Demoler Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

demoler means "to demolish" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Demoler means to demolish a building or structure, usually deliberately and with machinery. It is the formal verb for knocking a building down. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of demoler; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the demoler present tense page.

demoler in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo demuelo el edificio viejo — "I demolish the old building"
  2. Mi amigo demuele la casa abandonada — "My friend demolishes the abandoned house"
  3. Mañana, tú demolerás el muro del jardín — "Tomorrow, you will demolish the garden wall"
  4. Yo demolería la fábrica en ruinas si pudiera — "I would demolish the ruined factory if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo demolí el edificio viejo — "Yesterday, I demolished the old building"
  2. Antes, nosotros demolíamos la casa abandonada — "Before, we used to demolish the abandoned house"
  3. Él ha demolido el muro del jardín — "He has demolished the garden wall"
  4. Yo ya había demolido la fábrica en ruinas antes de salir — "I already had demolished the ruined factory before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él demuela el edificio viejo — "I hope he demolishes the old building"
  2. Si yo demoliera la casa abandonada, todo cambiaría — "If I demolished the abandoned house, everything would change"
  3. Demuele el muro del jardín. — "Demolish the garden wall."
  4. Yo habría demolido la fábrica en ruinas con más tiempo — "I would have demolished the ruined factory with more time"

demoler in conversation

Two short dialogues that use demoler the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo demuelo el edificio viejo — "I demolish the old building"
  • Marcos: Él demuele la casa abandonada — "He demolishes the abandoned house"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo demolí el muro del jardín — "Yesterday, I demolished the garden wall"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú demolerás la fábrica en ruinas — "Tomorrow, you will demolish the ruined factory"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Demuele el puente dañado. — "Demolish the damaged bridge."
  • Lucía: Él ha demolido el edificio viejo — "He has demolished the old building"
  • Marcos: Espero que él demuela la casa abandonada — "I hope he demolishes the abandoned house"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo demolía el muro del jardín — "Before, I used to demolish the garden wall"

Common mistakes with demoler

The errors learners actually make with demoler, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo demolo la fábrica en ruinas.

✓ Correct: Yo demuelo la fábrica en ruinas.

demoler is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is demuelo, not demolo.

✗ *Espero que él demuele la fábrica en ruinas

✓ Correct: Espero que él demuela la fábrica en ruinas

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él demuela la fábrica en ruinas — not the indicative Espero que él demuele la fábrica en ruinas.

✗ *Ayer, yo demuelo el puente dañado

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo demolí el puente dañado

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo demolí el puente dañado.

✗ *De niño, yo demolí el edificio viejo todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo demolía el edificio viejo todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo demolía el edificio viejo todos los días.

✗ *Yo demuelo en el muro del jardín.

✓ Correct: Yo demuelo el muro del jardín.

demoler takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo demuelo el muro del jardín.

Quiz: demoler in use

Ten questions on demoler — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el edificio viejo — "I demolish the old building" (present) A. demolemos B. demuelo C. demueles D. demuele

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la casa abandonada — "Yesterday, I demolished the abandoned house" (preterite) A. demoliste B. demolió C. demolimos D. demolí

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el muro del jardín — "Before, we used to demolish the garden wall" (imperfect) A. demolíamos B. demolía C. demolías D. demolíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ la fábrica en ruinas — "Tomorrow, you will demolish the ruined factory" (future) A. demoleré B. demolerá C. demoleremos D. demolerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el puente dañado — "I would demolish the damaged bridge" (conditional) A. demoleríamos B. demoleríais C. demolería D. demolerías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el edificio viejo — "He has demolished the old building" (present perfect) A. has demolido B. hemos demolido C. ha demolido D. he demolido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la casa abandonada — "I hope he demolishes the abandoned house" (present subjunctive) A. demoláis B. demuela C. demuelas D. demolamos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el muro del jardín. — "Demolish the garden wall." (affirmative imperative) A. demuele B. demuela C. demolamos D. demoled

  9. Which is the gerund of demoler, used with estar for the progressive? A. demuelo B. demolí C. demoliendo D. demolido

  10. What does demoler mean in English? A. to demolish B. to knock down C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. demuelo — The present form for yo is demuelo.
  2. demolí — The preterite form for yo is demolí.
  3. demolíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is demolíamos.
  4. demolerás — The future form for tú is demolerás.
  5. demolería — The conditional form for yo is demolería.
  6. ha demolido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha demolido.
  7. demuela — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is demuela.
  8. demuele — The affirmative imperative form is demuele.
  9. demoliendo — The gerund of demoler is demoliendo: estoy demoliendo. The participle demolido is used with haber instead.
  10. to demolish — demoler means to demolish.

Frequently asked questions

What does demoler mean in English?

demoler means to demolish. For example: Yo demuelo el edificio viejo — "I demolish the old building". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with demoler?

demoler takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is demoler regular?

No. demoler is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: demuelo, demueles, demuele and demuelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: demolemos, demoléis.

How do I practise demoler?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

Related links