por favor cállate
/poɾ faboɾ kaʝate/from spelling rules
The English phrase "please shut up" is translated into Spanish as por favor cállate.
This phrase is a request for someone to stop talking. While adding por favor (please) is intended to soften the request, the core command cállate remains direct and can still sound very rude or aggressive depending on your tone of voice.
Which one should you use?
The phrase cállate is a direct command. You can also use Deja de hablar, por favor as an informal way to say "Stop talking, please".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may encounter the idiomatic expression Por favor, cierra el pico, which literally means "Please, shut your beak".
How do you pronounce it?
/poɾ faboɾ kaʝate/
Did you know?
- If you use the formal version por favor cállese instead of the informal cállate, it can actually sound more sarcastic or condescending because you are using formal respect to demand silence.
- While cállate is a command to be quiet, the root verb callar can also mean to keep a secret or hide a truth, such as in the phrase callar la verdad.
- In formal settings, instead of cállate, a speaker might use guardar silencio, which translates to 'guarding silence'.
Examples in context
- Por favor cállate, estoy intentando estudiar.Please shut up, I am trying to study.
- ¡Por favor cállate! No puedo oír la película.Please shut up! I can't hear the movie.
Example conversation
Alejandro is talking too loudly while Elena is reading a book.
- ElenaAlejandro, por favor cállate.Alejandro, please shut up.
- AlejandroLo siento, Elena, no me di cuenta.I'm sorry, Elena, I didn't realize.
- ElenaSolo quiero leer en silencio.I just want to read in silence.
- AlejandroEstá bien, no diré nada más.Okay, I won't say anything else.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
