refería
“refería” means “was referring” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
was referring, used to refer
Also: meant
📝 In Action
Ella siempre se refería a su abuela como 'la jefa'.
B1She always referred to her grandmother as 'the boss'.
¿A qué hora refería él el informe a la junta?
B2At what time was he referring the report to the board?
Cuando me refería a 'el otro día', hablaba de la semana pasada.
B1When I was referring to 'the other day,' I was talking about last week.
was relating
Also: used to recount
📝 In Action
El cronista refería las batallas en su diario personal.
B2The chronicler used to recount the battles in his personal diary.
La anciana refería las leyendas de su pueblo con una voz dulce.
C1The old woman was relating the legends of her town with a sweet voice.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "refería" in Spanish:
was referring→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: refería
Question 1 of 2
Which of these situations requires the use of 'refería' (imperfect tense) rather than 'refirió' (preterite tense)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb *referre*, which is formed by combining *re-* (meaning 'back' or 'again') and *ferre* (meaning 'to carry' or 'to bring'). It literally meant 'to bring back' information or a report.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'refería' used for 'I,' 'he,' 'she,' or 'they'?
'Refería' is the same form for the first person singular (yo - I), the third person singular (él/ella/usted - he/she/you formal), and the third person plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes - they/you plural formal) in the imperfect indicative tense. You need the context or the pronoun to know who is doing the action.
What is the most common way to use 'referir'?
The most common way is the reflexive form, 'referirse a' (to refer to). For example: 'Me refería a la reunión de ayer' (I was referring to yesterday's meeting).