Meaning
to lower, decrease
- to lower
- to decrease
- to drop
- to drop, decrease, taper off
In a sentence
Puoi calare un po' la musica?
Can you turn the music down a bit?
La temperatura è calata molto stanotte.
The temperature dropped a lot last night.
Non calano mai i prezzi in quel negozio.
Prices never go down in that shop.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| calare | infinitive |
| caliamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| calo | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| calate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| cali | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| calano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| cala | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| calavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| calavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| calavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| calavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| calavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| calava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| calammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| calai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| calaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| calasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| calarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| calò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| caleremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| calerò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| calerete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| calerai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| caleranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| calerà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| caliamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| cali | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| caliate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| cali | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| calino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| cali | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| calassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| calassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| calaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| calassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| calassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| calasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| caleremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| calerei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| calereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| caleresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| calerebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| calerebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| caliamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| calate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| cala | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| calando | gerund |
| calato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Use calare for lowering something physically or by degree; abbassare is often more direct for volume, price, or body parts.
- For the sun, calare is idiomatic: Il sole cala. Tramontare is more specific to sunset itself.
- Intransitive calare usually takes essere in compound tenses: la temperatura è calata. Transitive takes avere: ho calato la corda.