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BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE VERB

calar

to keep quiet (se calar)

  • Regular -ar verb
  • Gerund: calando
  • Past participle: calado

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. eu I keep quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you keep quiet
  3. nós we keep quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all keep quiet

Past

Pretérito Perfeito · finished actions

  1. eu I kept quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you kept quiet
  3. nós we kept quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all kept quiet

Future

Futuro com ir · plans: “going to”

  1. eu I am going to keep quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you are going to keep quiet
  3. nós we are going to keep quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all are going to keep quiet

Imperfect

Pretérito Imperfeito · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. eu I used to keep quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you used to keep quiet
  3. nós we used to keep quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all used to keep quiet

Conditional

Futuro do Pretérito · “would”

  1. eu I would keep quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you would keep quiet
  3. nós we would keep quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all would keep quiet

Present subjunctive

Presente do Subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. eu (that) I keep quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (that) you keep quiet
  3. nós (that) we keep quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas (that) you all keep quiet

Past subjunctive

Imperfeito do Subjuntivo · “if I were”, “se …”

  1. eu (if) I kept quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (if) you kept quiet
  3. nós (if) we kept quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas (if) you all kept quiet

Future subjunctive

Futuro do Subjuntivo · “when” and “if” about the future

  1. eu (when) I keep quiet
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (when) you keep quiet
  3. nós (when) we keep quiet
  4. vocês, eles, elas (when) you all keep quiet

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders

  1. você keep quiet!
  2. vocês keep quiet! (all of you)

How to use calar

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Ele se cala quando o assunto é dinheiro.

    He goes quiet when the subject is money.

  2. Past

    Eu me calei para não brigar na frente das crianças.

    I kept quiet so as not to fight in front of the kids.

  3. Future

    Eu não vou me calar diante dessa injustiça.

    I'm not going to stay quiet in the face of this injustice.

  4. Imperfect

    Antes eu me calava em toda reunião; hoje falo.

    I used to keep quiet in every meeting; now I speak up.

  5. Conditional

    Eu me calaria se fosse você, não vale a pena.

    I'd keep quiet if I were you, it's not worth it.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Quero que todo mundo se cale e ouça a música.

    I want everyone to be quiet and listen to the music.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Se ele se calasse um minuto, a gente resolvia isso.

    If he kept quiet for a minute, we'd sort this out.

  8. Future subjunctive

    Quando o professor se calar, você pode perguntar.

    When the teacher stops talking, you can ask.

  9. Imperative

    Cale-se um minuto e escute o que ela diz.

    Be quiet for a minute and listen to what she says.

Good to know

  • "Cala a boca" is "shut up", rude; "fique quieto" is the polite way. "Calado" is quiet, silent.

Where you hear calar

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Brazilian Portuguese · Advanced Level 2

  • Quando eu estou com medo, eu me calo. When I am afraid, I keep quiet.
  • Eu me calei por muito tempo. I kept quiet for a long time.
  • Hoje ninguém vai se calar. Today nobody is going to keep quiet.
27
I'm Not Apologising for Travelling

Advanced Level 2 · Eu também me calei.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ar verb.