Callar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of callar — "to be quiet, to keep quiet" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for callar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Tú callas en clase. — "You are quiet in class.".
Present tense conjugation table: callar
Every person of callar in the present tense. The gerund is callando and the past participle is callado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | callo |
| tú | callas |
| él/ella/Ud. | calla |
| nosotros/as | callamos |
| vosotros/as | calláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | callan |
How the present indicative of callar is formed
The present indicative of callar is built from the stem call- plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | callo |
| tú | -as | callas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | calla |
| nosotros/as | -amos | callamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | calláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | callan |
Because callar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem call- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, calláis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of callar is callando and the past participle is callado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of callar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and callar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Being quiet right now
The present describes silence happening at this moment.
"Tú callas en clase." — "You are quiet in class."
Keeping a secret
Callar un secreto means to keep a secret — to say nothing about it.
"Yo callo el secreto de mi amiga." — "I keep my friend's secret."
Staying silent in an argument
The present describes choosing not to answer.
"Mi padre calla cuando se enfada." — "My father goes quiet when he gets angry."
Telling someone to be quiet
In the present, callar describes the state you want: quiet.
"Nosotros callamos durante la película." — "We stay quiet during the film."
Keeping quiet as a habit
The present states a general habit of saying little.
"Ella calla siempre en las reuniones." — "She always stays quiet in meetings."
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo callo cuando no sé la respuesta. — "I stay quiet when I don't know the answer."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo callé cuando no sé la respuesta. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú callas demasiado, habla más. — "You stay too quiet, speak more."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú callabas demasiado, habla más. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: El niño calla en la biblioteca. — "The child is quiet in the library."
- Future — what will happen: El niño callará en la biblioteca. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: callar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show callar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo callo cuando no sé la respuesta. — "I stay quiet when I don't know the answer."
- Tú callas demasiado, habla más. — "You stay too quiet, speak more."
- El niño calla en la biblioteca. — "The child is quiet in the library."
- Nosotros callamos y escuchamos. — "We stay quiet and listen."
- Vosotros calláis en el examen. — "You stay quiet in the exam."
- Ellos callan por respeto. — "They stay quiet out of respect."
- Mi abuelo calla y sonríe. — "My grandfather stays quiet and smiles."
Common mistakes with callar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with callar in the present tense. Each one shows 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 the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of callar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of callar for tú?
- a) calla
- b) callas
- c) callo
- d) callan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ cuando no sé la respuesta. — "I stay quiet when I don't know the answer."
- a) callas
- b) callan
- c) callé
- d) callo
3. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el secreto de mi amiga. — "I keep my friend's secret."
- a) callamos
- b) callo
- c) calla
- d) callé
4. Which is the correct present tense form of callar for nosotros?
- a) callo
- b) callan
- c) callas
- d) callamos
5. Which sentence uses callar correctly in the present tense?
- a) El niño calló en la biblioteca.
- b) El niño calla en la biblioteca.
- c) El niño callas en la biblioteca.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of callar for vosotros?
- a) callas
- b) callo
- c) calla
- d) calláis
7. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ durante la película. — "We stay quiet during the film."
- a) callo
- b) callan
- c) callamos
- d) callamos
8. What is the gerund of callar?
- a) callando
- b) callado
- c) callo
- d) callamos
Answer key
b) callas — The tú form is callas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; callo is yo, calla is él/ella and callan is ellos/ellas.
d) callo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: callo. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) callo — The subject is yo, so the present form is callo.
d) callamos — Nosotros takes callamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem call-.
b) El niño calla en la biblioteca. — El niño calla en la biblioteca. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) calláis — Vosotros takes calláis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
c) callamos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is callamos.
a) callando — The gerund is callando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle callado.
Frequently asked questions
Is callar regular in the present tense?
Yes. callar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: callo, callas, calla, callamos, calláis and callan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of callar?
The gerund is callando and the past participle is callado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to be quiet, to keep quiet" in Spanish?
Say callo. For example: Yo callo cuando no sé la respuesta. — "I stay quiet when I don't know the answer.".
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". The full conjugation of hablar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of callar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- callar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.