Inklingo

molestó

mo-les-TOHmolesˈto

molestó means bothered in Spanish (annoyed or troubled someone).

botheredAlso: disturbed, upset

VerbA2regular ar
A person trying to read a book while a buzzing mosquito flies around their head, causing them to look frustrated.
gerundmolestando
past Participlemolestado
infinitivemolestar

📝 In Action

El ruido de la calle le molestó mucho.

A2

The street noise bothered him a lot.

Le molestó que no llamaras.

B1

It bothered her that you didn't call.

La luz brillante nos molestó durante la película.

A2

The bright light disturbed us during the movie.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • le molestó la actitudthe attitude bothered him/her
  • le molestó el humothe smoke bothered him/her

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yomolestara
molestaras
él/ella/ustedmolestara
nosotrosmolestáramos
vosotrosmolestarais
ellos/ellas/ustedesmolestaran

Present Subjunctive

yomoleste
molestes
él/ella/ustedmoleste
nosotrosmolestemos
vosotrosmolestéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesmolesten

Indicative

Preterite

yomolesté
molestaste
él/ella/ustedmolestó
nosotrosmolestamos
vosotrosmolestasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesmolestaron

Imperfect

yomolestaba
molestabas
él/ella/ustedmolestaba
nosotrosmolestábamos
vosotrosmolestabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesmolestaban

Present

yomolesto
molestas
él/ella/ustedmolesta
nosotrosmolestamos
vosotrosmolestáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesmolestan

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: molestó

Question 1 of 1

If you say 'La luz le molestó', what happened?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

From the Latin word 'molestare', which comes from 'moles' meaning a mass or a burden. Think of it as putting a weight or burden on someone.

First recorded: 13th Century

Cognates (Related words)

French: moleser

💡 Master Spanish

Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'molestó' mean something sexual?

Generally, no. In 99% of daily Spanish, it simply means 'bothered,' 'annoyed,' or 'pestered.' While it can describe harassment in legal contexts, its common meaning is very mild.

How do I pronounce the ending?

The accent on the 'ó' means you should say it with more force and a higher pitch, almost like a short 'OH!' at the end: mo-les-TOH.