Verb conjugation

cerrar el orto

to shut up, to be quiet, to silence

Usage

An extremely vulgar Rioplatense (Argentina/Uruguay) command meaning 'shut your mouth/ass' — orto is crude slang for anus, and cerrar el orto is a much cruder equivalent of cállate la boca. Confined to angry, confrontational, informal speech; never appropriate in mixed company or formal settings.

Examples

¡Cerrá el orto y dejame terminar! — Shut up and let me finish!
Le dijeron que cerrara el orto de una vez. — They told him to shut his mouth once and for all.
No sabía cuándo cerrar el orto y siguió hablando. — He didn't know when to shut up and kept talking.

Common mistake

Using this thinking it's just a rough equivalent of 'be quiet' suitable for mild annoyance — it's genuinely crude and aggressive, on par with the harshest English insults, not a casual 'hush.'

Simple tenses

Imperative (imperativo)

tú	-
nosotros	-
vosotros	-

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "cerrar el orto" mean?

"cerrar el orto" means "to shut up, to be quiet, to silence".

What is the Imperative (imperativo) of "cerrar el orto"?

The imperative (imperativo) of "cerrar el orto" is: tú -, nosotros -, vosotros -.

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