¿por qué colgaste?
The English phrase "why did you hang up?" is translated into Spanish as ¿por qué colgaste?
This phrase is a question used when someone ends a telephone call abruptly or unexpectedly.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb colgar literally means "to hang", which is the same root used for "to hang up" a telephone call in English.
Which one should you use?
The default form ¿por qué colgaste? uses the tú (informal) conjugation. In contrast, ¿por qué colgó? uses the usted (formal) conjugation.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are speaking to someone you address as usted (formal you), use the form ¿por qué colgó? If you are asking a group of people why they hung up, use ¿por qué colgaron?
Did you know?
- While colgar is used for phones, the phrase colgar el teléfono is also used metaphorically to describe someone who stops paying attention or 'zones out' during a conversation.
- The word colgar also means 'to upload' a file to the internet, as in colgar una foto, because digital files are metaphorically 'hung' on a server.
- In Spanish, the verb colgar is used to describe a computer or application that has frozen or crashed, as in se ha colgado.
Examples in context
- ¡Oye! ¿Por qué colgaste de repente?Hey! Why did you hang up suddenly?
- Estábamos hablando y de repente, ¿por qué colgaste?We were talking and suddenly, why did you hang up?
- No escuché el final de la llamada, ¿por qué colgaste?I didn't hear the end of the call, why did you hang up?
Example conversation
Mateo calls María back after their call was interrupted.
- MateoHola, María, ¿por qué colgaste?Hello, María, why did you hang up?
- MaríaLo siento, Mateo, se me acabó la batería.I'm sorry, Mateo, my battery died.
- MateoAh, entiendo, pensé que estabas enfadada.Ah, I see, I thought you were angry.
- MaríaNo, para nada, solo fue un problema técnico.No, not at all, it was just a technical problem.
