Maullar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb maullar means to meow, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, maullar 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 maullo toda la noche en el tejado, and in the preterite you say maullé en la puerta para entrar. 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: maullar
  • English: to meow
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: maullando
  • Past participle: maullado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + maullado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for maullar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Maullar is fully regular: maullo, maulla. Cats maúllan when they want something; they ronronean when they are happy.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for maullar. 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 maullo
tú maullas
él/ella/Ud. maulla
nosotros/as maullamos
vosotros/as maulláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullan

Preterite

Person Form
yo maullé
tú maullaste
él/ella/Ud. maulló
nosotros/as maullamos
vosotros/as maullasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo maullaba
tú maullabas
él/ella/Ud. maullaba
nosotros/as maullábamos
vosotros/as maullabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullaban

Future

Person Form
yo maullaré
tú maullarás
él/ella/Ud. maullará
nosotros/as maullaremos
vosotros/as maullaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo maullaría
tú maullarías
él/ella/Ud. maullaría
nosotros/as maullaríamos
vosotros/as maullaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo maulle
tú maulles
él/ella/Ud. maulle
nosotros/as maullemos
vosotros/as maulléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo maullara
tú maullaras
él/ella/Ud. maullara
nosotros/as maulláramos
vosotros/as maullarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú maulla
él/ella/Ud. maulle
nosotros/as maullemos
vosotros/as maullad
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú maulles
él/ella/Ud. maulle
nosotros/as maullemos
vosotros/as maulléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maullen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 maullar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Maullo toda la noche en el tejado. 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 maullar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, maullé para pedir comida. 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 maullar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, maullaba en la puerta para entrar. 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 maullar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, maullaré cuando tiene hambre. 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 maullar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Maullaría toda la noche en el tejado 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 maullar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he maullado para pedir comida. 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 maullar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había maullado en la puerta para entrar 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 maullar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré maullado cuando tiene hambre. 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 maullar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría maullado toda la noche en el tejado 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 maullar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él maulle para pedir comida. 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 maullar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él maullara en la puerta para entrar, 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 maullar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Maulla cuando tiene hambre! 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 maullar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No maulles toda la noche en el tejado. 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 maullar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Maullo toda la noche en el tejado. — I meow all night on the roof.
  2. Maulla para pedir comida. — He/she meows to ask for food.
  3. Ayer, maullé en la puerta para entrar. — Yesterday, I meowed at the door to come in.
  4. Antes, nosotros maullábamos cuando tiene hambre. — Before, we used to meow when it is hungry.
  5. Mañana, tú maullarás toda la noche en el tejado. — Tomorrow, you will meow all night on the roof.
  6. Yo maullaría para pedir comida si tuviera más tiempo. — I would meow to ask for food if I had more time.
  7. Él ha maullado en la puerta para entrar. — He has meowed at the door to come in.
  8. Espero que él maulle cuando tiene hambre. — I hope he meows when it is hungry.
  9. Yo ya había maullado toda la noche en el tejado antes de salir. — I had already meowed all night on the roof before leaving.
  10. Ellos maullaban para pedir comida cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to meow to ask for food when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo maulla toda la noche en el tejado. — Right: 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo maullo para pedir comida. — Right: 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.
  3. Wrong: Treating maullar and ronronear as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy maullado para pedir comida. — Right: 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.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo maullé en la puerta para entrar todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ toda la noche en el tejado. (present tense) A. maullo B. maullas C. maulla D. maullamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ para pedir comida. (preterite) A. maullé B. maullaste C. maullaron D. maulló

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la puerta para entrar. (imperfect) A. maullabas B. maullaban C. maullábamos D. maullaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ cuando tiene hambre. (future) A. maullaremos B. maullarás C. maullaré D. maullará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ toda la noche en el tejado si pudiera. (conditional) A. maullaría B. maullarías C. maullarían D. maullo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ para pedir comida. (present subjunctive) A. maulles B. maullemos C. maullo D. maulle

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la puerta para entrar, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. maulláramos B. maullo C. maullara D. maullaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ cuando tiene hambre. (present perfect) A. han maullado B. hemos maullado C. he maullado D. has maullado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ toda la noche en el tejado! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. maulla B. maulle C. maullemos D. maullad

  10. Which is the gerund of maullar, used with estar for the progressive? A. maullado B. maullo C. maullé D. maullando

Answer key

  1. maullo — The first-person present of maullar is maullo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. maulló — The third-person preterite of maullar is maulló, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. maullábamos — The nosotros imperfect of maullar is maullábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. maullarás — The second-person future of maullar is maullarás.
  5. maullaría — The first-person conditional of maullar is maullaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. maulle — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of maullar is maulle.
  7. maullara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of maullar is maullara.
  8. hemos maullado — The nosotros present perfect of maullar is hemos maullado: hemos + maullado.
  9. maulla — The affirmative tú imperative of maullar is maulla.
  10. maullando — The gerund of maullar is maullando: estoy maullando. The participle maullado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does maullar mean in English?

Maullar means to meow. It is used in everyday situations such as Maullo toda la noche en el tejado. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is maullar regular or irregular?

Maullar 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 maullo in the present and maullé in the preterite.

What is the difference between maullar and ronronear?

Maullar means to meow, while ronronear means to purr. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use maullar when you mean to meow, as in Maullo toda la noche en el tejado, and use ronronear for to purr. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I meow” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo maullé para pedir comida. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo maullaba en la puerta para entrar. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he maullado para pedir comida.

How do I practise maullar?

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

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