chillar

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish chirlar, from *chislar, from Vulgar Latin *cistulāre, an alteration of Latin fistulāre (“to play the flute”), which is derived from Latin fistula (“flute”). Compare Catalan xisclar.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiˈʝaɾ/ [t͡ʃiˈʝaɾ]

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiˈʝaɾ/ [t͡ʃiˈʝaɾ] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiˈʎaɾ/ [t͡ʃiˈʎaɾ] (rustic northern Spain, northern and central Andes Mountains (except central Ecuador), Bolivia, Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiˈʃaɾ/ [t͡ʃiˈʃaɾ] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiˈʒaɾ/ [t͡ʃiˈʒaɾ] (central Ecuador, Santiago del Estero and environs, elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiˈaɾ/ [t͡ʃiˈaɾ] (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: chi‧llar

Verb

chillar (first-person singular present chillo, first-person singular preterite chillé, past participle chillado)

1. to shriek, to screech, to scream [with dative]
   • 1984, “Cena recalentada”, in A Santa Compaña, performed by Golpes Bajos:

     La loca de mi madre que me chilla y no se cansa

     My crazy mother who screams at me and doesn't get tired

2. to creak
3. to sizzle, to hiss
4. (colloquial) to speak; say a word

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of chillar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			chillar
gerund			chillando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		chillado		chillada
		plural		chillados		chilladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	chillo	chillastú chillásvos	chilla	chillamos	chilláis	chillan
	imperfect	chillaba	chillabas	chillaba	chillábamos	chillabais	chillaban
	preterite	chillé	chillaste	chilló	chillamos	chillasteis	chillaron
	future	chillaré	chillarás	chillará	chillaremos	chillaréis	chillarán
	conditional	chillaría	chillarías	chillaría	chillaríamos	chillaríais	chillarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	chille	chillestú chillésvos2	chille	chillemos	chilléis	chillen
	imperfect (ra)	chillara	chillaras	chillara	chilláramos	chillarais	chillaran
	imperfect (se)	chillase	chillases	chillase	chillásemos	chillaseis	chillasen
	future1	chillare	chillares	chillare	chilláremos	chillareis	chillaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		chillatú chillávos	chille	chillemos	chillad	chillen
	negative		no chilles	no chille	no chillemos	no chilléis	no chillen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of chillar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive chillar	dative	chillarme	chillarte	chillarle, chillarse	chillarnos	chillaros	chillarles, chillarse
	accusative	chillarme	chillarte	chillarlo, chillarla, chillarse	chillarnos	chillaros	chillarlos, chillarlas, chillarse
with gerund chillando	dative	chillándome	chillándote	chillándole, chillándose	chillándonos	chillándoos	chillándoles, chillándose
	accusative	chillándome	chillándote	chillándolo, chillándola, chillándose	chillándonos	chillándoos	chillándolos, chillándolas, chillándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative chilla	dative	chíllame	chíllate	chíllale	chíllanos	not used	chíllales
	accusative	chíllame	chíllate	chíllalo, chíllala	chíllanos	not used	chíllalos, chíllalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative chillá	dative	chillame	chillate	chillale	chillanos	not used	chillales
	accusative	chillame	chillate	chillalo, chillala	chillanos	not used	chillalos, chillalas
with formal second-person singular imperative chille	dative	chílleme	not used	chíllele, chíllese	chíllenos	not used	chílleles
	accusative	chílleme	not used	chíllelo, chíllela, chíllese	chíllenos	not used	chíllelos, chíllelas
with first-person plural imperative chillemos	dative	not used	chillémoste	chillémosle	chillémonos	chillémoos	chillémosles
	accusative	not used	chillémoste	chillémoslo, chillémosla	chillémonos	chillémoos	chillémoslos, chillémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative chillad	dative	chilladme	not used	chilladle	chilladnos	chillaos	chilladles
	accusative	chilladme	not used	chilladlo, chilladla	chilladnos	chillaos	chilladlos, chilladlas
with formal second-person plural imperative chillen	dative	chíllenme	not used	chíllenle	chíllennos	not used	chíllenles, chíllense
	accusative	chíllenme	not used	chíllenlo, chíllenla	chíllennos	not used	chíllenlos, chíllenlas, chíllense

Derived terms

• el que no chilla no mama

Related terms

• chillido
• chillón

Further reading

• “chillar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Verb

chillar

1. present indicative of chilla