dile que se calle
/dile ke se kaʝe/from spelling rules
To say "tell him to shut up" in Spanish, use dile que se calle.
This phrase is used to give an instruction to a third party to tell another person to stop talking immediately.
Which one should you use?
You may use dile que guarde silencio if you want to say "tell him to be quiet" in a more polite or formal manner.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more polite or formal situation, use dile que guarde silencio.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase employs the subjunctive mood in the form calle because it is expressing an indirect command or wish.
How do you pronounce it?
/dile ke se kaʝe/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, telling someone to callar can be seen as much more aggressive than the English 'be quiet' and is often reserved for children or heated arguments.
- The word calle in this phrase is a form of the verb callar, but as a noun it means 'street'.
- The word que in this phrase is a historical 'imposter'. Although it comes from the Latin 'quid', meaning 'what', it actually took over all the grammatical roles of the Latin 'quod' in Spanish.
Examples in context
- Dile que se calle, por favor.Tell him to shut up, please.
- Si sigue gritando, dile que se calle.If he keeps shouting, tell him to shut up.
- No puedo estudiar, dile que se calle.I can't study, tell him to shut up.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are at a library trying to study.
- SofíaEse chico no deja de hablar.That boy won't stop talking.
- AlejandroNo quiero problemas, Sofía.I don't want any trouble, Sofía.
- Sofía¡Dile que se calle ahora mismo!Tell him to shut up right now!
- AlejandroEstá bien, lo haré.Fine, I will do it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calle, que, se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
