Clear this up for me...

Question

What is the infinitive for cállate?

I'm guessing that cállate is indicative present... but it's spelled calla... without the line above the a (á)

can someone clear it up for me and where did the te come from?

calla + te?

i'm so lost?!

Answer 1

The infinitive is from the verb callarse which is reflexive. Callate is a command. you form the tu affirmitive command by using the el form of the verb and adding the relexive pronoun te to the end of the verb. ex. wash= lava, wash yourself= lávate. Every command in Spanish is formed ia little differently.

Answer 2

Like the 1st poster said, "callarse" is a reflexive verb (meaning the action is performed on one's self [sorry if this sounds weird]). We know it's reflexive by that "se" that is tacked on the end.

The verb "callar" means "to keep quiet" or "to be silent". When you conjugate the "callar" into an affirmative command, it becomes "calla" for the informal tú form ("calle" for Ud.). Now, to tell someone one to silence themselves aka shut up, you tack on the corresponding reflexive pronouns.

For tú, you use "te" : cállate For Ud., use "se" : cállese

The accent is used to maintain the proper stress and pronunciation of "calla".

I hope this helps.