baja el arma
/baxa el aɾma/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "put the gun down" is expressed as baja el arma.
This phrase is used as a command to instruct someone to lower their weapon or stop pointing it at others.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative verb baja (lower/bring down) and the noun phrase el arma (the weapon).
Which one should you use?
While baja el arma means to lower the weapon, suelta el arma is a common alternative meaning 'drop the weapon' or 'let go of the weapon'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the formal imperative baje (as in baje el arma) when addressing a stranger or someone in a formal context. If you are commanding multiple people to put their weapons down, use the plural form bajen.
Did you know?
- The word arma is a feminine noun, yet it uses the masculine article el in the phrase 'el arma'. This is because the word begins with a stressed 'a' sound, which prevents the two vowels from blurring together.
- In Spanish-speaking police procedurals and films, the command ¡Tira el arma! is often used instead of baja, utilizing the verb tirar to mean 'throw' or 'toss'.
- The word arma originates from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to join' or 'fitting', as it originally referred to pieces of armor that were fitted together.
Examples in context
- ¡Baja el arma ahora mismo!Put the gun down right now!
- Por favor, baja el arma y levanta las manos.Please, put the gun down and raise your hands.
- No te muevas, baja el arma.Don't move, put the gun down.
Example conversation
A tense standoff in a movie scene.
- DanielSofía, baja el arma.Sofia, put the gun down.
- SofíaNo lo haré hasta que me escuches.I won't do it until you listen to me.
- DanielNo hay tiempo para hablar.There is no time to talk.
- SofíaEntonces no bajaré el arma.Then I won't put the gun down.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries arma, baja, el, CC BY-SA 4.0.
