Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Quiet in Spanish: Callado, Silencioso, Tranquilo, and ¡Cállate!
Callado · adjective · kah-YAH-doh
Quiet in Spanish has several forms: a quiet person is callado, a quiet place is silencioso or tranquilo, and telling someone to be quiet is ¡cállate! or guarda silencio.
Callado is kah-YAH-doh; the double l sounds like a y.
Mi hermano es muy callado en clase.
My brother is very quiet in class.
Quiet in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for quiet, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| callado | quiet | kah-YAH-doh | Default, widely understood |
| silencioso | quiet | for a quiet place or machine | |
| tranquilo | quiet | for a calm, peaceful quiet | |
| silencio | quiet | the noun: silence / quiet |
How Native Speakers Use Callado
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
A quiet person
Mi hermano es muy callado en clase.
My brother is very quiet in class.
Callado describes someone who doesn't talk much.
A quiet place
Buscamos un hotel silencioso lejos del centro.
We're looking for a quiet hotel away from downtown.
Silencioso fits places and machines.
Asking for quiet
Por favor, guarda silencio en la biblioteca.
Please be quiet in the library.
Guardar silencio is the polite request.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Callado
Using callado for a place
Incorrect: Quiero un cuarto callado.
Correct: Quiero un cuarto silencioso.
Callado describes a person who isn't talking, so a quiet room or street is silencioso or tranquilo instead.
Translating be quiet word for word
Incorrect: Sé callado.
Correct: Cállate.
To tell someone to be quiet, Spanish uses the verb callarse (cállate, cállense), not a literal be-plus-adjective construction.
Lock in Quiet Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Callado used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using callado in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Mi hermano es muy callado en clase. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Quiet in Spanish
- How do you say quiet in Spanish?
- It depends on what you mean: a quiet person is callado, a quiet place is silencioso or tranquilo, and be quiet is ¡cállate! or ¡silencio!
- What is the difference between callado and tranquilo?
- Callado means not talking or reserved, while tranquilo means calm and peaceful, so a person can be callado without being tranquilo, and a beach can be tranquilo but never callado.
- How do I politely ask someone to be quiet?
- Use ¿Podrías bajar la voz? (could you lower your voice?) or guarda silencio, por favor, since ¡cállate! is blunt and can sound rude.