Ladrar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ladrar means “to bark” 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. Ladrar means to bark, the sound a dog makes. It is an animal-sound verb used for dogs barking at strangers, at the postman or all night, 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 ladrar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the ladrar present tense page.

ladrar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo ladro toda la noche sin parar. — “I bark all night without stopping.”
  2. Él ladra al cartero cada mañana. — “He barks at the postman every morning.”
  3. Nosotros ladramos cuando oye un ruido. — “We bark when it hears a noise.”
  4. Ellos ladran en el jardín a los vecinos. — “They bark in the garden at the neighbours.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo ladré al cartero cada mañana. — “Yesterday, I barked at the postman every morning.”
  2. Antes, nosotros ladrábamos cuando oye un ruido. — “Before, we used to bark when it hears a noise.”
  3. Él ladró en el jardín a los vecinos. — “He barked in the garden at the neighbours.”
  4. Yo ya había ladrado toda la noche sin parar antes de salir. — “I had already barked all night without stopping before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú ladrarás toda la noche sin parar. — “Tomorrow, you will bark all night without stopping.”
  2. Yo ladraría al cartero cada mañana si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would bark at the postman every morning if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha ladrado cuando oye un ruido. — “He has barked when it hears a noise.”
  4. Espero que él ladre en el jardín a los vecinos. — “I hope he barks in the garden at the neighbours.”

ladrar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use ladrar 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 ladro toda la noche sin parar. — “I bark all night without stopping.”
  • Bea: Él ladra al cartero cada mañana. — “He barks at the postman every morning.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo ladré al cartero cada mañana. — “Yesterday, I barked at the postman every morning.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú ladrarás toda la noche sin parar. — “Tomorrow, you will bark all night without stopping.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros ladramos cuando oye un ruido. — “We bark when it hears a noise.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros ladrábamos cuando oye un ruido. — “Before, we used to bark when it hears a noise.”
  • Luis: Yo ladraría al cartero cada mañana si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would bark at the postman every morning if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él ladre en el jardín a los vecinos. — “I hope he barks in the garden at the neighbours.”

A short scene with ladrar

A short scene shows how ladrar works across the day. In the morning: Ladro toda la noche sin parar. In the afternoon: Ladra al cartero cada mañana. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, ladré cuando oye un ruido. And tomorrow: Mañana, ladraré en el jardín a los vecinos. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how ladrar 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 ladrar

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

✗ Yo ladra toda la noche sin parar.

✓ Correct: Yo ladro toda la noche sin parar.

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

✗ Ayer yo ladro al cartero cada mañana.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo ladré al cartero cada mañana.

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

✗ Treating ladrar and aullar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Ladrar means to bark, while aullar means to howl.

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

✗ Yo soy ladrado al cartero cada mañana.

✓ Correct: Yo he ladrado al cartero cada mañana.

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

✗ De niño, yo ladré cuando oye un ruido todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo ladraba cuando oye un ruido todos los días.

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

Quiz: ladrar in use

Ten questions on ladrar — 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 ______ al cartero cada mañana. — “He/she barks at the postman every morning.”

  • a) ladra
  • b) ladro
  • c) ladras
  • d) ladramos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ cuando oye un ruido. — “Yesterday, I barked when it hears a noise.”

  • a) ladraste
  • b) ladró
  • c) ladraron
  • d) ladré

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ en el jardín a los vecinos cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to bark in the garden at the neighbours when they were young.”

  • a) ladrabas
  • b) ladrábamos
  • c) ladraban
  • d) ladraba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ toda la noche sin parar. — “Tomorrow, we will bark all night without stopping.”

  • a) ladrarán
  • b) ladraremos
  • c) ladraré
  • d) ladrarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al cartero cada mañana si pudiera. — “He would bark at the postman every morning if he could.”

  • a) ladraría
  • b) ladrarías
  • c) ladraríamos
  • d) ladro

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ cuando oye un ruido. — “I have barked when it hears a noise.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ en el jardín a los vecinos. — “I hope you bark in the garden at the neighbours.”

  • a) ladremos
  • b) ladro
  • c) ladres
  • d) ladre

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

  • a) ladré
  • b) ladrado
  • c) ladrando
  • d) ladro

9. What does ladrar mean in English?

  • a) to bark
  • b) to howl
  • c) to meow
  • d) to moo

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él ladra al cartero cada mañana.
  • b) Él ladro al cartero cada mañana.
  • c) Nosotros ladra cuando oye un ruido.
  • d) Yo ladra toda la noche sin parar.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  10. a) Él ladra al cartero cada mañana. — Él ladra al cartero cada mañana. 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 ladrar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Ladro toda la noche sin parar and Ladra al cartero cada mañana. 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 ladrar and aullar?

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

Which tense do I need most with ladrar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use ladrar 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 ladrar formal or informal?

Ladrar 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.

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