/kaˈʎaɾ/
#1039 of 5,000 Core 5000
Translation
to be quiet, to shut up
Word origin
From Vulgar Latin callare ('to lower, to let down'), borrowed from Greek khalan ('to slacken, to loosen'). The sense shifted from lowering the voice to falling silent.
- Origin
- Greek
- Root
- khalan
Grammar
Verb type-ar regular
Conjugation
Regular -ar conjugation. Pronouns: yo, tú, él/ella/ud., nos., vos., ellos/uds..
Indicative
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | callo | callé | callaba | callaré | callaría |
| tú | callas | callaste | callabas | callarás | callarías |
| él/ella/ud. | calla | calló | callaba | callará | callaría |
| nos. | callamos | callamos | callábamos | callaremos | callaríamos |
| vos. | calláis | callasteis | callabais | callaréis | callaríais |
| ellos/uds. | callan | callaron | callaban | callarán | callarían |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect (-ra) | Imperfect (-se) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | calle | callara | callase |
| tú | calles | callaras | callases |
| él/ella/ud. | calle | callara | callase |
| nos. | callemos | calláramos | callásemos |
| vos. | calléis | callarais | callaseis |
| ellos/uds. | callen | callaran | callasen |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tú | calla |
| ud. | calle |
| nosotros | callemos |
| vosotros | callad |
| uds. | callen |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- callando
- Past participle
- callado
Examples
, , .
Please be quiet a moment, I want to think.
.
The children won't be quiet for a minute.
, .
When the teacher came in, everyone went quiet.
, dime .
Don't stay quiet, tell me what you think.
.
She prefers to stay quiet and listen to others.
Used in
Stories
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