Introduction
Diferir means “to differ, to postpone”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Diferir means to differ or to postpone, and it has two uses: differing in opinion (diferir de alguien) and postponing something (diferir el pago). It is a stem-changing -ir verb, e to ie in the present and e to i in the preterite third person and the gerund: difiero, difirió, difiriendo. This page shows diferir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” — I differ from his opinion in the meeting.
Diferir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how diferir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use diferir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” — I differ from his opinion in the meeting.
“¿Difieres el pago hasta el mes que viene?” — Do you differ the payment until next month?
“Difiere mucho de su hermano.” — He/she differs a lot from his brother.
“Nosotros diferimos la decisión para mañana.” — We differ the decision until tomorrow.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show diferir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo diferí de su opinión en la reunión.” — Yesterday, I differed from his opinion in the meeting. (preterite)
“Antes, él difería el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — Before, he used to differ the payment until next month. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of diferir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros diferiremos mucho de su hermano.” — Tomorrow, we will differ a lot from his brother. (future)
“¿Tú has diferido la decisión para mañana?” — Have you differed the decision until tomorrow? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros diferís de su opinión en la reunión.” — You differ from his opinion in the meeting.
“Ellos difieren el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — They differ the payment until next month.
“Yo difiero mucho de su hermano.” — I differ a lot from his brother.
“Mi padre difiere la decisión para mañana.” — My father differs the decision until tomorrow.
Diferir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how diferir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú difieres el pago hasta el mes que viene?” — Do you differ the payment until next month?
Pedro: “Sí, yo difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” — Yes, I differ from his opinion in the meeting.
Marta: “Nosotros diferimos la decisión para mañana.” — We differ the decision until tomorrow.
Pedro: “Y ellos difieren el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — And they differ the payment until next month.
Marta: “Vosotros diferís mucho de su hermano.” — You differ a lot from his brother.
Pedro: “Sí, y él difiere de su opinión en la reunión.” — Yes, and he differs from his opinion in the meeting.
A short paragraph
Difiere de su opinión en la reunión, y nosotros diferimos la decisión para mañana. Yo difiero el pago hasta el mes que viene, y ellos difieren mucho de su hermano. Diferir is part of everyday life, because differ, to postpone is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with diferir
These are the errors learners actually make with diferir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo difiere de su opinión en la reunión.” Right: “Yo difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” Why: The person matters: difiere is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is difiero. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo difero el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Right: “Yo difiero el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Why: Diferir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
Wrong: “Treating diferir and posponer as identical in every context.” Right: “Diferir means to differ, to postpone, while posponer means to postpone.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: diferir fits sentences such as Difiero de su opinión en la reunión, while posponer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy diferido el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Right: “Yo he diferido el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he diferido, has diferido, ha diferido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo diferí mucho de su hermano todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo difería mucho de su hermano todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (difería), not the preterite. The preterite (diferí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: diferir in use
Ten questions on diferir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ de su opinión en la reunión.” (You differ from his opinion in the meeting.)
- (a) diferís
- (b) difiero
- (c) difieres
Answer: diferís — The vosotros/as form of diferir in the present tense is diferís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el pago hasta el mes que viene.” (They differ the payment until next month.)
- (a) difieres
- (b) difieren
- (c) difiero
Answer: difieren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of diferir in the present tense is difieren.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ de su opinión en la reunión.” (Yesterday I differed from his opinion in the meeting.)
- (a) diferiste
- (b) difirió
- (c) diferí
Answer: diferí — In the preterite, the yo form of diferir is diferí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ el pago hasta el mes que viene.” (Before, he used to differ the payment until next month.)
- (a) difería
- (b) difiero
- (c) diferías
Answer: difería — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of diferir is difería.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ mucho de su hermano.” (Tomorrow we will differ a lot from his brother.)
- (a) diferirás
- (b) diferiremos
- (c) diferiré
Answer: diferiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of diferir is diferiremos.
6. What does diferir mean in English?
- (a) to differ, to postpone
- (b) to give up, to desist
- (c) to postpone
Answer: to differ, to postpone — Diferir means “to differ, to postpone”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo difiere de su opinión en la reunión.
- (b) Ellos difiere el pago hasta el mes que viene.
- (c) Yo difiero de su opinión en la reunión.
Answer: Yo difiero de su opinión en la reunión. — “Yo difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I differ from his opinion in the meeting.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre difiere la decisión para mañana.
- (b) Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.
- (c) Difieren de su opinión en la reunión.
Answer: Difiero de su opinión en la reunión. — “Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of diferir in the present tense?
- (a) difiero
- (b) difieres
- (c) diferimos
Answer: diferimos — The nosotros form is diferimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros diferiremos mucho de su hermano.
- (b) Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.
- (c) Ayer, yo diferí de su opinión en la reunión.
Answer: Difiero de su opinión en la reunión. — “Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I differ from his opinion in the meeting' in Spanish?
Say 'Difiero de su opinión en la reunión'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Difiero de su opinión en la reunión todos los días'.
How do you say 'He differs the payment until next month' in Spanish?
Say 'Él difiere el pago hasta el mes que viene'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes difiere.
What is the difference between diferir and posponer?
Diferir means to differ, to postpone, while posponer means to postpone. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use diferir when you mean to differ, to postpone, as in 'Difiero de su opinión en la reunión', and use posponer for to postpone.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of diferir — every tense of diferir in one place.
- Diferir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on diferir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of diferir until they are automatic.