callar

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin chalāre, from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [kəˈʎa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kaˈʎaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

callar (first-person singular present callo, first-person singular preterite callí, past participle callat)

1. (intransitive) to be silent, to be quiet

   El meu home calla. ― My husband doesn't say a word.

2. (intransitive) to hush, to stop talking, to become silent

   Si us plau, calleu! ― Please, silence!

3. (transitive) to hush, to make silent

   I llavors el va fer callar. ― And then he shut him up.

4. (transitive or reflexive) to say nothing about, to not mention

   Aquestes coses se les calla. ― She does not mention such things.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of callar (first conjugation)

infinitive			callar
gerund			callant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		callat		callada
		plural		callats		callades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	callo	calles	calla	callem	calleu	callen
	imperfect	callava	callaves	callava	callàvem	callàveu	callaven
	future	callaré	callaràs	callarà	callarem	callareu	callaran
	preterite	callí	callares	callà	callàrem	callàreu	callaren
	conditional	callaria	callaries	callaria	callaríem	callaríeu	callarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	calli	callis	calli	callem	calleu	callin
	imperfect	callés	callessis	callés	calléssim	calléssiu	callessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	calla	calli	callem	calleu	callin
	negative (no)	—	no callis	no calli	no callem	no calleu	no callin

Galician

Alternative forms

• coallar, cuallar
• coalhar, calhar (reintegrationist)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese, from Latin coagulare (“coagulate”). Cognate with Portuguese coalhar and Spanish cuajar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈɟaɾ/ [kɑˈɟaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Hyphenation: ca‧llar

Verb

callar (first-person singular present callo, first-person singular preterite callei, past participle callado)

1. to curdle, solidify
   • c. 1300, R. Martínez López, editor, General Estoria. Versión gallega del siglo XIV, Oviedo: Archivum, page 183:

     desque entra o verão, por que estonçes se começã a rreter et deslyr as neues et as geadas que o poder do frio tem coalladas

     as soon as summer starts, because it's then that there begin to thaw and thin the snows and frosts that the power of the cold maintains curdled

2. to coagulate

   Synonym: coagular

Conjugation

    Conjugation of callar

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (ti)	Third-person (el / ela / Vde.)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / Vdes.)
Infinitive
Impersonal	callar
Personal	callar	callares	callar	callarmos	callardes	callaren
Gerund
	callando
Past participle
Masculine	callado			callados
Feminine	callada			calladas
Indicative
Present	callo	callas	calla	callamos	callades	callan
Imperfect	callaba	callabas	callaba	callabamos	callabades	callaban
Preterite	callei	callaches	callou	callamos	callastes	callaron
Pluperfect	callara	callaras	callara	callaramos	callarades	callaran
Future	callarei	callarás	callará	callaremos	callaredes	callarán
Conditional	callaría	callarías	callaría	callariamos	callariades	callarían
Subjunctive
Present	calle	calles	calle	callemos	calledes	callen
Imperfect	callase	callases	callase	callásemos	callásedes	callasen
Future	callar	callares	callar	callarmos	callardes	callaren
Imperative
Affirmative		calla	calle	callemos	callade	callen
Negative (non)		non calles	non calle	non callemos	non calledes	non callen

Derived terms

• callada
• callón

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “coallar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “coall”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “callar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “callar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “callar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
• “callar”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *callāre, from Latin chalāre, from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō). Compare Portuguese calar.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kaˈʝaɾ/ [kaˈʝaɾ]

• IPA^(key): /kaˈʝaɾ/ [kaˈʝaɾ] (most of Spain and Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /kaˈʎaɾ/ [kaˈʎaɾ] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /kaˈʃaɾ/ [kaˈʃaɾ] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /kaˈʒaɾ/ [kaˈʒaɾ] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: ca‧llar

Verb

callar (first-person singular present callo, first-person singular preterite callé, past participle callado)

1. to calm

   Synonyms: calmar, tranquilizar

2. (reflexive, often derogatory in imperative) to be silent, to shut up

   ¿Por qué no te callas?

   Why don’t you shut up?

