Moler Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb moler means to grind, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Moler means to grind: moler el café, moler el trigo. The stem changes o to ue in the present, so it is muelo, mueles, muele — never molo. Like every Spanish verb, moler 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 muelo el café cada mañana — "I grind the coffee every morning". 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: muelo, mueles, muele and muelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: molemos, moléis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: moler
  • English: to grind
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: moliendo
  • Past participle: molido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + molido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | muelo | | tú | mueles | | él/ella/Ud. | muele | | nosotros/as | molemos | | vosotros/as | moléis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muelen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | molí | | tú | moliste | | él/ella/Ud. | molió | | nosotros/as | molimos | | vosotros/as | molisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | molieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | molía | | tú | molías | | él/ella/Ud. | molía | | nosotros/as | molíamos | | vosotros/as | molíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | molían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | moleré | | tú | molerás | | él/ella/Ud. | molerá | | nosotros/as | moleremos | | vosotros/as | moleréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | molerán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | molería | | tú | molerías | | él/ella/Ud. | molería | | nosotros/as | moleríamos | | vosotros/as | moleríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | molerían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | muela | | tú | muelas | | él/ella/Ud. | muela | | nosotros/as | molamos | | vosotros/as | moláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muelan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | moliera | | tú | molieras | | él/ella/Ud. | moliera | | nosotros/as | moliéramos | | vosotros/as | molierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | molieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | muele | | él/ella/Ud. | muela | | nosotros/as | molamos | | vosotros/as | moled | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muelan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | muelas | | él/ella/Ud. | muela | | nosotros/as | molamos | | vosotros/as | moláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | muelan |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: muelo, mueles, muele and muelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: molemos, moléis. For moler, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo muelo el café cada mañana — "I grind the coffee every morning".

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 moler, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo molí el trigo en el molino — "Yesterday, I ground the wheat in the mill".

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 moler, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo molía las especias para la cena — "As a child, I used to grind the spices for dinner".

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 moler, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo moleré el maíz para la harina — "Tomorrow, I will grind the maize for flour".

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 moler, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo molería el café cada mañana si pudiera — "I would grind the coffee every morning 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 moler, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he molido el trigo en el molino — "Today, I have ground the wheat in the mill".

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 moler, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había molido las especias para la cena antes de salir — "I already had ground the spices for dinner 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 moler, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré molido el maíz para la harina — "By tomorrow, I will have ground the maize for flour".

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 moler, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría molido el café cada mañana con más tiempo — "I would have ground the coffee every morning 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: muelo, mueles, muele and muelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: molemos, moléis. For moler, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él muela el trigo en el molino — "I hope he grinds the wheat in the mill".

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 moler, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo moliera las especias para la cena, todo cambiaría — "If I ground the spices for dinner, 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: muelo, mueles, muele and muelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: molemos, moléis. For moler, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Muele el maíz para la harina. — "Grind the maize for flour.".

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: muelo, mueles, muele and muelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: molemos, moléis. For moler, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No muelas el café cada mañana. — "Do not grind the coffee every morning.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo muelo el café cada mañana — "I grind the coffee every morning"
  2. Mi amigo muele el trigo en el molino — "My friend grinds the wheat in the mill"
  3. Ayer, yo molí las especias para la cena — "Yesterday, I ground the spices for dinner"
  4. Antes, nosotros molíamos el maíz para la harina — "Before, we used to grind the maize for flour"
  5. Mañana, tú molerás los granos con el molinillo — "Tomorrow, you will grind the beans with the grinder"
  6. Yo molería el café cada mañana si tuviera más tiempo — "I would grind the coffee every morning if I had more time"
  7. Él ha molido el trigo en el molino — "He has ground the wheat in the mill"
  8. Espero que él muela las especias para la cena — "I hope he grinds the spices for dinner"
  9. Yo ya había molido el maíz para la harina antes de salir — "I already had ground the maize for flour before leaving"
  10. Ellos molían los granos con el molinillo cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to grind the beans with the grinder when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo molo el trigo en el molino. — Right: Yo muelo el trigo en el molino. — moler is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is muelo, not molo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él muele el trigo en el molino — Right: Espero que él muela el trigo en el molino — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él muela el trigo en el molino — not the indicative Espero que él muele el trigo en el molino.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo muelo las especias para la cena — Right: Ayer, yo molí las especias para la cena — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo molí las especias para la cena.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo molí el maíz para la harina todos los días — Right: De niño, yo molía el maíz para la harina todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo molía el maíz para la harina todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo muelo en el café cada mañana. — Right: Yo muelo el café cada mañana. — moler takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo muelo el café cada mañana.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el café cada mañana — "I grind the coffee every morning" (present) A. muelo B. mueles C. muele D. molemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el trigo en el molino — "He ground the wheat in the mill" (preterite) A. molí B. moliste C. molimos D. molió

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las especias para la cena — "We used to grind the spices for dinner" (imperfect) A. molías B. molíais C. molíamos D. molía

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el maíz para la harina — "You will grind the maize for flour" (future) A. molerá B. moleremos C. molerás D. moleré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los granos con el molinillo — "I would grind the beans with the grinder" (conditional) A. moleríamos B. moleríais C. molería D. molerías

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el café cada mañana — "I hope he grinds the coffee every morning" (present subjunctive) A. muela B. muelas C. molamos D. moláis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el trigo en el molino, todo cambiaría — "If I ground the wheat in the mill, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. molieras B. moliéramos C. molierais D. moliera

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las especias para la cena — "We have ground the spices for dinner" (present perfect) A. hemos molido B. he molido C. has molido D. ha molido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el maíz para la harina. — "Do not grind the maize for flour." (negative imperative) A. molamos B. moláis C. muelas D. muela

  10. Which is the gerund of moler, used with estar for the progressive? A. molido B. muelo C. molí D. moliendo

Answer key

  1. muelo — The present form for yo is muelo.
  2. molió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is molió.
  3. molíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is molíamos.
  4. molerás — The future form for tú is molerás.
  5. molería — The conditional form for yo is molería.
  6. muela — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is muela.
  7. moliera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is moliera.
  8. hemos molido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos molido.
  9. muelas — The negative imperative form is muelas.
  10. moliendo — The gerund of moler is moliendo: estoy moliendo. The participle molido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does moler mean in English?

moler means to grind. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo muelo el café cada mañana — "I grind the coffee every morning". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is moler regular?

No. moler is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: muelo, mueles, muele and muelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: molemos, moléis. 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 moler?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo molí el trigo en el molino — "Yesterday, I ground the wheat in the mill". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo molía las especias para la cena — "As a child, I used to grind the spices for dinner". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he molido el trigo en el molino — "Today, I have ground the wheat in the mill".

What is the difference between moler and triturar?

Triturar is to crush or shred something into pieces. Moler is to grind it into powder or small grains, as with coffee or wheat. Moler means to grind: moler el café, moler el trigo. The stem changes o to ue in the present, so it is muelo, mueles, muele — never molo.

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