colgar
VERB
(1)
[/kolˈɡaɾ/es-ES]
to hang
/
to suspend
/
to put on hold
informal
/
to dangle
/
to drop (a call)
informal
/
to attach
general
/
to board (a call)
untranslatable
(Describes the action of ending a phone call, which has a specific cultural context.)
To suspend something from a higher point so that it hangs freely, or to attach something to a wall or surface. It is commonly used in the context of telecommunications to mean 'to hang up' or 'to end a phone call', and can also refer to a call that unexpectedly 'drops' or disconnects. There is a particular nuance in Spanish where 'colgar' can describe the abrupt or unceremonious termination of a call, or even the act of ignoring or abandoning a call, which in some conceptualizations might be described as 'boarding' a call. This highlights a cultural emphasis on the finality or abruptness of ending communication, a specific sense that lacks a direct, single-word equivalent in English beyond 'hanging up' or 'disconnecting'.
irregular
| plural |
|---|
| colgar |
- Voy a colgar este cuadro en la pared. — I'm going to hang this painting on the wall.
- No cuelgues, por favor, tengo algo importante que decirte. — Don't hang up, please, I have something important to tell you.
- ¿Puedes colgar la ropa mojada en el tendedero? — Can you hang the wet clothes on the clothesline?
- Se me colgó la llamada mientras hablaba con el banco. — The call dropped while I was talking to the bank.