3. to keep silent
4. (intransitive) to hush, to become silent
5. (transitive) to hush, to make silent
6. to not mention

Conjugation

    Conjugation of callar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			callar
gerund			callando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		callado		callada
		plural		callados		calladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	callo	callastú callásvos	calla	callamos	calláis	callan
	imperfect	callaba	callabas	callaba	callábamos	callabais	callaban
	preterite	callé	callaste	calló	callamos	callasteis	callaron
	future	callaré	callarás	callará	callaremos	callaréis	callarán
	conditional	callaría	callarías	callaría	callaríamos	callaríais	callarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	calle	callestú callésvos2	calle	callemos	calléis	callen
	imperfect (ra)	callara	callaras	callara	calláramos	callarais	callaran
	imperfect (se)	callase	callases	callase	callásemos	callaseis	callasen
	future1	callare	callares	callare	calláremos	callareis	callaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		callatú callávos	calle	callemos	callad	callen
	negative		no calles	no calle	no callemos	no calléis	no callen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of callar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive callar	dative	callarme	callarte	callarle, callarse	callarnos	callaros	callarles, callarse
	accusative	callarme	callarte	callarlo, callarla, callarse	callarnos	callaros	callarlos, callarlas, callarse
with gerund callando	dative	callándome	callándote	callándole, callándose	callándonos	callándoos	callándoles, callándose
	accusative	callándome	callándote	callándolo, callándola, callándose	callándonos	callándoos	callándolos, callándolas, callándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative calla	dative	cállame	cállate	cállale	cállanos	not used	cállales
	accusative	cállame	cállate	cállalo, cállala	cállanos	not used	cállalos, cállalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative callá	dative	callame	callate	callale	callanos	not used	callales
	accusative	callame	callate	callalo, callala	callanos	not used	callalos, callalas
with formal second-person singular imperative calle	dative	cálleme	not used	cállele, cállese	cállenos	not used	cálleles
	accusative	cálleme	not used	cállelo, cállela, cállese	cállenos	not used	cállelos, cállelas
with first-person plural imperative callemos	dative	not used	callémoste	callémosle	callémonos	callémoos	callémosles
	accusative	not used	callémoste	callémoslo, callémosla	callémonos	callémoos	callémoslos, callémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative callad	dative	calladme	not used	calladle	calladnos	callaos	calladles
	accusative	calladme	not used	calladlo, calladla	calladnos	callaos	calladlos, calladlas
with formal second-person plural imperative callen	dative	cállenme	not used	cállenle	cállennos	not used	cállenles, cállense
	accusative	cállenme	not used	cállenlo, cállenla	cállennos	not used	cállenlos, cállenlas, cállense

    Conjugation of callarse (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			callarse
gerund			callándose
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		callado		callada
		plural		callados		calladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
personal non-finite		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	infinitive	callarme	callarte	callarse	callarnos	callaros	callarse
	gerund	callándome	callándote	callándose	callándonos	callándoos	callándose
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	me callo	te callastú te callásvos	se calla	nos callamos	os calláis	se callan
	imperfect	me callaba	te callabas	se callaba	nos callábamos	os callabais	se callaban
	preterite	me callé	te callaste	se calló	nos callamos	os callasteis	se callaron
	future	me callaré	te callarás	se callará	nos callaremos	os callaréis	se callarán
	conditional	me callaría	te callarías	se callaría	nos callaríamos	os callaríais	se callarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	me calle	te callestú te callésvos2	se calle	nos callemos	os calléis	se callen
	imperfect (ra)	me callara	te callaras	se callara	nos calláramos	os callarais	se callaran
	imperfect (se)	me callase	te callases	se callase	nos callásemos	os callaseis	se callasen
	future1	me callare	te callares	se callare	nos calláremos	os callareis	se callaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		cállatetú callatevos	cállese	callémonos	callaos	cállense
	negative		no te calles	no se calle	no nos callemos	no os calléis	no se callen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

Derived terms

• al jugar y perder, pagar y callar
• calladamente
• calladita
• callado
• callandico
• callar la boca
• callarse
• callarse como una puta
• callarse la boca
• comer y callar
• no callarse ni bajo el agua; no callarse ni debajo del agua
• quien calla, otorga

Further reading

• “callar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025