abbaiare
/ab.baˈja.re/
To bark in Italian is abbaiare.
abbaiare is a verb meaning to make a loud noise, specifically referring to the sound a dog makes.
Meaning: to make a loud noise (dogs) (verb)
Which one should you use?
While abbaiare is the verb used to describe the action of barking, if you want to refer to a single bark or the sound of a bark as a noun, you should use latrato.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The third-person singular present indicative is abbaia (he/she/it barks), and the third-person plural present indicative is abbaiano (they bark). For the imperfect indicative, the third-person singular form is abbaiava (he/she/it was barking).
How do you pronounce it?
/ab.baˈja.re/. The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The phrase abbaiare alla luna means 'to bark at the moon' and is used to describe someone who protests or complains about a situation they cannot change.
- In Italian, if someone is shouting or speaking aggressively, they might be described as abbaiare to their interlocutor. This uses the word for 'bark' to describe a human voice that is harsh and loud.
- The word abbaiare is onomatopoeic, meaning it was created to mimic the actual sound a dog makes rather than being derived from a root meaning 'noise'.
Examples in context
- Il cane non poteva abbaiare.The dog couldn't bark.This sentence uses abbaiare to describe a dog's inability to bark.Tatoeba #11290018 by Guybrush88, translation #2489590 by alvations
- Il cane continuò ad abbaiare.The dog continued to bark.This sentence uses abbaiare to describe a dog that continued barking.Tatoeba #5740053 by Guybrush88, translation #5739576 by CM
- Sto per abbaiare come un cane.I am going to bark like a dog.This sentence uses abbaiare to express an intention to bark like a dog.Tatoeba #2716249 by Guybrush88, translation #2716234 by Amastan
- Il cane abbaia quando sente un rumore sospetto.The dog barks when it hears a suspicious noise.
- Quel cane late sempre quando passo davanti al cancello.That dog always barks when I pass by the gate.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Matteo are walking in the park.
- GiuliaPerché quel cane ha iniziato ad abbaiare?Why did that dog start to bark?
- MatteoForse ha visto un gatto lì vicino.Maybe he saw a cat nearby.
- GiuliaSpero che non continui ad abbaiare tutto il tempo.I hope he doesn't keep barking the whole time.
- MatteoTranquilla, Giulia, smetterà presto.Don't worry, Giulia, he will stop soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bark” translations and entries abbaiare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries abbaiare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
