How to Say "Barking" in Italian

abbaiare

/ab.baˈja.re/

The English phrase "barking" is translated into Italian as abbaiare.

abbaiare is used to describe the sound a dog makes.

How does it change in a sentence?

The third-person singular present form is abbaia (barks / is barking), while the third-person plural present form is abbaiano (bark / are barking).

The pronunciation of abbaiare is /ab.baˈja.re/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.

In Italian, the sound of barking is commonly imitated with the word bau.

In Italian slang, if someone abbaia during an argument, it does not mean they are making dog sounds, but that they are shouting or speaking harshly.
The root of abbaiare is onomatopoeic, meaning it was actually created to mimic the sound of a dog's voice. It shares a common ancestor with the Latin word 'baubor'.
Unlike English, where 'bark' can also refer to the outer layer of a tree, the Italian abbaiare is strictly limited to the animal sound and has no botanical meaning.

Ha smesso di abbaiare.
It stopped barking.
This sentence is useful for seeing how to use abbaiare to describe an action that has stopped.
Tatoeba #9724141 by Guybrush88, translation #9723105 by ariarin
Sentimmo i cani abbaiare.
We heard the dogs barking.
This sentence shows how to use abbaiare after a verb of perception like hearing.
Tatoeba #12703569 by Guybrush88, translation #8455994 by CK
Il cane smise di abbaiare.
The dog stopped barking.
This sentence shows the use of abbaiare to describe a specific dog's action.
Tatoeba #11289630 by Guybrush88, translation #2545851 by CK
Il cane abbaia
The dog is barking
Il cane si morde la coda quando abbaia
The dog bites its tail when it barks
67 more sentences on Tatoeba

Martina and Lorenzo are talking about a noisy neighbor's dog.

Martina

Senti quel cane abbaiare di nuovo!
Do you hear that dog barking again!
Lorenzo

Sì, non smette mai di abbaiare.
Yes, it never stops barking.
Martina

Perché continua ad abbaiare così tanto?
Why does it keep barking so much?
Lorenzo

Forse vuole uscire a giocare.
Maybe it wants to go out and play.

Sources

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