млъкни!
mlăkni!
The English phrase "shut up" is translated into Bulgarian as млъкни! (mlăkni!)
The term is used as an imperative command to tell someone to stop talking.
Meaning: "Stop talking." (intj)
Which one should you use?
While млъкни! means "be quiet" or "shut up", the phrase затвори устата си is a more aggressive and literal way to say "shut your mouth".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperative form млъкни! is the singular command, while мълчи! is a common alternative used to tell someone to be silent. To tell more than one person to shut up, or to use the polite form, you use мълкнете! The verb мълкне is the third-person singular present tense, used to describe someone who is being silent or who falls silent.
How do you pronounce it?
mlăkni!
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'shut up' to express disbelief, using млъкни! in Bulgarian to express 'no way!' would be misunderstood as a literal command to be quiet.
- In Bulgarian culture, telling an elder млъкни! is considered a profound social transgression, far more offensive than the English 'shut up' because of the strict hierarchy embedded in the language's polite forms.
- If you use the literal 'shut your mouth' затвори устата си, it is often accompanied by a gesture of bringing the hand to the mouth and closing it, which is more common in Bulgaria than in many English-speaking countries.
Examples in context
- Млъкни.Shut up.
Example conversation
Maria and Martin are arguing in the kitchen.
- Мария MariyaТи винаги правиш всичко грешно!Ti vinagi pravish vsichko greshno!You always do everything wrong!
- Мартин MartinМлъкни! Не искам да слушам.Mlakni! Ne iskam da slusham.Shut up! I don't want to listen.
- Мария MariyaЗащо ми викаш така?Zashto mi vikaish taka?Why are you shouting at me like that?
- Мартин MartinЗащото ме дразниш.Zashto me draznish.Because you are annoying me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shut up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
