cállate, mujer
/ˈkaʝate muˈxeɾ/word by word
The English phrase "girl, shut up" can be translated into Spanish as cállate, mujer.
This phrase is an informal and often sassy way to tell a female friend to stop talking. It is often used as an exclamation of disbelief or shock in response to gossip or a surprising story.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can use the expression Chava, cállate to tell a girl to shut up informally.
How does it change in a sentence?
Cállate is the informal singular imperative form of the reflexive verb callarse.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkaʝate muˈxeɾ/
Did you know?
- While cállate is used for friends, using the formal cállese to a stranger or superior is often perceived as an extreme insult or a sign of total loss of patience.
- The word mujer descends from the Latin 'mulierem', which originally referred specifically to a married woman.
- Using mujer as a filler word in this phrase is similar to the way some speakers use hombre regardless of the gender of the person they are talking to in certain Spanish dialects.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are gossiping about a mutual friend.
- ElenaNo vas a creer lo que pasó ayer.You are not going to believe what happened yesterday.
- JavierCuéntamelo todo ahora mismo.Tell me everything right now.
- Elena¡Dijo que no te quería ver!She said she didn't want to see you!
- Javier¡Cállate, mujer! No me digas eso.Girl, shut up! Don't tell me that.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cállate, mujer) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mujer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
