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referir Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation

referir — to refer

B1irregular (stem-changing) -ir★★★★
Quick answer:

The stem changes to 'refiri-' for all persons in this past-tense hypothetical form.

referir Imperfect Subjunctive Forms

yorefiriera
túrefirieras
él/ella/ustedrefiriera
nosotrosrefiriéramos
vosotrosrefirierais
ellos/ellas/ustedesrefirieran

When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

Use this for 'if' clauses (hypotheticals) or when you wanted someone to refer to something in the past.

Notes on referir in the Imperfect Subjunctive

All forms use the 'i' stem (refiri-) derived from the 3rd person plural of the preterite.

Example Sentences

  • Si yo me refiriera a ti, te lo diría directamente.

    If I were referring to you, I would tell you directly.

    yo

  • Me pidió que no me refiriera más al incidente.

    He asked me not to refer to the incident anymore.

    yo

  • Si ellos se refirieran al contrato, verían el error.

    If they referred to the contract, they would see the error.

    ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: Using 'referiera' with an 'e'.

    Correct: refiriera

    Why: This tense always follows the stem change found in the preterite 'ellos' form (refirieron).

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Related Tenses

Present

yo: refiero

Referir is an e > ie stem-changing verb, except for the nosotros and vosotros forms.

Preterite

yo: referí

Referir is mostly regular but has a 'slipper' stem change (e > i) in the third-person forms.

Imperfect

yo: refería

Referir is completely regular in the imperfect: refería, referías, refería...

Future

yo: referiré

Referir is completely regular in the future tense: infinitive + endings.

Conditional

yo: referiría

Referir is regular in the conditional: infinitive + -ía, -ías, -ía...

Present Subjunctive

yo: refiera

Referir has a stem change (e > ie) and a special change in the nosotros/vosotros forms (e > i).

Affirmative Imperative

yo: refiere

The imperative uses the e > ie stem change for 'tú' and 'usted', but 'i' for 'nosotros'.

Negative Imperative

yo: no refieras

The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.