Molestar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
molestar means "to bother, to annoy" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows molestar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of molestar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with molestar
Something bothers you
Molestar usually works like gustar: me molesta el ruido means the noise bothers me. The annoying thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me molesta el ruido del vecino. — "Every day, the neighbour's noise bothers me."
- Hoy, le molesta la luz fuerte. — "Today, the bright light bothers him."
- Ayer, me molestaron las preguntas repetidas. — "Yesterday, repeated questions bothered me."
- Antes, me molestaba el humo del tabaco. — "Before, cigarette smoke used to bother me."
- Mañana, me molestará el ruido del vecino. — "Tomorrow, the neighbour's noise will bother me."
- Hoy, me ha molestado la luz fuerte. — "Today, the bright light has bothered me."
Disturbing someone
Molestar can also mean to disturb someone on purpose: no me molestes means do not disturb me. The famous hotel sign 'no molestar' comes from this use.
- Cada día, me molestan las preguntas repetidas. — "Every day, repeated questions bother me."
- Hoy, le molesta el humo del tabaco. — "Today, cigarette smoke bothers him."
- Ayer, me molestó el ruido del vecino. — "Yesterday, the neighbour's noise bothered me."
- Antes, me molestaba la luz fuerte. — "Before, the bright light used to bother me."
- Mañana, me molestarán las preguntas repetidas. — "Tomorrow, repeated questions will bother me."
- Hoy, me ha molestado el humo del tabaco. — "Today, cigarette smoke has bothered me."
Molestar in conversation
The two dialogues below show molestar in natural conversation. The first is about something bothers you, and the second is about disturbing someone. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te molesta el ruido del vecino? — "Does the neighbour's noise bother you?"
- Sí, me molesta el ruido del vecino mucho. — "The neighbour's noise bothers me a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te molestó la luz fuerte? — "And yesterday? Did the bright light bothered you?"
- Sí, ayer me molestó la luz fuerte mucho. — "Yesterday, the bright light bothered me a lot."
- Mañana me molestarán las preguntas repetidas también. — "Tomorrow, repeated questions will bother me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os molestan las preguntas repetidas? — "Does repeated questions bother you?"
- Sí, nos molestan las preguntas repetidas mucho. — "Repeated questions bother us a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les molesta el humo del tabaco? — "And them? Does cigarette smoke bother them?"
- Sí, les molesta el humo del tabaco también. — "Cigarette smoke bothers them. too."
- Mañana nos molestarán las preguntas repetidas otra vez. — "Tomorrow, repeated questions will bother us. again."
Common mistakes with molestar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo molesto el ruido.
- Right: Me molesta el ruido.
- Why: When something bothers you, molestar works like gustar: me molesta el ruido. Yo molesto would mean I bother someone.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me molesta las preguntas.
- Right: Me molestan las preguntas.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las preguntas is plural, so the verb must be molestan.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Molestar es lo mismo que enojar.
- Right: Molestar means to bother; enojar means to make angry.
- Why: Molestar is a mild irritation. Enojar is stronger: it makes you angry. You can estar molesto without estar enojado.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me molestó el ruido del vecino.
- Right: Cada día, me molesta el ruido del vecino.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo molesto el ruido del vecino.
- Right: Me molesta el ruido del vecino.
- Why: Molestar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: molestar in use
Ten questions on molestar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of molestar in the present tense?
- (a) le molesta
- (b) nos molesta
- (c) me molesta
- (d) te molesta
Answer: (c) me molesta. The i form in the present is me molesta.
2. What is the he / she form of molestar in the present tense?
- (a) nos molesta
- (b) le molesta
- (c) me molesta
- (d) te molesta
Answer: (b) le molesta. The he / she form in the present is le molesta.
3. What is the he / she form of molestar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le molestó
- (b) me molestó
- (c) te molestó
- (d) nos molestó
Answer: (a) le molestó. The he / she form in the preterite is le molestó.
4. What is the i form of molestar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me molesta
- (b) me molestó
- (c) me molestará
- (d) me molestaba
Answer: (d) me molestaba. The i form in the imperfect is me molestaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of molestar in the future tense?
- (a) le molestará
- (b) nos molestará
- (c) me molestará
- (d) te molestará
Answer: (c) me molestará. The i form in the future is me molestará.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) molesté
- (b) molestaba
- (c) molesto
- (d) he molestado
Answer: (d) he molestado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he molestado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ el ruido del vecino.
- (a) molestaba
- (b) moleste
- (c) molesta
- (d) molestó
Answer: (b) moleste. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te moleste. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of molestar in the present tense?
- (a) me molesta
- (b) te molesta
- (c) le molesta
- (d) nos molesta
Answer: (d) nos molesta. The we form in the present is nos molesta.
9. What is the i form of molestar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le molestó
- (b) nos molestó
- (c) me molestó
- (d) te molestó
Answer: (c) me molestó. The i form in the preterite is me molestó.
10. What is the they form of molestar in the present tense?
- (a) le molesta
- (b) les molesta
- (c) me molesta
- (d) te molesta
Answer: (b) les molesta. The they form in the present is les molesta.
Frequently asked questions about molestar
Why is it 'me molesta' and not 'yo molesto'?
Because molestar usually works like gustar. The annoying thing is the subject and you are the indirect object: me molesta el ruido, me molestan las preguntas.
What does 'no molestar' mean?
It means 'do not disturb'. You see it on hotel doors, on office doors and in messages when someone needs quiet.
Is molestar regular?
Yes. Molestar is a regular -ar verb: molesto, molestaste, molestaba, molestaré. The difficulty is the sentence structure, not the forms.
How can I practise molestar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.