referir Present Conjugation
referir — to refer
Referir is an e > ie stem-changing verb, except for the nosotros and vosotros forms.
referir Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use this to talk about what something relates to or what someone is mentioning right now.
Notes on referir in the Present
The 'e' in the stem changes to 'ie' in all forms except nosotros (referimos) and vosotros (referís).
Example Sentences
Yo me refiero a la página cinco.
I am referring to page five.
yo
¿A qué te refieres con eso?
What do you mean by that? (To what do you refer?)
tú
Nosotros nos referimos a la misma persona.
We are referring to the same person.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'yo refero'.
Correct: yo refiero
Why: Referir is a stem-changing verb where the 'e' splits into 'ie' when stressed.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'referir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
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).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: refiriera
The stem changes to 'refiri-' for all persons in this past-tense hypothetical form.
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'.