Demandar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

demandar means to sue, to demand, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo demando todos los días» — I sue every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use demandar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Demandar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where demandar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo demando todos los días. — I sue every day.
  2. Tú demandas en el trabajo. — You sue at work.
  3. Él demanda con mi familia. — He sues with my family.
  4. Nosotros demandamos por la mañana. — We sue in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo demandé por la tarde. — Yesterday I sued in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo demandaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to sue every day.
  3. La semana pasada él demandó dos veces. — Last week He sued twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo demandaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will sue without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo demandaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would sue right now.
  3. Hoy yo he demandado dos veces. — Today I have sued twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú demandes pronto. — I hope You sue soon.
  2. ¡demanda, por favor! — Sue, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy demandando. — Right now I am suing.

Demandar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo demando en el trabajo.» — I sue at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo demando con mi familia.» — I sue with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo demandaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will sue without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo demandaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would sue right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he demandado dos veces.» — Today I have sued twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo demandé por la tarde. Antes, yo demandaba todos los días. Hoy yo he demandado dos veces. Mañana yo demandaré sin falta.

Yesterday I sued in the afternoon. In the past, I used to sue every day. Today I have sued twice. Tomorrow I will sue without fail.

Common mistakes with demandar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo demandaba.

Right: Ayer yo demandé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, demandé. The imperfect demandaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú demandas.

Right: Espero que tú demandes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: demandes, not the indicative demandas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No demanda.

Right: No demandes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no demandes. The affirmative demanda can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo demandar todos los días.

Right: Yo demando todos los días.

The infinitive demandar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo demando.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He demandando.

Right: He demandado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he demandado. The gerund demandando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy demandando»), never with haber.

Quiz: demandar in use

Test yourself on demandar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of demandar in the present indicative?

- (a) demandas
- (b) demanda
- (c) demandamos
- (d) demando

2. What is the vosotros/as form of demandar in the preterite?

- (a) demandó
- (b) demandaste
- (c) demandé
- (d) demandasteis

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of demandar in the future?

- (a) demandarás
- (b) demandarán
- (c) demandará
- (d) demandaré

4. What is the yo form of demandar in the present perfect?

- (a) ha demandado
- (b) hemos demandado
- (c) he demandado
- (d) has demandado

5. What is the nosotros/as form of demandar in the imperfect?

- (a) demandaba
- (b) demandaba
- (c) demandabas
- (d) demandábamos

6. What is the gerund of demandar?

- (a) demandar
- (b) demandando
- (c) demando
- (d) demandado

7. What is the past participle of demandar?

- (a) demandado
- (b) demandé
- (c) demandar
- (d) demandando

8. Which sentence uses demandar correctly?

- (a) *Yo demanda todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo demandas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo demando todos los días.* — I sue every day.
- (d) *Yo demandar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses demandar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo demando por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo demandar por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo demandé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I sued in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo demandaba por la tarde.*

10. What does demandar mean?

- (a) to devote oneself to
- (b) to depend
- (c) to sue, to demand
- (d) to betray

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of demandar is demandamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of demandar is demandasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the future, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of demandar is demandarán. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present perfect, the yo form of demandar is he demandado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of demandar is demandábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — The gerund of demandar is demandando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy demandando». 7. (a) — The past participle of demandar is demandado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he demandado». 8. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of demandar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of demandar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (c) — demandar means «to sue, to demand».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I sue' in Spanish?

Say «Yo demando todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I sued' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo demandé por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is demandar reflexive?

No — demandar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo demando, tú demandas, él demanda. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with demandar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (demandé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (demandaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

Related pages