Requerir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

requerir means "to require" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Requerir is a formal verb meaning to require: el trabajo requiere paciencia, el trámite requiere una firma. It is common in job adverts and official documents. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of requerir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the requerir present tense page.

requerir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo requiero mucha paciencia — "I require a lot of patience"
  2. Mi amigo requiere una firma del director — "My friend requires the director's signature"
  3. Mañana, tú requerirás atención inmediata — "Tomorrow, you will require immediate attention"
  4. Yo requeriría dos años de experiencia si pudiera — "I would require two years of experience if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo requerí mucha paciencia — "Yesterday, I required a lot of patience"
  2. Antes, nosotros requeríamos una firma del director — "Before, we used to require the director's signature"
  3. Él ha requerido atención inmediata — "He has required immediate attention"
  4. Yo ya había requerido dos años de experiencia antes de salir — "I already had required two years of experience before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él requiera mucha paciencia — "I hope he requires a lot of patience"
  2. Si yo requiriera una firma del director, todo cambiaría — "If I required the director's signature, everything would change"
  3. Requiere atención inmediata. — "Require immediate attention."
  4. Yo habría requerido dos años de experiencia con más tiempo — "I would have required two years of experience with more time"

requerir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use requerir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo requiero mucha paciencia — "I require a lot of patience"
  • Marcos: Él requiere una firma del director — "He requires the director's signature"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo requerí atención inmediata — "Yesterday, I required immediate attention"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú requerirás dos años de experiencia — "Tomorrow, you will require two years of experience"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Requiere un permiso especial. — "Require a special permit."
  • Lucía: Él ha requerido mucha paciencia — "He has required a lot of patience"
  • Marcos: Espero que él requiera una firma del director — "I hope he requires the director's signature"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo requería atención inmediata — "Before, I used to require immediate attention"

Common mistakes with requerir

The errors learners actually make with requerir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo requero dos años de experiencia.

✓ Correct: Yo requiero dos años de experiencia.

requerir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is requiero, not requero.

✗ *Espero que él requiere dos años de experiencia

✓ Correct: Espero que él requiera dos años de experiencia

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él requiera dos años de experiencia — not the indicative Espero que él requiere dos años de experiencia.

✗ *Ayer, yo requiero un permiso especial

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo requerí un permiso especial

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo requerí un permiso especial.

✗ *De niño, yo requerí mucha paciencia todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo requería mucha paciencia todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo requería mucha paciencia todos los días.

✗ *Yo requiero en atención inmediata.

✓ Correct: Yo requiero atención inmediata.

requerir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo requiero atención inmediata.

Quiz: requerir in use

Ten questions on requerir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ mucha paciencia — "I require a lot of patience" (present) A. requiero B. requieres C. requiere D. requerimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ una firma del director — "Yesterday, I required the director's signature" (preterite) A. requirió B. requerimos C. requerí D. requeriste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ atención inmediata — "Before, we used to require immediate attention" (imperfect) A. requeríais B. requeríamos C. requería D. requerías

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ dos años de experiencia — "Tomorrow, you will require two years of experience" (future) A. requerirá B. requeriremos C. requerirás D. requeriré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un permiso especial — "I would require a special permit" (conditional) A. requeriría B. requerirías C. requeriríamos D. requeriríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ mucha paciencia — "He has required a lot of patience" (present perfect) A. has requerido B. hemos requerido C. ha requerido D. he requerido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ una firma del director — "I hope he requires the director's signature" (present subjunctive) A. requiera B. requieras C. requiramos D. requiráis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ atención inmediata. — "Require immediate attention." (affirmative imperative) A. requerid B. requiere C. requiera D. requiramos

  9. Which is the gerund of requerir, used with estar for the progressive? A. requerido B. requiero C. requerí D. requiriendo

  10. What does requerir mean in English? A. to cross B. to require C. to need D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. requiero — The present form for yo is requiero.
  2. requerí — The preterite form for yo is requerí.
  3. requeríamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is requeríamos.
  4. requerirás — The future form for tú is requerirás.
  5. requeriría — The conditional form for yo is requeriría.
  6. ha requerido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha requerido.
  7. requiera — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is requiera.
  8. requiere — The affirmative imperative form is requiere.
  9. requiriendo — The gerund of requerir is requiriendo: estoy requiriendo. The participle requerido is used with haber instead.
  10. to require — requerir means to require.

Frequently asked questions

What does requerir mean in English?

requerir means to require. For example: Yo requiero mucha paciencia — "I require a lot of patience". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with requerir?

requerir takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is requerir regular?

No. requerir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: requiero, requieres, requiere and requieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: requerimos, requerís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: requirió, requirieron, and the gerund is requiriendo.

How do I practise requerir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

Related links