refiere
“refiere” means “refers to” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
refers to, relates to
Also: means
📝 In Action
La pregunta se refiere al capítulo tres del libro.
A2The question refers to chapter three of the book.
Mi jefe siempre se refiere a mí como 'el experto'.
B1My boss always refers to me as 'the expert'.
¿A qué se refiere exactamente cuando dice eso?
B1What exactly does he/she mean when saying that?
reports, recounts
Also: mentions
📝 In Action
El testigo refiere los hechos tal como los vio, sin omisiones.
B2The witness reports the facts just as he saw them, without omissions.
La crónica refiere que el rey estaba enfermo.
C1The chronicle recounts that the king was ill.
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: refiere
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses the most common meaning of 'refiere' (referring to a topic)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'referre', meaning 'to carry back' or 'to relate'. It combines the prefix 're-' (back/again) and 'ferre' (to carry/bear), emphasizing the idea of bringing information back to a topic.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'refiere' the same as 'se refiere'?
They are the same verb form, but they function differently. 'Refiere' (without 'se') means 'he/she reports' (formal). 'Se refiere' (with 'se') means 'he/she refers to' or 'it is about' (very common).
How do I know when 'referir' changes its stem?
The stem changes from 'e' to 'ie' whenever the stress falls on that syllable. This happens in most present tense conjugations (refIERO, refIEREs, refIERE, refIEREN), but not in the 'nosotros' or 'vosotros' forms (referimos, referís).