Callarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
callarse means "to be quiet" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see callarse with class during the exam, the meeting out of respect, front of his grandmother at dinner and when the phone rings — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me callo en clase durante el examen. — "Every day, I be quiet in class during the exam." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
callarse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with callarse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo me callo en clase durante el examen. — "Every day, I be quiet in class during the exam." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me callé en la reunión por respeto. — "Yesterday, I was quiet in the meeting out of respect." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me callaba ante su abuela en la cena. — "In the past, I used to be quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos callaremos cuando suena el teléfono. — "Tomorrow, we will be quiet when the phone rings." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te callarías en clase durante el examen. — "If you could, you would be quiet in class during the exam." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he callado en la reunión por respeto. — "I have been quiet in the meeting out of respect." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se calla ante su abuela en la cena. — "Normally, he/she is quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se calló cuando suena el teléfono. — "Yesterday, he/she was quiet when the phone rings." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos callábamos en clase durante el examen. — "In the past, we used to be quiet in class during the exam." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me callaré en la reunión por respeto. — "Tomorrow, I will be quiet in the meeting out of respect." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se calle ante su abuela en la cena. — "I hope that he/she is quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te calles cuando suena el teléfono! — "Do not be quiet when the phone rings!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using callarse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: class during the exam, the meeting out of respect, front of his grandmother at dinner and when the phone rings.
Dialogue 1: talking about class during the exam
Lucía: ¿Tú te callas en clase durante el examen? — "Do you be quiet in class during the exam?" Pedro: Sí, yo me callo en clase durante el examen. — "I be quiet in class during the exam." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo me callé en la reunión por respeto. — "Yesterday, I was quiet in the meeting out of respect." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros nos callaremos ante su abuela en la cena. — "Tomorrow, we will be quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo me callaría cuando suena el teléfono. — "If I could, I would be quiet when the phone rings." Lucía: Antes, yo me callaba en la reunión por respeto. — "In the past, I used to be quiet in the meeting out of respect." Pedro: Yo me he callado en clase durante el examen. — "I have been quiet in class during the exam." Lucía: ¡No te calles ante su abuela en la cena! — "Do not be quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner!"
In this dialogue callarse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about front of his grandmother at dinner
Lucía: Él se calla ante su abuela en la cena. — "he/she is quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se calla ante su abuela en la cena todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she is quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos se callan cuando suena el teléfono. — "they be quiet when the phone rings." Pedro: Ayer, ellos se callaron ante su abuela en la cena. — "Yesterday, they was quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner." Lucía: Espero que él se calle cuando suena el teléfono. — "I hope that he/she is quiet when the phone rings." Pedro: Mañana, él se callará ante su abuela en la cena. — "Tomorrow, he/she will be quiet in front of his grandmother at dinner." Lucía: Antes, nosotros nos callábamos cuando suena el teléfono. — "In the past, we used to be quiet when the phone rings." Pedro: Nosotros nos callamos en clase durante el examen también. — "we be quiet in class during the exam too."
This dialogue shows callarse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with callarse
The errors learners actually make with callarse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo callo en clase durante el examen.
- Right: Yo me callo en clase durante el examen.
- Why: callarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me callo en clase durante el examen.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo callarse en clase durante el examen.
- Right: Yo me callo en clase durante el examen.
- Why: The infinitive callarse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form callo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me callo en la reunión por respeto.
- Right: Ayer, yo me callé en la reunión por respeto.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me callé en la reunión por respeto. — "Yesterday, I was quiet in the meeting out of respect."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy callado ante su abuela en la cena.
- Right: Me estoy callando ante su abuela en la cena.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund callando for the progressive. The participle callado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he callado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos calla en clase durante el examen.
- Right: Nosotros nos callamos en clase durante el examen.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes callamos, while calla belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: callarse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on callarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of callarse in the present tense?
- (a) callamos
- (b) callo
- (c) callas
- (d) calla
Answer: (b) callo. The yo form is callo.
2. What is the tú form of callarse in the present tense?
- (a) callas
- (b) callo
- (c) calla
- (d) callamos
Answer: (a) callas. The tú form is callas.
3. What is the él/ella form of callarse in the present tense?
- (a) callo
- (b) callas
- (c) callamos
- (d) calla
Answer: (d) calla. The él/ella form is calla.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en clase durante el examen.
- (a) calla
- (b) callamos
- (c) callo
- (d) callas
Answer: (c) callo. The sentence needs the yo form callo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ en la reunión por respeto.
- (a) callamos
- (b) callé
- (c) callaste
- (d) calló
Answer: (b) callé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is callé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ ante su abuela en la cena.
- (a) callaba
- (b) callabas
- (c) callábamos
- (d) callabais
Answer: (a) callaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is callaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ cuando suena el teléfono.
- (a) callarás
- (b) callará
- (c) callaremos
- (d) callaré
Answer: (d) callaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is callaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en clase durante el examen.
- (a) te has callado
- (b) se ha callado
- (c) nos hemos callado
- (d) me he callado
Answer: (d) me he callado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he callado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ ante su abuela en la cena.
- (a) calléis
- (b) calle
- (c) calles
- (d) callemos
Answer: (b) calle. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is calle.
10. What does callarse mean in English?
- (a) to popularise
- (b) to be quiet
- (c) to paralyse
- (d) to personalise
Answer: (b) to be quiet. callarse means "to be quiet" in English.
Frequently asked questions about callarse
What does callarse mean?
callarse means "to be quiet" in English. Use it when you talk about class during the exam, the meeting out of respect, front of his grandmother at dinner and when the phone rings — for example: Cada día, yo me callo en clase durante el examen. — "Every day, I be quiet in class during the exam."
Is callarse reflexive?
Yes. callarse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me callo en clase durante el examen. — "Every day, I be quiet in class during the exam." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with callarse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo callo en clase durante el examen — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me callo en clase durante el examen. — "Every day, I be quiet in class during the exam." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise callarse?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.