Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Quiero que nos callemos un momento para escuchar la canción. - I want us to be quiet for a moment to listen to the song.

The que introduces a new clause (a different “subject + verb” group), and that verb goes in the subjunctive. Without que, you’d have to use an infinitive (Quiero callarme…), which changes the meaning (see below).

Why is it callemos and not callamos?

Callemos is the present subjunctive, first-person plural (we), of callarse.

After verbs like querer that express wishes, preferences, or requests about another subject, Spanish normally uses the subjunctive, not the indicative:

Indicative (fact):
Nos callamos. = We are quiet / We keep quiet.
Subjunctive (wish / want / requested action):
Quiero que nos callemos. = I want us to be quiet.

So callemos appears because it depends on Quiero que…, which triggers the subjunctive.

What does nos do in nos callemos? Could we drop it?

Nos is the reflexive pronoun for “we/us” and is part of the verb callarse (a pronominal / reflexive verb):

callar = to silence (someone/something)
callarse = to become quiet / to stop talking / to shut up

Because we’re talking about us becoming quiet, Spanish uses the reflexive:

nos callamos, nos callemos = we become quiet / we shut up

Technically you can find quiero que callemos without nos, but:

In standard modern usage, callarse is far more common for “be quiet / shut up.”
callar without the pronoun tends to sound more like to silence someone/something or is just less natural here.

So for an everyday, natural sentence meaning “I want us to be quiet,” Quiero que nos callemos is the best choice.

What is the infinitive of nos callemos, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is callarse.

Present subjunctive of callarse:

(yo) me calle
(tú) te calles
(él / ella / usted) se calle
(nosotros / nosotras) nos callemos
(vosotros / vosotras) os calléis (mainly Spain)
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) se callen

Present indicative (for comparison):

(yo) me callo
(tú) te callas
(él / ella / usted) se calla
(nosotros / nosotras) nos callamos
(vosotros / vosotras) os calláis
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) se callan

Could I say Quiero callarme un momento instead? What’s the difference from Quiero que nos callemos un momento?

Yes, but it doesn’t mean the same thing.

Quiero callarme un momento.
Literally: I want to be quiet / shut up for a moment (myself).
Focus: only the speaker wants to be quiet.
Quiero que nos callemos un momento.
I want us to be quiet for a moment.
Focus: the whole group including the speaker.

So:

If you’re talking about just yourself: Quiero callarme un momento.
If you want everyone (you included) to go quiet: Quiero que nos callemos un momento.

Is Quiero que nos callemos… basically a polite command?

Yes, it often works like a softer, more polite way of telling people to be quiet.

Compare:

Direct imperative:
Callaos un momento para escuchar la canción. (Spain, addressing vosotros)
/ Cállense un momento… (Latin America, ustedes)
This is a direct order.
Softer / more inclusive:
Quiero que nos callemos un momento para escuchar la canción.
It sounds more like: I’d like us to be quiet for a moment so we can listen to the song.

Using quiero que… often feels less blunt than a plain imperative, especially if you’re including yourself in the action.

Why is it un momento and not por un momento?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

un momento = for a moment / for a bit
Very common, neutral, often used to mean “just briefly” without stressing duration.
por un momento = for a moment
Can sound a bit more literal or specific about the time.

In everyday speech, un momento is the default in this type of request:

Espera un momento. = Wait a moment.
Cállate un momento. = Be quiet for a second.

So Quiero que nos callemos un momento… is very natural, everyday Spanish.

Why is it para escuchar la canción and not para que escuchemos la canción?

Both are grammatically correct, but the structures are different:

para + infinitive (same subject, or a more neutral purpose):
- Quiero que nos callemos un momento para escuchar la canción.
  Literally: I want us to be quiet for a moment in order to listen to the song.
Here, para escuchar expresses the purpose of everyone going quiet, but it doesn’t introduce a new subject; it’s just a general purpose.
para que + subjunctive (usually emphasizes a different subject or a more explicit result):
- Quiero que nos callemos un momento para que escuchemos la canción.
This sounds a bit heavier, more explicit about “so that we may listen to the song.” It’s correct, but para + infinitive is more natural and lighter here.

Native speakers strongly prefer para escuchar la canción in this sentence.

Why is escuchar used here instead of oír?

escuchar = to listen (actively)
oír = to hear (perceive sound)

In this sentence, you’re asking people to be quiet so they can pay attention to the song, so escuchar (active listening) is the natural choice:

para escuchar la canción = so we can listen to the song.

If you said para oír la canción, it would be understood, but it sounds more like simply being able to hear it as a sound, without necessarily focusing on it. In most teaching contexts, escuchar is the better verb for this idea.

Why do we say la canción and not just escuchar canción without an article?

In Spanish, singular countable nouns almost always need an article (or another determiner like esta, esa, mi, etc.).

So you normally say:

la canción = the song
una canción = a song

Here, la canción suggests a specific song everyone already knows about (for example, the one that is currently playing or about to play).

If you wanted to be more general, you could say:

para escuchar una canción = to listen to a (some) song

But dropping the article entirely (escuchar canción) is ungrammatical in this context in standard Spanish.

Can I move un momento or para escuchar la canción to other positions in the sentence?

Yes, Spanish word order is fairly flexible, though some options sound more natural than others. All of these are possible:

Quiero que nos callemos un momento para escuchar la canción.
Quiero que nos callemos para escuchar la canción un momento.
Quiero que, para escuchar la canción, nos callemos un momento. (more formal / written)

The most natural and neutral is the original:

Quiero que nos callemos un momento para escuchar la canción.

Moving un momento or para escuchar la canción doesn’t change the basic meaning; it can slightly change emphasis or sound more formal/informal.

How would I say this only to other people, not including myself?

In Spain, if you’re not including yourself, you’d normally use vosotros or ustedes and the imperative:

Callaos un momento para escuchar la canción. (informal plural, vosotros)
Cállense un momento para escuchar la canción. (formal plural, ustedes)

If you insist on using querer que but excluding yourself, you would change the subject in the subordinate clause:

Quiero que os calléis un momento para escuchar la canción. (Spain, vosotros)
Quiero que se callen un momento para escuchar la canción. (ustedes)

The original Quiero que nos callemos… clearly includes the speaker in the group that must be quiet.

Would Latin American Spanish say this sentence differently?

Your sentence:

Quiero que nos callemos un momento para escuchar la canción.

is perfectly fine and natural in Latin America as well. The nosotros form (nos callemos) is the same everywhere.

The main difference between Spain and much of Latin America affects the second-person plural (vosotros vs. ustedes), but here we are using nosotros, so there is no change.

So this sentence works in Spain and across Latin America without modification.