Maullar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

maullar means “to meow” 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. Maullar means to meow, the sound a cat makes. It is an animal-sound verb used for cats asking for food, attention or to be let in, 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 maullar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the maullar present tense page.

maullar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo maullo toda la noche en el tejado. — “I meow all night on the roof.”
  2. Él maulla para pedir comida. — “He meows to ask for food.”
  3. Nosotros maullamos en la puerta para entrar. — “We meow at the door to come in.”
  4. Ellos maullan cuando tiene hambre. — “They meow when it is hungry.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo maullé para pedir comida. — “Yesterday, I meowed to ask for food.”
  2. Antes, nosotros maullábamos en la puerta para entrar. — “Before, we used to meow at the door to come in.”
  3. Él maulló cuando tiene hambre. — “He meowed when it is hungry.”
  4. Yo ya había maullado toda la noche en el tejado antes de salir. — “I had already meowed all night on the roof before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú maullarás toda la noche en el tejado. — “Tomorrow, you will meow all night on the roof.”
  2. Yo maullaría para pedir comida si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would meow to ask for food if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha maullado en la puerta para entrar. — “He has meowed at the door to come in.”
  4. Espero que él maulle cuando tiene hambre. — “I hope he meows when it is hungry.”

maullar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use maullar 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 maullo toda la noche en el tejado. — “I meow all night on the roof.”
  • Bea: Él maulla para pedir comida. — “He meows to ask for food.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo maullé para pedir comida. — “Yesterday, I meowed to ask for food.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú maullarás toda la noche en el tejado. — “Tomorrow, you will meow all night on the roof.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros maullamos en la puerta para entrar. — “We meow at the door to come in.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros maullábamos en la puerta para entrar. — “Before, we used to meow at the door to come in.”
  • Luis: Yo maullaría para pedir comida si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would meow to ask for food if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él maulle cuando tiene hambre. — “I hope he meows when it is hungry.”

A short scene with maullar

A short scene shows how maullar works across the day. In the morning: Maullo toda la noche en el tejado. In the afternoon: Maulla para pedir comida. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, maullé en la puerta para entrar. And tomorrow: Mañana, maullaré cuando tiene hambre. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how maullar 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 maullar

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

✗ Yo maulla toda la noche en el tejado.

✓ Correct: Yo maullo toda la noche en el tejado.

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

✗ Ayer yo maullo para pedir comida.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo maullé para pedir comida.

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

✗ Treating maullar and ronronear as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Maullar means to meow, while ronronear means to purr.

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

✗ Yo soy maullado para pedir comida.

✓ Correct: Yo he maullado para pedir comida.

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

✗ De niño, yo maullé en la puerta para entrar todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo maullaba en la puerta para entrar todos los días.

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

Quiz: maullar in use

Ten questions on maullar — 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 ______ para pedir comida. — “He/she meows to ask for food.”

  • a) maulla
  • b) maullo
  • c) maullas
  • d) maullamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ en la puerta para entrar. — “Yesterday, I meowed at the door to come in.”

  • a) maullaste
  • b) maulló
  • c) maullaron
  • d) maullé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ cuando tiene hambre cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to meow when it is hungry when they were young.”

  • a) maullabas
  • b) maullábamos
  • c) maullaban
  • d) maullaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ toda la noche en el tejado. — “Tomorrow, we will meow all night on the roof.”

  • a) maullarán
  • b) maullaremos
  • c) maullaré
  • d) maullarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ para pedir comida si pudiera. — “He would meow to ask for food if he could.”

  • a) maullaría
  • b) maullarías
  • c) maullaríamos
  • d) maullo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en la puerta para entrar. — “I have meowed at the door to come in.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ cuando tiene hambre. — “I hope you meow when it is hungry.”

  • a) maullemos
  • b) maullo
  • c) maulles
  • d) maulle

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

  • a) maullé
  • b) maullado
  • c) maullando
  • d) maullo

9. What does maullar mean in English?

  • a) to meow
  • b) to purr
  • c) to moo
  • d) to neigh

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él maulla para pedir comida.
  • b) Él maullo para pedir comida.
  • c) Nosotros maulla en la puerta para entrar.
  • d) Yo maulla toda la noche en el tejado.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  10. a) Él maulla para pedir comida. — Él maulla para pedir comida. 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 maullar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Maullo toda la noche en el tejado and Maulla para pedir comida. 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 maullar and ronronear?

Maullar means “to meow”, while ronronear means “to purr”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use maullar when you mean “to meow” and ronronear when you mean “to purr”.

Which tense do I need most with maullar?

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

Maullar 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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