callar

To be quiet or to silence — used both intransitively (callar, callarse, to fall silent/shut up) and transitively (callar algo, to keep something quiet, to withhold information). Ranges from neutral ("please be quiet") to sharp and impolite depending on tone and imperative form.

• Se callaron en cuanto entró el jefe. — They fell silent as soon as the boss walked in.
• Prefirió callar la verdad para no herirla. — He chose to keep the truth quiet so as not to hurt her.
• ¡Cállate ya, por favor! — Be quiet already, please!

¡Cállate! is a blunt, potentially rude imperative in Spanish — much stronger than a polite English "be quiet," so learners should reserve it for informal, close relationships or genuinely frustrated moments, not use it as a neutral request.

• expression El que calla, otorga — A very old and widely used Spanish proverb, tracing back to medieval canon law (the Latin "qui tacet consentire videtur", "who is silent is seen to consent"), meaning that staying silent is taken as agreement or consent — the Spanish equivalent of "silence gives consent."