cállate, payaso
/ˈkaʝate paˈʝaso/word by word
The English phrase "shut up, bozo" is translated into Spanish as cállate, payaso.
This is an insulting way to tell someone to stop talking by calling them a fool.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the reflexive imperative cállate (shut yourself up) and the noun payaso (clown).
Which one should you use?
You can use cállese, payaso to create a sarcastic, mock-polite tone. To address a group of people, use the plural forms cállense, payasos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkaʝate paˈʝaso/
Did you know?
- The word payaso shares an unexpected ancestor with the English word 'pallet', a thin mattress. Both words trace back to the Latin word for 'chaff' or 'straw', referring to the straw-filled cushions used by traveling performers.
- While cállate is a direct command, using the formal cállese in this context is often perceived as more aggressive or condescending than the informal version because it mocks the listener's status.
- The word cállate is derived from the verb callar, which unlike the English 'shut up' can be used as a transitive verb meaning 'to keep a secret' or 'to silence someone else'.
Examples in context
- Por favor, cállate, payaso.Please be quiet, clown.
- ¿Podrías callar, payaso?Could you be quiet, clown?
- ¡Cállate, tonto! No puedo concentrarme.Shut up, dummy! I can't concentrate.
- ¡Cállate, payaso de circo! Que no te escucha nadie.Shut up, circus clown! Nobody is listening to you.
- No digas ni 'mu,' bufón. Tu opinión no importa a nadie.Don't say a word, joker. Your opinion doesn't matter to anyone.
- ¡Cállate, payaso!Shut up, bozo!
- Ya deja de hablar, cállate, payaso.Stop talking already, shut up, bozo.
- No quiero oírte, cállate, payaso.I don't want to hear you, shut up, bozo.
Example conversation
A heated argument between siblings in a living room.
- Mateo¡Estás molestando mucho!You are being very annoying!
- Lucía¡Cállate, payaso, Mateo!Shut up, bozo, Mateo!
- MateoNo me hables así.Don't talk to me like that.
- Lucía¡Pues cállate!Well, shut up!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cállate, payaso) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries payaso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
