Inklingo

How to Say "to whistle" in Spanish

The Spanish word forto whistleis silbarA2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2

silbar

verbA2
making a musical sound with your lips
A person with rounded lips making a whistling gesture with musical notes floating nearby.

Examples

Mi abuelo siempre silba una melodía cuando cocina.

My grandfather always whistles a tune when he cooks.

Si necesitas ayuda, solo tienes que silbar.

If you need help, you just have to whistle.

El entrenador silbó para detener el juego.

The coach blew his whistle to stop the game.

A perfectly regular verb

Silbar follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar. If you know how to conjugate 'hablar', you already know how to conjugate 'silbar'!

Using 'a' with people

When you whistle to catch someone's attention, use the word 'a': 'Silbar a un amigo' (to whistle at a friend).

Don't confuse the instrument with the action

Mistake:El árbitro usó su silbar.

Correction: El árbitro usó su silbato (whistle). Use 'silbar' for the action and 'silbato' for the physical object.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.