Empollón

[ROBINDESBOIS]

How do we say in English Empollón, empollón is the student who studies a lot, so that he can have good grades in exams.The other students usually hate him

I saw swot (BE) and grind (USA)

[Perikles]

So does the GDO:

empollón-llona masculino,femenino (España familiar & peyorativo) grind (inglés norteamericano familiar), swot (inglés británico familiar & peyorativo)

[aleCcowaN]

By the way, empollón is a word used just in Spain and barely known elsewhere. I suppose every region has it's own term: in Argentina, a swot is called traga, short for tragalibros.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

En México se les solía llamar matados (mataditos, para darle un tono aún más despectivo) o ratones de biblioteca, pero ahora eso suena algo arcaico.
Los jóvenes ahora usan "nerd" o "ñoño".

[Rusty]

Although 'grind' is listed in the dictionary, I've never heard it used.

'Nerd' is the commonly-used word nowadays. 'Bookworm' is also used, but sounds antiquated.

[JPablo]

What about "crammer" or "plodder"? (Are these a bit old too?)
Geek?

[Rusty]

Geek is good.
I haven't heard 'plodder'. Someone who crams for a test could be called a 'crammer', but I wouldn't use it as a general term for someone who studies a lot.

[JPablo]

Right, thank you.

I think "empollón" applies to the guy who studies a lot, even if he is not really that smart.

"Empollar" as a verb, definitely applies to "cram", particularly on the eve of the test.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Right, thank you.

I think "empollón" applies to the guy who studies a lot, even if he is not really that smart.

"Empollar" as a verb, definitely applies to "cram", particularly on the eve of the test.

In that case, 'swot' is a bad translation of empollón.

A swot is somebody who is actually interested in studying and studies possibly to the exclusion of 'normal' social activities. Probably intelligent.

To 'cram' is to to study hard, probably superficially, just before an exam, to forget it all afterwards. A totally different concept.

[ROBINDESBOIS]

Originally Posted by Perikles

In that case, 'swot' is a bad translation of empollón.

But empollón has a pejorative connotation it usually applies to people who study a lot and gets good grades. People use it with resentment and envy.