Usage Note
Aboyer is the standard verb for a dog barking. The proverb chien qui aboie ne mord pas ('a barking dog doesn't bite') is well known in French. Figuratively, aboyer des ordres means 'to bark orders'. It follows the -oyer conjugation pattern, with the y changing to i before a silent e.
Examples
"Le chien aboie toute la nuit."
Natural Translation
The dog barks all night.

Free starter pack
Building your French vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore French by topic