cállate
direct
Shut up in Spanish is cállate, also used in Cuba. It is rude with most people. Silencio is a neutral way to ask for quiet. It is also called cállate la boca.
Meaning: rude command to be quiet (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| cállate | direct |
| silencio | neutral |
| cállate la boca | rude |
Cállate is a direct command and can sound angry. Cállate la boca is stronger and rude.
Which one should you use?
For a polite request, say silencio, por favor or ¿pueden hablar más bajo?
How does it change in a sentence?
Cállate comes from callarse, to be quiet, and the polite usted form is cállese.
Did you know?
- Cállese is the polite command form for someone you address as usted.
Examples in context
- Cállate, estoy escuchando.Shut up, I am listening.
- ¿Pueden hablar más bajo?Can you talk more quietly?
Example conversation
A teacher, Mrs. Lourdes, asks her class, including a boy named Ruben, in Havana for quiet.
- LourdesSilencio, por favor.Quiet, please.
- RubenPerdón, maestra.Sorry, teacher.
- LourdesGracias, empecemos.Thank you, let us start.
