Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.
Quick answer
Exigir stresses authority or insistence; requerer stresses necessity or a formal request.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
exigir
to demand or insist on
Use exigir for imposing a condition firmly or claiming something as a right.
requerer
to require or formally request
Use requerer for a condition being necessary, or an application being submitted through a formal process.
How to choose
- exigir: Choose exigir if the sentence points to imposing a condition firmly or claiming something as a right.
- requerer: Choose requerer if the sentence points to a condition being necessary, or an application being submitted through a formal process.
Examples
Os moradores exigiram uma resposta.
The residents demanded an answer.
O cargo requer experiência prévia.
The position requires previous experience.
Common trap
A task requer skill without demanding anything emotionally. A person exige action when applying pressure.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with exigir, then once with requerer. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.