How to Say "keep quiet" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “keep quiet” is “cállate” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
¡Cállate, por favor! El bebé está durmiendo.
Be quiet, please! The baby is sleeping.
Estábamos en el cine y el hombre de atrás no paraba de hablar, así que le dije: «¡Cállate!».
We were at the movies and the man behind us wouldn't stop talking, so I told him: 'Shut up!'
—¡Gané la lotería! —Ay, cállate, no te creo.
—I won the lottery! —Oh, hush, I don't believe you.
Command + 'You' = One Word
In Spanish, to give a positive command to someone you call 'tú', you attach 'te' (you) directly to the end of the verb. So, 'calla' (the command 'be quiet') + 'te' becomes one word: 'cállate'.
Why the Accent Mark?
Adding 'te' to 'calla' makes the word longer. To keep the stress on the original syllable (CA-lla), we need to add an accent mark: 'cállate'. This is a common rule for commands with things attached to them.
Negative Commands Are Different
Mistake: “A common mistake is saying 'No cállate'.”
Correction: The correct way is 'No te calles'. For negative commands, 'te' goes *before* the verb, and the verb ending changes. Positive: Cállate. Negative: No te calles.
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