richiedere

Richiedere is an Italian verb that means to request or to require. It can express asking for something (richiedere qualcosa) and, in a more formal or official sense, to impose a requirement or condition (richiedere una procedura, una norma). The verb can also govern a subordinate clause with che, where the following verb is in the subjunctive: la legge richiede che i documenti siano presentati.

Etymology and usage notes. Richiedere derives from the Latin requirere, meaning to seek again or to demand. In everyday language it often appears in formal or administrative contexts, where it carries a sense of obligation or necessity beyond a mere request. It can be used transitively with a direct object, or with di + infinitive to indicate what is needed to perform an action (richiedere di fare qualcosa).

Constructions and examples. With a direct object: Questo lavoro richiede esperienza; La procedura richiede la compilazione di un modulo. With di + infinito: La legge richiede di pagare entro il mese. With che + congiuntivo: La normativa richiede che tutti presentino la documentazione. The noun form is la richiesta, meaning a request or a demand, and il richiedente, meaning the applicant or requester.

Conjugation and participation. The verb is regular in its participle form: participato passato is richiesto. Present tense forms include io richiedo, tu chiedi, lui/lei richiede, noi richiediamo, voi richiedete, loro richiedono. The gerund is richiedendo, and the participle can function as an adjective in contexts like “documento richiesto.” Richiedere shares semantic ground with chiedere, but tends to be more formal and often signals necessity or official requirement.