How to Say "quietly" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “quietly” is “bajito” — use this word when referring to speaking or making a sound at a low volume, often to avoid disturbing someone.
bajito
ba-HEE-tohbaˈxito
Examples
Por favor, habla más bajito, el bebé duerme.
Please, speak more quietly, the baby is sleeping.
Pon la televisión bajito.
Turn the TV down low.
Me susurró algo bajito al oído.
She whispered something softly in my ear.
Adjectives as Adverbs
In Spanish, words like 'bajito' can describe how you do an action (like speaking) without needing to change into a longer 'ly' word like 'quietly'.
Silent vs. Quiet
Mistake: “Using 'silencioso' to tell someone to lower their voice.”
Correction: Say 'habla bajito'. 'Silencioso' means someone who doesn't talk much in general, while 'bajito' refers to the volume right now.
tranquilamente
trahn-kee-lah-MEN-tehtɾaŋ.ki.laˈmen.te
Examples
El gato duerme tranquilamente en el sofá.
The cat sleeps peacefully on the sofa.
Hablamos tranquilamente sobre el problema.
We spoke calmly about the problem.
Puedes esperar aquí tranquilamente.
You can wait here quietly/without worry.
The '-mente' ending
In Spanish, adding '-mente' to the feminine form of an adjective is just like adding '-ly' in English to describe how an action is done.
Placement in the sentence
Mistake: “Tranquilamente yo camino.”
Correction: Camino tranquilamente.
piano
pee-AH-nohˈpja.no
Examples
El violín debe entrar piano en el compás dieciséis.
The violin must enter softly (quietly) at measure sixteen.
La partitura indica que esa sección se toca 'piano, piano', es decir, muy suave.
The score indicates that that section is played 'piano, piano,' meaning very softly.
Dynamic Markings
In music, 'piano' means 'soft.' It comes from the full name of the instrument: the 'pianoforte,' which means 'soft-loud,' referring to the instrument's ability to play both.
Volume vs. General Calm
Related Translations
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