Ladrar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb ladrar means to bark, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, ladrar 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 ladro toda la noche sin parar, and in the preterite you say ladré cuando oye un ruido. 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: ladrar
  • English: to bark
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: ladrando
  • Past participle: ladrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ladrado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ladrar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Ladrar is fully regular: ladro, ladra. Dogs ladran; wolves and dogs aúllan when they howl.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for ladrar. 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 ladro
tú ladras
él/ella/Ud. ladra
nosotros/as ladramos
vosotros/as ladráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladran

Preterite

Person Form
yo ladré
tú ladraste
él/ella/Ud. ladró
nosotros/as ladramos
vosotros/as ladrasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladraron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo ladraba
tú ladrabas
él/ella/Ud. ladraba
nosotros/as ladrábamos
vosotros/as ladrabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladraban

Future

Person Form
yo ladraré
tú ladrarás
él/ella/Ud. ladrará
nosotros/as ladraremos
vosotros/as ladraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladrarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo ladraría
tú ladrarías
él/ella/Ud. ladraría
nosotros/as ladraríamos
vosotros/as ladraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladrarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo ladre
tú ladres
él/ella/Ud. ladre
nosotros/as ladremos
vosotros/as ladréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo ladrara
tú ladraras
él/ella/Ud. ladrara
nosotros/as ladráramos
vosotros/as ladrarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú ladra
él/ella/Ud. ladre
nosotros/as ladremos
vosotros/as ladrad
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladren

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú ladres
él/ella/Ud. ladre
nosotros/as ladremos
vosotros/as ladréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ladren

Gerund and past participle

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

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 ladrar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Ladro toda la noche sin parar. 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 ladrar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, ladré al cartero cada mañana. 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 ladrar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, ladraba cuando oye un ruido. 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 ladrar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, ladraré en el jardín a los vecinos. 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 ladrar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Ladraría toda la noche sin parar 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 ladrar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he ladrado al cartero cada mañana. 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 ladrar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había ladrado cuando oye un ruido 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 ladrar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré ladrado en el jardín a los vecinos. 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 ladrar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría ladrado toda la noche sin parar 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 ladrar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él ladre al cartero cada mañana. 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 ladrar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él ladrara cuando oye un ruido, 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 ladrar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Ladra en el jardín a los vecinos! 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 ladrar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No ladres toda la noche sin parar. 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 ladrar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Ladro toda la noche sin parar. — I bark all night without stopping.
  2. Ladra al cartero cada mañana. — He/she barks at the postman every morning.
  3. Ayer, ladré cuando oye un ruido. — Yesterday, I barked when it hears a noise.
  4. Antes, nosotros ladrábamos en el jardín a los vecinos. — Before, we used to bark in the garden at the neighbours.
  5. Mañana, tú ladrarás toda la noche sin parar. — Tomorrow, you will bark all night without stopping.
  6. Yo ladraría al cartero cada mañana si tuviera más tiempo. — I would bark at the postman every morning if I had more time.
  7. Él ha ladrado cuando oye un ruido. — He has barked when it hears a noise.
  8. Espero que él ladre en el jardín a los vecinos. — I hope he barks in the garden at the neighbours.
  9. Yo ya había ladrado toda la noche sin parar antes de salir. — I had already barked all night without stopping before leaving.
  10. Ellos ladraban al cartero cada mañana cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to bark at the postman every morning when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo ladra toda la noche sin parar. — Right: 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo ladro al cartero cada mañana. — Right: 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.
  3. Wrong: Treating ladrar and aullar as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy ladrado al cartero cada mañana. — Right: 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.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo ladré cuando oye un ruido todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ toda la noche sin parar. (present tense) A. ladro B. ladras C. ladra D. ladramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al cartero cada mañana. (preterite) A. ladré B. ladraste C. ladraron D. ladró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ cuando oye un ruido. (imperfect) A. ladrabas B. ladraban C. ladrábamos D. ladraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el jardín a los vecinos. (future) A. ladraremos B. ladrarás C. ladraré D. ladrará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ toda la noche sin parar si pudiera. (conditional) A. ladraría B. ladrarías C. ladrarían D. ladro

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al cartero cada mañana. (present subjunctive) A. ladres B. ladremos C. ladro D. ladre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ cuando oye un ruido, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. ladráramos B. ladro C. ladrara D. ladraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el jardín a los vecinos. (present perfect) A. han ladrado B. hemos ladrado C. he ladrado D. has ladrado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ toda la noche sin parar! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. ladra B. ladre C. ladremos D. ladrad

  10. Which is the gerund of ladrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. ladrado B. ladro C. ladré D. ladrando

Answer key

  1. ladro — The first-person present of ladrar is ladro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. ladró — The third-person preterite of ladrar is ladró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. ladrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of ladrar is ladrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. ladrarás — The second-person future of ladrar is ladrarás.
  5. ladraría — The first-person conditional of ladrar is ladraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. ladre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of ladrar is ladre.
  7. ladrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of ladrar is ladrara.
  8. hemos ladrado — The nosotros present perfect of ladrar is hemos ladrado: hemos + ladrado.
  9. ladra — The affirmative tú imperative of ladrar is ladra.
  10. ladrando — The gerund of ladrar is ladrando: estoy ladrando. The participle ladrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does ladrar mean in English?

Ladrar means to bark. It is used in everyday situations such as Ladro toda la noche sin parar. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is ladrar regular or irregular?

Ladrar 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 ladro in the present and ladré in the preterite.

What is the difference between ladrar and aullar?

Ladrar means to bark, while aullar means to howl. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use ladrar when you mean to bark, as in Ladro toda la noche sin parar, and use aullar for to howl. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I bark” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo ladré al cartero cada mañana. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo ladraba cuando oye un ruido. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he ladrado al cartero cada mañana.

How do I practise ladrar?

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

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