Balar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb balar means to bleat, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Balar means to bleat, the sound a sheep or a goat makes. It is an animal-sound verb used on farms and in the countryside, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, balar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say balo en el campo al amanecer, and in the preterite you say balé toda la mañana en el prado. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: balar
  • English: to bleat
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: balando
  • Past participle: balado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + balado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for balar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Balar is fully regular: balo, bala. Sheep balan; cows mugen.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for balar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo balo
tú balas
él/ella/Ud. bala
nosotros/as balamos
vosotros/as baláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. balan

Preterite

Person Form
yo balé
tú balaste
él/ella/Ud. baló
nosotros/as balamos
vosotros/as balasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. balaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo balaba
tú balabas
él/ella/Ud. balaba
nosotros/as balábamos
vosotros/as balabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. balaban

Future

Person Form
yo balaré
tú balarás
él/ella/Ud. balará
nosotros/as balaremos
vosotros/as balaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. balarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo balaría
tú balarías
él/ella/Ud. balaría
nosotros/as balaríamos
vosotros/as balaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. balarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he balado
tú has balado
él/ella/Ud. ha balado
nosotros/as hemos balado
vosotros/as habéis balado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han balado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había balado
tú habías balado
él/ella/Ud. había balado
nosotros/as habíamos balado
vosotros/as habíais balado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían balado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré balado
tú habrás balado
él/ella/Ud. habrá balado
nosotros/as habremos balado
vosotros/as habréis balado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán balado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría balado
tú habrías balado
él/ella/Ud. habría balado
nosotros/as habríamos balado
vosotros/as habríais balado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían balado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo bale
tú bales
él/ella/Ud. bale
nosotros/as balemos
vosotros/as baléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. balen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo balara
tú balaras
él/ella/Ud. balara
nosotros/as baláramos
vosotros/as balarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. balaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú bala
él/ella/Ud. bale
nosotros/as balemos
vosotros/as balad
ellos/ellas/Uds. balen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú bales
él/ella/Ud. bale
nosotros/as balemos
vosotros/as baléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. balen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund balando with estar for the progressive: estoy balando
Past participle balado with haber for the perfect tenses: he balado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Balo en el campo al amanecer. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, balé cuando busca a su cría. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, balaba toda la mañana en el prado. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, balaré en el corral con las otras ovejas. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Balaría en el campo al amanecer si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he balado cuando busca a su cría. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había balado toda la mañana en el prado antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré balado en el corral con las otras ovejas. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría balado en el campo al amanecer con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él bale cuando busca a su cría. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él balara toda la mañana en el prado, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Bala en el corral con las otras ovejas! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For balar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No bales en el campo al amanecer. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with balar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Balo en el campo al amanecer. — I bleat in the fields at dawn.
  2. Bala cuando busca a su cría. — He/she bleats when it looks for its lamb.
  3. Ayer, balé toda la mañana en el prado. — Yesterday, I bleated all morning in the meadow.
  4. Antes, nosotros balábamos en el corral con las otras ovejas. — Before, we used to bleat in the pen with the other sheep.
  5. Mañana, tú balarás en el campo al amanecer. — Tomorrow, you will bleat in the fields at dawn.
  6. Yo balaría cuando busca a su cría si tuviera más tiempo. — I would bleat when it looks for its lamb if I had more time.
  7. Él ha balado toda la mañana en el prado. — He has bleated all morning in the meadow.
  8. Espero que él bale en el corral con las otras ovejas. — I hope he bleats in the pen with the other sheep.
  9. Yo ya había balado en el campo al amanecer antes de salir. — I had already bleated in the fields at dawn before leaving.
  10. Ellos balaban cuando busca a su cría cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to bleat when it looks for its lamb when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo bala en el campo al amanecer. — Right: Yo balo en el campo al amanecer. — The person matters: bala is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is balo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo balo cuando busca a su cría. — Right: Ayer yo balé cuando busca a su cría. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: balo is happening now, while balé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating balar and mugir as identical in every context. — Right: Balar means to bleat, while mugir means to moo, like a cow. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: balar fits sentences such as Balo en el campo al amanecer, while mugir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy balado cuando busca a su cría. — Right: Yo he balado cuando busca a su cría. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he balado, has balado, ha balado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo balé toda la mañana en el prado todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo balaba toda la mañana en el prado todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (balaba), not the preterite. The preterite (balé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on balar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el campo al amanecer. (present tense) A. balo B. balas C. bala D. balamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ cuando busca a su cría. (preterite) A. balé B. balaste C. balaron D. baló

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ toda la mañana en el prado. (imperfect) A. balabas B. balaban C. balábamos D. balaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el corral con las otras ovejas. (future) A. balaremos B. balarás C. balaré D. balará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el campo al amanecer si pudiera. (conditional) A. balaría B. balarías C. balarían D. balo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ cuando busca a su cría. (present subjunctive) A. bales B. balemos C. balo D. bale

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ toda la mañana en el prado, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. baláramos B. balo C. balara D. balaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el corral con las otras ovejas. (present perfect) A. han balado B. hemos balado C. he balado D. has balado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ en el campo al amanecer! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. bala B. bale C. balemos D. balad

  10. Which is the gerund of balar, used with estar for the progressive? A. balado B. balo C. balé D. balando

Answer key

  1. balo — The first-person present of balar is balo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. baló — The third-person preterite of balar is baló, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. balábamos — The nosotros imperfect of balar is balábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. balarás — The second-person future of balar is balarás.
  5. balaría — The first-person conditional of balar is balaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. bale — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of balar is bale.
  7. balara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of balar is balara.
  8. hemos balado — The nosotros present perfect of balar is hemos balado: hemos + balado.
  9. bala — The affirmative tú imperative of balar is bala.
  10. balando — The gerund of balar is balando: estoy balando. The participle balado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does balar mean in English?

Balar means to bleat. It is used in everyday situations such as Balo en el campo al amanecer. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is balar regular or irregular?

Balar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including balo in the present and balé in the preterite.

What is the difference between balar and mugir?

Balar means to bleat, while mugir means to moo, like a cow. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use balar when you mean to bleat, as in Balo en el campo al amanecer, and use mugir for to moo, like a cow. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I bleat” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo balé cuando busca a su cría. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo balaba toda la mañana en el prado. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he balado cuando busca a su cría.

How do I practise balar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the balar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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