Bart castigado en su nueva escuela católica

What does “respondón” mean in Spanish?

A “respondón” is someone who always has a comeback — a kid (or adult) who answers back instead of obeying. It is built from “responder” (to answer) plus the busy suffix “-ón,” which marks a person who does something a lot or to excess: “llorón” (crybaby), “preguntón” (one who asks too much), “mirón” (gawker). So “respondón” is, literally, a champion answer-backer.

Here a stern nun warns that at this school “no toleramos a los respondones” — we don’t tolerate back-talkers — right before Bart fires off yet another quip. That “-ón” suffix is a high-value pattern: spot the verb or noun inside (“respond-,” “llor-,” “pregunt-”) and you can usually decode the trait it exaggerates. Feminine form: “respondona.”