Callar

Callar is a Spanish verb with the primary sense of silencing or suppressing speech. It can mean to cause someone to stop speaking (callar a alguien) or to refrain from speaking oneself (reflexive form, callarse). It can also convey withholding information or not disclosing something, as in callarse un secreto.

In usage, callar is transitive and commonly employed in contexts of quieting voices or concealing information. Examples include: El juez ordenó callar a los testigos (The judge ordered the witnesses to be quiet). No quiero discutirlo; me callo la boca? Better: No digas nada; cállate. He also appears in phrases like callar la boca (colloquial for silencing someone) and callarse a tiempo (to keep quiet at the right moment). The reflexive form callarse emphasizes the subject becoming or remaining silent: Se calló tras escuchar la noticia.

Conjugation and forms: Callar is a regular -ar verb. Present indicative forms: yo callo, tú callas, él/ella calla, nosotros callamos, vosotros calláis, ellos callan. Preterite: yo callé, tú callaste, él calló, nosotros callamos, vosotros callasteis, ellos callaron. Imperfect: callaba, callabas, callaba, callábamos, callabais, callaban. Other tenses follow standard -ar patterns, and the present subjunctive has forms like calle, calles, calle, callamos, calléis, callen.

Derivatives: The adjective callado means silent or quiet; the adverb calladamente means quietly. The verb also has the reflexive counterpart callarse, meaning to become or remain silent.

Etymology: The exact origin is not definitively documented here, but callar is a native Spanish verb with roots in the broader Proto-Romance family, developed through medieval Spanish.