callar Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
callar — to be silent
The imperative of callar uses calla (tú), callad (vosotros), and subjunctive forms for others.
callar Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
Use the imperative to give a direct command to someone to be quiet or to silence a sound.
Notes on callar in the Affirmative Imperative
Callar is regular in the imperative. The 'tú' form is identical to the third-person present indicative.
Example Sentences
Calla y escucha lo que digo.
Be quiet and listen to what I say.
tú
Calle, por favor, estamos en una biblioteca.
Be quiet, please, we are in a library.
usted
Callad, que el bebé está durmiendo.
Be quiet (you all), the baby is sleeping.
vosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'callar' as a command instead of 'calla' or 'callad'.
Correct: Use 'calla' for informal singular or 'callad' for informal plural (in Spain).
Why: Learners often use the infinitive for commands, which is usually incorrect in Spanish.
Master Spanish verbs in context
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: callo
The present tense of callar is regular: callo, callas, calla, callamos, calláis, callan.
Preterite
yo: callé
The preterite of callar is regular: callé, callaste, calló, callamos, callasteis, callaron.
Imperfect
yo: callaba
The imperfect of callar is regular: callaba, callabas, callaba, callábamos, callabais, callaban.
Future
yo: callaré
The future of callar is regular: callaré, callarás, callará, callaremos, callaréis, callarán.
Conditional
yo: callaría
The conditional of callar is regular: callaría, callarías, callaría, callaríamos, callaríais, callarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: calle
The present subjunctive of callar is regular: calle, calles, calle, callemos, calléis, callen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: callara
The imperfect subjunctive of callar is regular: callara, callaras, callara, calláramos, callarais, callaran.
Negative Imperative
yo: no calles
The negative imperative of callar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive forms.