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How to Say "to interfere" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “to interfere” is “interferir” — use 'interferir' when you want to express the idea of getting involved or disrupting someone else's plans or decisions in a general sense..

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interferir

/een-tehr-feh-REER//inteɾfeˈɾiɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'interferir' when you want to express the idea of getting involved or disrupting someone else's plans or decisions in a general sense.
A person placing their hand over a puzzle that two other people are trying to complete together.

Examples

No quiero interferir en tus decisiones personales.

I don't want to interfere in your personal decisions.

Mi trabajo nuevo interfiere con mis clases de la tarde.

My new job clashes with my afternoon classes.

Deja de interferir; ellos pueden resolverlo solos.

Stop meddling; they can solve it themselves.

The 'E' to 'IE' Change

For most present tense forms, the middle 'e' changes to 'ie' when you stress it (e.g., Yo interfiero). It stays 'e' when you don't stress that part (e.g., Nosotros interferimos).

Preposition 'En'

When talking about getting involved in a situation or someone's life, you almost always use the word 'en' after interferir.

Using 'Con' instead of 'En'

Mistake: “No quiero interferir con tu vida.”

Correction: No quiero interferir en tu vida. While 'con' is used for signals or schedules, 'en' is the standard for personal/social interference.

meterse

meh-TEHR-seh/meˈteɾ.se/

verbB2general
Use 'meterse' (reflexive) to specifically talk about meddling or getting involved in someone else's personal business or affairs, often with a negative connotation.
An illustration showing a third person intruding physically into a private conversation between two other people.

Examples

No te metas en mis asuntos, por favor.

Don't interfere in my business, please.

Siempre se mete en discusiones que no le corresponden.

He always gets involved in arguments that don't concern him.

Use with 'en'

When 'meterse' means 'to interfere,' it is almost always followed by the preposition 'en' (in/into): 'meterse en algo' (to get into something).

meterme

/meh-TEHR-meh//meˈteɾme/

verbB1general
Use 'meterme' (the first-person singular form of 'meterse') when you are the one choosing not to get involved or meddle in another person's business.
A third person steps between two people who appear to be arguing, illustrating the act of getting involved or intervening in a situation.

Examples

No es mi asunto, así que prefiero no meterme.

It's not my business, so I prefer not to get involved.

Si vas a meterme en tus planes, avísame con tiempo.

If you are going to involve me in your plans, let me know ahead of time.

Estaba pensando en meterme a estudiar diseño gráfico.

I was thinking about starting to study graphic design. (Literally: 'getting myself into studying...')

Using 'en' for Involvement

When 'meterme' means 'to get involved,' it almost always needs the preposition 'en' (in/into) to indicate the situation or problem you are entering: 'meterme en un debate.'

Using 'con' instead of 'en'

Mistake: “No quiero meterme con ese tema.”

Correction: Use 'No quiero meterme en ese tema.' The preposition 'en' is required to signify entering a topic or situation. 'Meterse con' means 'to mess with' or 'to pick a fight with'.

meterte

meh-TEHR-teh/meˈteɾte/

verbB2informal
Use 'meterte' (the second-person singular informal form of 'meterse') when telling someone directly not to interfere or get involved in something that doesn't concern them.
An illustration showing two characters concentrating on stacking wooden blocks, while a third character rudely pushes their hand into the stack, causing it to fall.

Examples

¡No es tu problema! No tienes por qué meterte.

It's not your problem! You don't have to interfere.

Si sigues mintiendo, vas a meterte en un lío enorme.

If you keep lying, you are going to get yourself into a huge mess (trouble).

Negative Commands

The negative command for 'tú' is 'No te metas' (Don't interfere), where the pronoun 'te' moves before the verb, and the verb changes to the special form used for wishes and commands (subjunctive).

Choosing between 'interferir' and 'meterse'

The most common mistake is using 'interferir' when the context clearly implies meddling or intruding into personal affairs. 'Meterse' (and its forms like 'meterte'/'meterme') is generally preferred for situations where someone is being nosy or getting involved where they shouldn't.

Related Translations

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