No callarse ni debajo del agua
Not to keep quiet even underwater.
to never shut up; **to never shut up**; **to never stop talking**; **to talk nineteen to the dozen**; **to talk someone's ear off**; **to be unable to keep quiet**
No callarse ni debajo del agua means to never shut up, to talk incessantly, to be extremely talkative, or to keep talking whatever happens.
Mi hermano no se calla ni debajo del agua.
My brother never stops talking.
Esta niña no se calla ni debajo del agua.
That girl never shuts up.
Le encanta hablar; no se calla ni debajo del agua.
He loves talking; he never stops.
Lo tienes claro si esperas que guarde el secreto: no se calla ni debajo del agua.
Good luck expecting him to keep it secret—he can't keep his mouth shut.
It is usually humorous or mildly critical rather than seriously insulting.
- talks constantly
- dominates conversations
- cannot remain silent
- keeps commenting on everything
- talks even when silence would clearly be appropriate
The expression is based on a deliberately impossible situation.
Underwater, a person cannot normally speak. Yet the expression imagines someone who is so extraordinarily talkative that even being underwater would not stop them.
The humour comes from the physical impossibility of the literal image.
There is no specific historical anecdote behind the expression.
The expression can be affectionate:
«Mi abuelo no se calla ni debajo del agua.»
may simply mean that Grandpa is a great talker.
But it can also be critical:
«Ese tío no se calla ni debajo del agua.»
may mean that the speaker finds the person's constant talking annoying.
Tone is therefore important.
Spanish has many colourful ways of describing a person who talks too much:
- No callarse ni debajo del agua → never stop talking.
- Hablar por los codos → talk incessantly.
- Darle a la lengua → to chatter.
- Tener la lengua larga → to be indiscreet.
- Irse de la lengua → to let something slip.
The humour of no callarse ni debajo del agua is particularly effective because it takes ordinary talkativeness to an impossible extreme: not even being underwater could silence the person. ```
Do not translate:
No se calla ni debajo del agua.
as:
He doesn't shut up even underwater.
Although the literal translation is understandable, a natural English expression would normally be:
He never stops talking.
He never shuts up.
He talks nineteen to the dozen.
There are five hundred more.
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