Demandar Conjugation in Spanish

demandar is the Spanish verb for «to sue, to demand». As a regular -ar verb verb it follows the -ar endings, and the tables on this page list every form so you never have to guess. You will find the present, the past tenses, the future, the conditional, the perfect tenses, the subjunctive and the imperative, each with a short note on when to use it. Start with the present tense: «Yo demando todos los días» — I sue every day. Then work down the page tense by tense, and finish with the quiz.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: demandar
  • English: to sue, to demand
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: demandando
  • Past participle: demandado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + demandado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for demandar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for demandar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Gerund: demandando · Past participle: demandado

Present Indicative

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

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For demandar, the yo form is demando, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo demandé
tú demandaste
él/ella/Ud. demandó
nosotros/as demandamos
vosotros/as demandasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. demandaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo demandé» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo demandaba
tú demandabas
él/ella/Ud. demandaba
nosotros/as demandábamos
vosotros/as demandabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. demandaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo demandaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo demandaré
tú demandarás
él/ella/Ud. demandará
nosotros/as demandaremos
vosotros/as demandaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. demandarán

The future tense states what will happen. For demandar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo demandaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo demandaría
tú demandarías
él/ella/Ud. demandaría
nosotros/as demandaríamos
vosotros/as demandaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. demandarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo demandaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he demandado
tú has demandado
él/ella/Ud. ha demandado
nosotros/as hemos demandado
vosotros/as habéis demandado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han demandado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he demandado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había demandado
tú habías demandado
él/ella/Ud. había demandado
nosotros/as habíamos demandado
vosotros/as habíais demandado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían demandado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había demandado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré demandado
tú habrás demandado
él/ella/Ud. habrá demandado
nosotros/as habremos demandado
vosotros/as habréis demandado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán demandado

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré demandado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría demandado
tú habrías demandado
él/ella/Ud. habría demandado
nosotros/as habríamos demandado
vosotros/as habríais demandado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían demandado

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría demandado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo demande
tú demandes
él/ella/Ud. demande
nosotros/as demandemos
vosotros/as demandéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. demanden

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él demande». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo demandara
tú demandaras
él/ella/Ud. demandara
nosotros/as demandáramos
vosotros/as demandarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. demandaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él demandara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú demanda
él/ella/Ud. demande
nosotros/as demandemos
vosotros/as demandad
ellos/ellas/Uds. demanden

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡demanda!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú demandes
él/ella/Ud. demande
nosotros/as demandemos
vosotros/as demandéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. demanden

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No demandes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo demando todos los días. — I sue every day.
  2. Ayer yo demandé por la tarde. — Yesterday I sued in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo demandaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to sue every day.
  4. Mañana yo demandaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will sue without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo demandaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would sue right now.
  6. Hoy yo he demandado dos veces. — Today I have sued twice.
  7. Espero que tú demandes pronto. — I hope You sue soon.
  8. Si yo demandara, todo sería distinto. — If I sued, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy demandando. — Right now I am suing.
  10. ¡demanda, por favor! — Sue, please!

Common mistakes

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

Test yourself on the forms above. 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) demandaste
- (b) demandó
- (c) demandé
- (d) demandasteis

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

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

4. What is the yo form of demandar in the future?

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

5. What is the tú form of demandar in the conditional?

- (a) demandarías
- (b) demandaríamos
- (c) demandaría
- (d) demandaría

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

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

7. What is the nosotros/as form of demandar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) demandes
- (b) demandemos
- (c) demande
- (d) demande

8. What is the vosotros/as form of demandar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) demandarais
- (b) demandara
- (c) demandaras
- (d) demandara

9. What is the gerund of demandar?

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

10. What is the past participle of demandar?

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

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. (d) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of demandar is demandaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the future, the yo form of demandar is demandaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the tú form of demandar is demandarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of demandar is ha demandado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of demandar is demandemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of demandar is demandarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (d) — The gerund of demandar is demandando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy demandando». 10. (c) — The past participle of demandar is demandado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he demandado».

Frequently asked questions

Is demandar regular or irregular?

Yes — demandar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem demand unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of demandar?

The gerund is demandando and the past participle is demandado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy demandando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he demandado»).

How do I say «I sue» in Spanish?

Say «Yo demando todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of demandar?

Use the preterite (demandé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (demandaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo demandé» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo demandaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with demandar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú demandes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use demandar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he demandado». The participle demandado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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