Demandar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of demandar — «to sue, to demand» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. demandar is a regular -ar verb verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Yo demando todos los días» — I sue every day.

Demandar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo demando
tú demandas
él/ella/Ud. demanda
nosotros/as demandamos
vosotros/as demandáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. demandan

Gerund: demandando · Past participle: demandado

How the present tense of demandar is formed

Take the stem demand — the infinitive demandar without its -ar ending — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo demand -o demando
tú demand -as demandas
él/ella/Ud. demand -a demanda
nosotros/as demand -amos demandamos
vosotros/as demand -áis demandáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. demand -an demandan

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know demando, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of demandar

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Yo demando todos los días. — I sue every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Él demanda con mi familia. — He sues with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund demandando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros demandamos por la mañana. — We sue in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Tú demandas en el trabajo. — You sue at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Ellos demandan a veces. — They sue sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Yo demando todos los días. — I sue every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo demandé por la tarde. — Yesterday I sued in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Él demanda por la mañana. — He sues in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él demandó por la tarde. — Yesterday He sued in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros demandamos con mi familia. — We sue with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros demandamos dos veces. — Last week We sued twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: demandar in the present

  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.
  5. Vosotros demandáis cuando hay tiempo. — You sue when there is time.
  6. Ellos demandan a veces. — They sue sometimes.
  7. Yo demando en el trabajo. — I sue at work.
  8. Él demanda todos los días. — He sues every day.

Common mistakes with demandar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros demandais.

Right: Vosotros demandáis.

The vosotros form demandáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

2. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo demando.

Right: Ayer yo demandé.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present demando talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs demandé.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos demando.

Right: Ellos demandan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take demandan, not the yo form demando. The -n ending on demandan is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy demando.

Right: Estoy demandando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy demandando. The conjugated present demando never follows estar.

Quiz: demandar in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of demandar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. What is the tú form of demandar in the present indicative?

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

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of demandar in the present indicative?

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

7. What is the gerund of demandar?

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

8. What is the past participle of demandar?

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

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of demandar is demandamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of demandar is demandáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of demandar is demandan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of demandar is demando. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of demandar is demandas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of demandar is demanda. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — The gerund of demandar is demandando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy demandando». 8. (b) — The past participle of demandar is demandado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he demandado».

Frequently asked questions

Is demandar regular in the present?

Yes — demandar is regular in the present. The stem demand never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of demandar in the present?

It is demando. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for demandar?

The present (demando) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (demandé) reports a single finished event. «Yo demando todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo demandé» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of demandar with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy demandando» means «I am suing right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo demando» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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