molestar Imperfect Conjugation
molestar — to bother
The imperfect of molestar follows the standard -aba pattern: molestaba, molestabas, molestaba, molestábamos, molestabais, molestaban.
molestar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe a persistent annoyance in the past or a habit of bothering someone. It’s perfect for saying 'my brother used to bother me when we were kids.'
Notes on molestar in the Imperfect
Molestar is regular in the imperfect. The only accent is on the 'á' in the nosotros form (molestábamos).
Example Sentences
De niño, mi hermano siempre me molestaba.
As a child, my brother always used to bother me.
él/ella/usted
Ustedes molestaban a los profesores en la escuela.
You guys used to annoy the teachers at school.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Tú me molestabas cuando yo intentaba estudiar.
You were bothering me when I was trying to study.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: molestabamos
Correct: molestábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require a written accent on the 'á' for the nosotros form.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'molestar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: molesto
Molestar is regular in the present: molesto, molestas, molesta, molestamos, molestáis, molestan.
Preterite
yo: molesté
The preterite of molestar is regular: molesté, molestaste, molestó, molestamos, molestasteis, molestaron.
Future
yo: molestaré
The future of molestar adds endings to the infinitive: molestaré, molestarás, molestará, molestaremos, molestaréis, molestarán.
Conditional
yo: molestaría
The conditional of molestar uses the infinitive plus -ía endings: molestaría, molestarías, molestaría, molestaríamos, molestaríais, molestaría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: moleste
The present subjunctive of molestar swaps -ar for -e endings: moleste, molestes, moleste, molestemos, molestéis, molesten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: molestara
The imperfect subjunctive of molestar uses the 'molestara' endings: molestara, molestaras, molestara, molestáramos, molestarais, molestaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: molesta
The imperative of molestar provides direct commands: molesta (tú), moleste (usted), molestad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no molestes
The negative imperative of molestar uses the present subjunctive: no molestes, no moleste, no molestemos, no molestéis, no molesten.