Aullar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aullar means “to howl” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Aullar means to howl, the long cry of a wolf or a dog. It is an animal-sound verb used at night, in stories and in the countryside, and it is fully regular. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of aullar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aullar present tense page.

aullar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo aullo toda la noche en el bosque. — “I howl all night in the forest.”
  2. Él aulla a la luna llena. — “He howls at the full moon.”
  3. Nosotros aullamos cuando oye una sirena. — “We howl when it hears a siren.”
  4. Ellos aullan en el campo con la manada. — “They howl in the fields with the pack.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo aullé a la luna llena. — “Yesterday, I howled at the full moon.”
  2. Antes, nosotros aullábamos cuando oye una sirena. — “Before, we used to howl when it hears a siren.”
  3. Él aulló en el campo con la manada. — “He howled in the fields with the pack.”
  4. Yo ya había aullado toda la noche en el bosque antes de salir. — “I had already howled all night in the forest before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú aullarás toda la noche en el bosque. — “Tomorrow, you will howl all night in the forest.”
  2. Yo aullaría a la luna llena si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would howl at the full moon if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha aullado cuando oye una sirena. — “He has howled when it hears a siren.”
  4. Espero que él aulle en el campo con la manada. — “I hope he howls in the fields with the pack.”

aullar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use aullar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo aullo toda la noche en el bosque. — “I howl all night in the forest.”
  • Bea: Él aulla a la luna llena. — “He howls at the full moon.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo aullé a la luna llena. — “Yesterday, I howled at the full moon.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú aullarás toda la noche en el bosque. — “Tomorrow, you will howl all night in the forest.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros aullamos cuando oye una sirena. — “We howl when it hears a siren.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros aullábamos cuando oye una sirena. — “Before, we used to howl when it hears a siren.”
  • Luis: Yo aullaría a la luna llena si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would howl at the full moon if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él aulle en el campo con la manada. — “I hope he howls in the fields with the pack.”

A short scene with aullar

A short scene shows how aullar works across the day. In the morning: Aullo toda la noche en el bosque. In the afternoon: Aulla a la luna llena. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, aullé cuando oye una sirena. And tomorrow: Mañana, aullaré en el campo con la manada. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how aullar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with aullar

The errors learners actually make with aullar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo aulla toda la noche en el bosque.

✓ Correct: Yo aullo toda la noche en el bosque.

The person matters: aulla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aullo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo aullo a la luna llena.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo aullé a la luna llena.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: aullo is happening now, while aullé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating aullar and ladrar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Aullar means to howl, while ladrar means to bark.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aullar fits sentences such as Aullo toda la noche en el bosque, while ladrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy aullado a la luna llena.

✓ Correct: Yo he aullado a la luna llena.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aullado, has aullado, ha aullado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo aullé cuando oye una sirena todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo aullaba cuando oye una sirena todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aullaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aullé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: aullar in use

Ten questions on aullar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a la luna llena. — “He/she howls at the full moon.”

  • a) aulla
  • b) aullo
  • c) aullas
  • d) aullamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ cuando oye una sirena. — “Yesterday, I howled when it hears a siren.”

  • a) aullaste
  • b) aulló
  • c) aullaron
  • d) aullé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ en el campo con la manada cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to howl in the fields with the pack when they were young.”

  • a) aullabas
  • b) aullábamos
  • c) aullaban
  • d) aullaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ toda la noche en el bosque. — “Tomorrow, we will howl all night in the forest.”

  • a) aullarán
  • b) aullaremos
  • c) aullaré
  • d) aullarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a la luna llena si pudiera. — “He would howl at the full moon if he could.”

  • a) aullaría
  • b) aullarías
  • c) aullaríamos
  • d) aullo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ cuando oye una sirena. — “I have howled when it hears a siren.”

  • a) has aullado
  • b) ha aullado
  • c) han aullado
  • d) he aullado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ en el campo con la manada. — “I hope you howl in the fields with the pack.”

  • a) aullemos
  • b) aullo
  • c) aulles
  • d) aulle

8. Which is the past participle of aullar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) aullé
  • b) aullado
  • c) aullando
  • d) aullo

9. What does aullar mean in English?

  • a) to howl
  • b) to bark
  • c) to caw, to croak
  • d) to chirp

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él aulla a la luna llena.
  • b) Él aullo a la luna llena.
  • c) Nosotros aulla cuando oye una sirena.
  • d) Yo aulla toda la noche en el bosque.

Answer key

  1. a) aulla — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: aulla.

  2. d) aullé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: aullé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) aullaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: aullaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) aullaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: aullaremos.

  5. a) aullaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: aullaría.

  6. d) he aullado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he aullado, haber + aullado.

  7. c) aulles — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is aulles.

  8. b) aullado — The past participle is aullado: he aullado, has aullado, ha aullado. The gerund aullando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to howl — aullar means to howl. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él aulla a la luna llena. — Él aulla a la luna llena. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use aullar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Aullo toda la noche en el bosque and Aulla a la luna llena. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between aullar and ladrar?

Aullar means “to howl”, while ladrar means “to bark”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use aullar when you mean “to howl” and ladrar when you mean “to bark”.

Which tense do I need most with aullar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use aullar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is aullar formal or informal?

Aullar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

Related links