¿puedes guardar silencio, por favor?
The English phrase "can you please be quiet" is translated into Spanish as ¿puedes guardar silencio, por favor?
This phrase is used as a polite request for someone to stop making noise.
Which one should you use?
The phrase ¿puedes guardar silencio, por favor? is a standard polite request. For a softer, more indirect and even more polite tone, you can use the conditional form ¿podrías guardar silencio, por favor? In contrast to these polite requests, the command ¡Cállate! is blunt and often considered rude.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the request more formal or polite when addressing a stranger or an elder, you should change the informal puedes to the formal puede in the phrase ¿puede guardar silencio, por favor?
Did you know?
- While ¡Cállate! is the direct translation of 'shut up', it is often used affectionately between very close friends or family members in some regions, provided the tone is playful.
- The Spanish word guardar shares a common ancient root with the English word 'warden' and 'guard'.
- The verb guardar does not just mean 'to keep' or 'to save', but also functions to mean 'to maintain' or 'to preserve', which is why it is used with 'silencio' to imply maintaining a state of quiet.
Examples in context
- Perdone, ¿puede guardar silencio, por favor? Estoy intentando estudiar.Excuse me, can you please be quiet? I am trying to study.
- Estoy estudiando, ¿puedes guardar silencio, por favor?I am studying, can you please be quiet?
- El bebé duerme, ¿puedes guardar silencio, por favor?The baby is sleeping, can you please be quiet?
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are in a library.
- JavierLucía, ¿puedes guardar silencio, por favor?Lucía, can you please be quiet?
- LucíaLo siento, Javier, no me di cuenta.I'm sorry, Javier, I didn't realize.
- JavierNo hay problema, solo necesito concentrarme.No problem, I just need to concentrate.
- LucíaEstá bien, guardaré silencio.Alright, I will be quiet.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries favor, guardar, por, silencio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
