Demoler Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb demoler means to demolish, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Demoler means to demolish a building or structure, usually deliberately and with machinery. It is the formal verb for knocking a building down. Like every Spanish verb, demoler 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 Yo demuelo el edificio viejo — "I demolish the old building". 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.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: demoler
  • English: to demolish
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: demoliendo
  • Past participle: demolido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + demolido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for demoler, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for demoler. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | demuelo | | tú | demueles | | él/ella/Ud. | demuele | | nosotros/as | demolemos | | vosotros/as | demoléis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demuelen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | demolí | | tú | demoliste | | él/ella/Ud. | demolió | | nosotros/as | demolimos | | vosotros/as | demolisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demolieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | demolía | | tú | demolías | | él/ella/Ud. | demolía | | nosotros/as | demolíamos | | vosotros/as | demolíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demolían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | demoleré | | tú | demolerás | | él/ella/Ud. | demolerá | | nosotros/as | demoleremos | | vosotros/as | demoleréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demolerán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | demolería | | tú | demolerías | | él/ella/Ud. | demolería | | nosotros/as | demoleríamos | | vosotros/as | demoleríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demolerían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | demuela | | tú | demuelas | | él/ella/Ud. | demuela | | nosotros/as | demolamos | | vosotros/as | demoláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demuelan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | demoliera | | tú | demolieras | | él/ella/Ud. | demoliera | | nosotros/as | demoliéramos | | vosotros/as | demolierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demolieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | demuele | | él/ella/Ud. | demuela | | nosotros/as | demolamos | | vosotros/as | demoled | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demuelan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | demuelas | | él/ella/Ud. | demuela | | nosotros/as | demolamos | | vosotros/as | demoláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | demuelan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund demoliendo with estar for the progressive: está demoliendo
Past participle demolido with haber for the perfect tenses: he demolido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For demoler, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo demuelo el edificio viejo — "I demolish the old building".

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 demoler, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo demolí la casa abandonada — "Yesterday, I demolished the abandoned house".

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 demoler, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo demolía el muro del jardín — "As a child, I used to demolish the garden wall".

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 demoler, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo demoleré la fábrica en ruinas — "Tomorrow, I will demolish the ruined factory".

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 demoler, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo demolería el edificio viejo si pudiera — "I would demolish the old building if I could".

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 demoler, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he demolido la casa abandonada — "Today, I have demolished the abandoned house".

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 demoler, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había demolido el muro del jardín antes de salir — "I already had demolished the garden wall before leaving".

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 demoler, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré demolido la fábrica en ruinas — "By tomorrow, I will have demolished the ruined factory".

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 demoler, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría demolido el edificio viejo con más tiempo — "I would have demolished the old building with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For demoler, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él demuela la casa abandonada — "I hope he demolishes the abandoned house".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 demoler, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo demoliera el muro del jardín, todo cambiaría — "If I demolished the garden wall, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For demoler, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Demuele la fábrica en ruinas. — "Demolish the ruined factory.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For demoler, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No demuelas el edificio viejo. — "Do not demolish the old building.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with demoler, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo demolí el muro del jardín — "Yesterday, I demolished the garden wall"
  4. Antes, nosotros demolíamos la fábrica en ruinas — "Before, we used to demolish the ruined factory"
  5. Mañana, tú demolerás el puente dañado — "Tomorrow, you will demolish the damaged bridge"
  6. Yo demolería el edificio viejo si tuviera más tiempo — "I would demolish the old building if I had more time"
  7. Él ha demolido la casa abandonada — "He has demolished the abandoned house"
  8. Espero que él demuela el muro del jardín — "I hope he demolishes the garden wall"
  9. Yo ya había demolido la fábrica en ruinas antes de salir — "I already had demolished the ruined factory before leaving"
  10. Ellos demolían el puente dañado cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to demolish the damaged bridge when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo demolo la casa abandonada. — Right: Yo demuelo la casa abandonada. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él demuele la casa abandonada — Right: Espero que él demuela la casa abandonada — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él demuela la casa abandonada — not the indicative Espero que él demuele la casa abandonada.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo demuelo el muro del jardín — Right: Ayer, yo demolí el muro del jardín — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo demolí el muro del jardín.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo demolí la fábrica en ruinas todos los días — Right: De niño, yo demolía la fábrica en ruinas todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo demolía la fábrica en ruinas todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo demuelo en el edificio viejo. — Right: Yo demuelo el edificio viejo. — demoler takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo demuelo el edificio viejo.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  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: Él ______ la casa abandonada — "He demolished the abandoned house" (preterite) A. demolimos B. demolió C. demolí D. demoliste

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la fábrica en ruinas — "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: Espero que él ______ el edificio viejo — "I hope he demolishes the old building" (present subjunctive) A. demuela B. demuelas C. demolamos D. demoláis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la casa abandonada, todo cambiaría — "If I demolished the abandoned house, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. demolierais B. demoliera C. demolieras D. demoliéramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el muro del jardín — "We have demolished the garden wall" (present perfect) A. has demolido B. ha demolido C. hemos demolido D. he demolido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ la fábrica en ruinas. — "Do not demolish the ruined factory." (negative imperative) A. demuela B. demolamos C. demoláis D. demuelas

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

Answer key

  1. demuelo — The present form for yo is demuelo.
  2. demolió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is demolió.
  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. demuela — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is demuela.
  7. demoliera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is demoliera.
  8. hemos demolido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos demolido.
  9. demuelas — The negative imperative form is demuelas.
  10. demoliendo — The gerund of demoler is demoliendo: estoy demoliendo. The participle demolido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does demoler mean in English?

demoler means to demolish. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of demoler?

The gerund is demoliendo and the past participle is demolido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I demolish" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo demolí la casa abandonada — "Yesterday, I demolished the abandoned house". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo demolía el muro del jardín — "As a child, I used to demolish the garden wall". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he demolido la casa abandonada — "Today, I have demolished the abandoned house".

What is the difference between demoler and derribar?

Derribar is to knock something down, including a building, a wall or a person. Demoler is specifically about demolishing buildings and structures. Demoler means to demolish a building or structure, usually deliberately and with machinery. It is the formal verb for knocking a building down.

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