before turning the heat down.
el pollo(
poh
-
yoh
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
1. (animal)
2. (culinary)
3. (baby bird)
4. (colloquial) (large wad of phlegm) (Spain)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Spain
a. loogie (colloquial) (United States)
Regionalism used in the United States
Estaba tan enfermo que estaba tosiendo pollos.He was so sick that he was coughing up loogies.
b. gob (colloquial) (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
¿Lo viste? Acaba de escupir ese pollo en la calle.Did you see him? He just coughed up that gob on the street.
This means that the noun can be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to (e.g., el doctor, la doctora).
5. (colloquial) (young person) (Spain)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Spain
a. young man (masculine)
Eso es un dispositivo muy elegante que tienes, pollo. ¿Qué es? - Es un teléfono.That's quite a fancy device you have, young man. What is it? - It's a phone.
b. young woman (feminine)
Las pollitas del barrio andan vestidas a la última.The young women in the area all dress in the latest fashions.
c. kid
¿Quieres ir al bar en la calle Hidalgo? - No, está lleno de pollos.Do you want to go to the bar on Hidalgo? - No, it's full of kids.
d. youngster
Mi abuelo me estaba preguntando qué hacen los pollos hoy en día para divertirse.My grandfather was asking me what youngsters like to do for fun these days.
6. (colloquial) (migrant) (Mexico)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Mexico
a. undocumented migrant
El coyote cobra miles de dólares por pasar un pollo al otro lado.The human smuggler charges thousands of dollars to get an undocumented migrant over the border.
