exigir

Exigir means to demand, to require, or to insist on — a forceful verb that lives in the territory of rights, obligations, ultimatums, and high standards. Conjugation-wise, it is a regular -ir verb everywhere except for the -gir > -j- spelling change that affects every form where the ending begins with -a- or -o- (the yo form exijo, and the entire present subjunctive exija, exijas..., plus the usted/ustedes/nosotros imperatives). That swap is purely orthographic: g before e/i is /x/ (Spanish j), but g before a/o/u is /g/, so to preserve the /x/ sound across the paradigm the spelling has to change to j.

The same rule governs dirigir, corregir, elegir, fingir, surgir, rugir, afligir, infligir, regir, and erigir. Once you have exigir, you have an entire family of verbs.

Beyond conjugation, exigir is also a key subjunctive trigger. When you exigir que someone do something, the verb in the subordinate clause must go into the subjunctive — because you are demanding an action that has not yet happened and is not a fact, but rather a desired outcome you are trying to impose on someone else. This is the same logic that drives querer que, pedir que, mandar que, and the rest of the "verbs of influence" family.

Non-finite forms

The gerund is exigiendo, not exijendo — the spelling change only applies before -a- and -o-. Before -e- or -i- (as in -iendo), the g keeps its natural /x/ sound and needs no change.

Indicative — simple tenses

Presente

The yo form is the only place in the present indicative where the spelling change shows up, because exijo is the only form whose personal ending starts with -o-. Everywhere else the ending starts with -e- or -i-, where g already sounds like /x/ on its own.

Pretérito perfecto simple

No spelling change in the preterite — every ending begins with -i-.

Pretérito imperfecto

Futuro simple

Condicional

Indicative — compound tenses

All compound tenses pair haber with the regular participle exigido.

Pretérito perfecto compuesto

Pretérito pluscuamperfecto

Futuro compuesto

Condicional compuesto

Subjunctive — simple tenses

Presente de subjuntivo

The whole subjunctive paradigm carries the j, because every ending begins with -a-. This is by far the most visible spot for the spelling change, and the form learners use most when exigir appears as a subjunctive trigger in main clauses (Exigen que exijamos...).

Imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se)

No spelling change in the imperfect subjunctive — endings start with -ie-. The -ra set dominates in Spain; the -se set survives in formal writing.

Subjunctive — compound tenses

Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo

Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo

Imperative

The spelling change appears in every imperative form whose ending starts with -a-: exija (Ud.), exijan (Vds.), exijamos (nosotros), and the negative no exijas, no exija, no exijamos, no exijáis, no exijan. The tú and vosotros affirmative forms keep the g (exige, exigid) because their endings start with -e- or -i-.

Subjunctive triggering: exigir que + subjunctive

When exigir introduces a subordinate que clause with a different subject, the verb in that clause must be subjunctive. This is the heart of why exigir matters for grammar learners: it is one of the clearest "verbs of influence" in Spanish, and it never tolerates an indicative.

• Exijo que vengas inmediatamente. — I demand that you come immediately. (Not Exijo que vienes.)
• El profesor exigía que entregáramos el trabajo a mano. — The teacher required us to hand in the assignment by hand.
• El reglamento exige que los estudiantes lleven uniforme. — The regulations require students to wear uniform.

The logic is the standard subjunctive logic: you are demanding an action that has not yet happened and is not a fact — it is something you want to impose on another subject. That hypothetical, want-driven quality is exactly what the subjunctive marks.

When the subject of exigir and the subject of the demanded action are the same, you skip the que clause and use an infinitive: Exijo cobrar más (I demand to earn more) — not Exijo que cobre más.

Meanings beyond "to demand"

The "to require" sense is everywhere in Spanish job ads and academic descriptions: Se exige experiencia previa (Previous experience required), Se exige titulación universitaria (A university degree is required). The impersonal passive se exige in this context is its own mini-construction worth learning by heart.

High-frequency collocations from peninsular Spanish

The classic English-speaker error

English demand takes an object directly (I demand an answer), but in subordinate clauses it can take either an indicative (I demand that he comes — colloquial) or a subjunctive that looks identical to the bare infinitive (I demand that he come — formal). Because the English subjunctive is barely visible, English speakers reflexively use the indicative in Spanish after exigir que. This is wrong and ungrammatical in Spanish.

• Exijo que vengas. — I demand that you come. (vengas, subjunctive — not vienes.)
• Exigía que entregáramos a tiempo. — She required us to hand in on time. (entregáramos, imperfect subjunctive — not entregábamos.)
• Han exigido que se publique la verdad. — They've demanded that the truth be published. (se publique, subjunctive — not se publica.)

The rule has zero exceptions: exigir que always takes a subjunctive in the subordinate clause.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Exigir is a regular -ir verb with one orthographic quirk: g > j before any ending starting with -a- or -o-. That gives you exijo (present yo), exija/exijas/... (full present subjunctive), and exija/exijan/exijamos/no exijas/no exijáis (imperatives).
• The gerund is exigiendo (no change before -ie-); the participle is exigido.
• Exigir que always triggers the subjunctive in the subordinate clause — no exceptions.
• When the subject is the same on both sides, use exigir
  • infinitive instead of que
    • subjunctive: Exijo cobrar más, not Exijo que cobre más.
• The impersonal se exige construction is everywhere in Spanish job ads and rules: Se exige titulación universitaria.
• Common collocations in Spain: exigir responsabilidades, exigir la dimisión, exigir explicaciones, exigirse mucho a uno mismo.