Callar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

callar means "to be quiet, to keep quiet" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Callar means "to be quiet" or "to keep quiet" — to stop talking, to say nothing, to keep a secret. It is the verb teachers use in class (¡a callar!, be quiet!), and it is also the verb for keeping something to yourself: callar un secreto, to keep a secret. The opposite is hablar. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and the imperative ¡calla! is one of the most heard commands in a Spanish classroom. The present tense is used for being quiet now, for staying silent as a habit, and for the decision not to speak. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of callar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the callar present tense page.

callar in everyday use: examples with translations

Being quiet

  1. Tú callas en clase. — "You are quiet in class."
  2. Nosotros callamos durante la película. — "We stay quiet during the film."
  3. Ayer yo callé toda la reunión. — "Yesterday I stayed quiet the whole meeting."
  4. De niño, yo callaba siempre en clase. — "As a child, I was always quiet in class."

Keeping secrets

  1. Yo callo el secreto de mi amiga. — "I keep my friend's secret."
  2. Ella calla siempre en las reuniones. — "She always stays quiet in meetings."
  3. Yo callaré y no diré nada. — "I will stay quiet and say nothing."
  4. Yo he callado todo el día. — "I have stayed quiet all day."

Staying silent

  1. Mi padre calla cuando se enfada. — "My father goes quiet when he gets angry."
  2. Ellos callan por respeto. — "They stay quiet out of respect."
  3. Yo callaría si no me preguntan. — "I would stay quiet if they don't ask me."
  4. Vosotros calláis en el examen. — "You stay quiet in the exam."

callar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use callar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

In the library, a librarian asks for silence.

  • Bibliotecaria: El niño calla en la biblioteca. — "The child is quiet in the library."
  • Niño: Yo callo cuando no sé la respuesta. — "I stay quiet when I don't know the answer."
  • Bibliotecaria: Nosotros callamos y escuchamos. — "We stay quiet and listen."
  • Niño: Yo callaré y no diré nada. — "I will stay quiet and say nothing."

Two friends talk about a secret.

  • Ana: Yo callo el secreto de mi amiga. — "I keep my friend's secret."
  • Bea: ¿Tú callas en clase? — "Are you quiet in class?"
  • Ana: Mi padre calla cuando se enfada. — "My father goes quiet when he gets angry."
  • Bea: Ellos callan por respeto. — "They stay quiet out of respect."

Common mistakes with callar

The errors learners actually make with callar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Tú calla en clase (using the él form for tú).

✓ Correct: Tú callas en clase.

Tú takes callas, with the -s ending. Calla is the él/ella form — and also the tú imperative, which is a different mood.

✗ *Yo callo a el secreto.

✓ Correct: Yo callo el secreto de mi amiga.

A secret is a thing: callar el secreto, with no a before it.

✗ *Vosotros calláis en el examen (written without the accent: callais).

✓ Correct: Vosotros calláis en el examen.

Calláis needs the written accent on the á.

✗ *Nosotros callamos a y escuchamos (adding a stray a).

✓ Correct: Nosotros callamos y escuchamos.

Callar takes no preposition before its object: callar y escuchar, two infinitives joined by y.

Quiz: callar in use

Ten questions on callar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ en clase. — "You are quiet in class."

  • a) callaste
  • b) calla
  • c) callo
  • d) callas

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer yo ______ toda la reunión. — "Yesterday I stayed quiet the whole meeting."

  • a) calló
  • b) callo
  • c) callaste
  • d) callé

3. Complete the sentence: Ella ______ siempre en las reuniones. — "She always stays quiet in meetings."

  • a) calla
  • b) calló
  • c) callas
  • d) callo

4. Complete the sentence: Mi padre ______ cuando se enfada. — "My father goes quiet when he gets angry."

  • a) calló
  • b) callo
  • c) callas
  • d) calla

5. Which is the correct present tense form of callar for yo?

  • a) calla
  • b) callo
  • c) callas
  • d) callamos

6. Which is the correct present tense form of callar for tú?

  • a) callamos
  • b) callas
  • c) calla
  • d) callo

7. Which is the correct present tense form of callar for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) calla
  • b) callan
  • c) callas
  • d) callo

8. Which sentence uses callar correctly?

  • a) Nosotros calla y escuchamos.
  • b) Nosotros callábamos y escuchamos.
  • c) Nosotros callamos y escuchamos.

9. What is the past participle of callar?

  • a) callo
  • b) callando
  • c) calló
  • d) callado

10. What does callar mean in English?

  • a) to go
  • b) to have
  • c) to speak
  • d) to be quiet, to keep quiet

Answer key

  1. d) callas — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: callas.

  2. d) callé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: callé.

  3. a) calla — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: calla.

  4. d) calla — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: calla.

  5. b) callo — The present tense form for yo is callo.

  6. b) callas — The present tense form for tú is callas.

  7. b) callan — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is callan.

  8. c) Nosotros callamos y escuchamos. — Nosotros callamos y escuchamos. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. d) callado — The past participle is callado. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he callado, has callado, ha callado.

  10. d) to be quiet, to keep quiet — callar means "to be quiet, to keep quiet".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use callar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as callar un secreto and ¡calla!. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between callar and hablar?

callar means "to be quiet, to keep quiet", while hablar means "to speak". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use callar when you mean "to be quiet, to keep quiet" and hablar when you mean "to speak".

Which tense do I need most with callar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use callar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is callar formal or informal?

callar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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