Inklingo

How to Say "to shout" in Spanish

English → Spanish

gritar

gree-TAHR/ɡriˈtaɾ/

verbA1
Use 'gritar' when someone is speaking very loudly, often to be heard over noise or out of anger, excitement, or fear.
A simple storybook illustration of a figure standing alone, mouth wide open, shouting loudly, with stylized sound waves emanating from their mouth.

Examples

¡Grita más alto para que te oigan!

Shout louder so they can hear you!

¡No grites! Te puedo oír perfectamente.

Don't shout! I can hear you perfectly.

El niño gritó de alegría cuando vio el regalo.

The boy yelled with joy when he saw the present.

Están gritando el nombre del ganador desde el escenario.

They are shouting the winner's name from the stage.

Direct Commands (Imperative)

To tell someone (tú) to shout, you use '¡Grita!'. To tell them not to shout, you use the negative form, '¡No grites!'.

Confusing 'Gritar' and 'Llorar'

Mistake: “Using 'gritar' when you mean 'to cry tears' (llorar).”

Correction: 'Gritar' is only about sound/voice. 'Llorar' is about tears and sadness. 'Ella lloró' (She cried), not 'Ella gritó'.

clamar

/kla-MAR//klaˈmaɾ/

verbB2formal
Use 'clamar' when someone is loudly expressing a strong need, demand, or plea, often in a public or desperate context.
A person standing on a hilltop with their hands cupped around their mouth, calling out towards a distant village.

Examples

Los manifestantes claman por un cambio en el gobierno.

The protesters are crying out for a change in government.

Las víctimas claman por justicia en las calles.

The victims are crying out for justice in the streets.

El pueblo clamaba ante el palacio del rey.

The people were shouting in front of the king's palace.

Es una injusticia que clama al cielo.

It is an injustice that cries out to heaven (is scandalous).

Using 'por' with Clamar

When you want to say what someone is crying out FOR, use the word 'por' after 'clamar'. For example: 'Claman por paz' (They cry out for peace).

Formal Intensity

Unlike 'gritar' (to shout), 'clamar' implies a deep emotional need or a formal demand. Use it for big topics like human rights or desperate pleas.

Don't use it for small things

Mistake: “Clamo por una pizza.”

Correction: Pido una pizza. 'Clamar' is way too dramatic for ordering food; it's like saying your soul is begging for the pizza as a matter of life or death.

Gritar vs. Clamar

Learners often use 'gritar' for any loud expression, but 'clamar' is specifically for a public or desperate plea for something needed. Think of 'gritar' as simply loud speaking, and 'clamar' as a more formal or urgent outcry.

Related Translations

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