Maullar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of maullar — “to meow” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for maullar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Maullo toda la noche en el tejado. — “I meow all night on the roof.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of maullar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: maullar
Every person of maullar in the present tense. The gerund is maullando and the past participle is maullado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | maullo |
| tú | maullas |
| él/ella/Ud. | maulla |
| nosotros/as | maullamos |
| vosotros/as | maulláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | maullan |
How the present indicative of maullar is formed
The present indicative of maullar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | maullo |
| tú | -as | maullas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | maulla |
| nosotros/as | -amos | maullamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | maulláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | maullan |
Maullar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is maull- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of maullar is maullando and the past participle is maullado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of maullar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and maullar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and maullar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo maullo toda la noche en el tejado todos los días.” — “I meow all night on the roof every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él maulla para pedir comida.” — “He/she meows to ask for food.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so maullo can mean both “I meow” and “I am meowing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo maullo en la puerta para entrar.” — “Right now, I meow at the door to come in.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo maullo cuando tiene hambre.” — “Tomorrow, I will meow when it is hungry.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú maullas toda la noche en el tejado?” — “Do you meow all night on the roof?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Maulla para pedir comida. — “He/she meows to ask for food.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Maulló para pedir comida. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Maullan en la puerta para entrar. — “They meow at the door to come in.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Maullaban en la puerta para entrar. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Maullas cuando tiene hambre. — “You meow when it is hungry.”
- Future — what will happen: Maullarás cuando tiene hambre. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: maullar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show maullar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo maullo toda la noche en el tejado. — “I meow all night on the roof.”
- Tú maullas para pedir comida. — “You meow to ask for food.”
- Él maulla en la puerta para entrar. — “He meows at the door to come in.”
- Nosotros maullamos cuando tiene hambre. — “We meow when it is hungry.”
- Vosotros maulláis toda la noche en el tejado. — “You (plural) meow all night on the roof.”
- Ellos maullan para pedir comida. — “They meow to ask for food.”
- ¿Tú maullas en la puerta para entrar? — “Do you meow at the door to come in?”
Common mistakes with maullar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with maullar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo maullar toda la noche en el tejado. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo maullo toda la noche en el tejado.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of maullar is maullo, not the infinitive maullar.
✗ Vosotros maullais toda la noche en el tejado. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros maulláis toda la noche en el tejado.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: maulláis, not maullais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo maullo para pedir comida. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ 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. (confusing maullar with ronronear).
✓ 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.
Quiz: maullar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of maullar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of maullar for tú?
- a) maullas
- b) maullo
- c) maulla
- d) maullan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ toda la noche en el tejado. — “I meow all night on the roof.”
- a) maulla
- b) maullamos
- c) maullas
- d) maullo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ para pedir comida. — “He/she meows to ask for food.” (present tense)
- a) maullaba
- b) maullará
- c) maulla
- d) maulló
4. Which is the correct present tense form of maullar for nosotros?
- a) maullan
- b) maullamos
- c) maullo
- d) maulla
5. Which sentence uses maullar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él maulló para pedir comida.
- b) Él maulla para pedir comida.
- c) Él maullará para pedir comida.
- d) Ellos maulla para pedir comida.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ en la puerta para entrar. — “They meow at the door to come in.”
- a) maullo
- b) maulla
- c) maullamos
- d) maullan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ cuando tiene hambre? — “Do you meow when it is hungry?”
- a) maulla
- b) maullarás
- c) maullas
- d) maullo
8. What is the gerund of maullar?
- a) maullé
- b) maullando
- c) maullado
- d) maullo
Answer key
a) maullas — The tú form is maullas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; maullo is yo, maulla is él/ella and maullan is ellos/ellas.
d) maullo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: maullo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) maulla — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: maulla. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) maullamos — Nosotros takes maullamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él maulla para pedir comida. — Él maulla para pedir comida. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) maullan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is maullan.
c) maullas — The question needs the tú form in the present: maullas.
b) maullando — The gerund is maullando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle maullado.
Frequently asked questions
Is maullar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Maullar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: maullo, maullas, maulla, maullamos, maulláis and maullan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of maullar?
The gerund is maullando and the past participle is maullado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I meow” in Spanish?
Say maullo. For example: Maullo toda la noche en el tejado. — “I meow all night on the roof.”
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”. The full conjugation of maullar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of maullar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- maullar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Ladrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with maullar.
- Airear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with maullar.
- Relinchar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with maullar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.