Diferir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of diferir — “to differ, to postpone” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for diferir with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Difiero de su opinión en la reunión. — “I differ from his opinion in the meeting.”
Present tense conjugation table: diferir
Every person of diferir in the present tense. The gerund is difiriendo and the past participle is diferido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | difiero |
| tú | difieres |
| él/ella/Ud. | difiere |
| nosotros/as | diferimos |
| vosotros/as | diferís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | difieren |
The gerund is difiriendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy difiriendo” means the action of diferir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is diferido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he diferido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how diferir is used.
How the present of diferir is formed
The present of diferir is built from the stem difer plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | difiero |
| tú | -es | difieres |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | difiere |
| nosotros/as | -imos | diferimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | diferís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | difieren |
diferir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the singular and third-person plural forms: difiero, difieres, difiere and difieren. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the original stem: diferimos and diferís. Learn the changed forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
The gerund of diferir is difiriendo and the past participle is diferido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of diferir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use diferir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of diferir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and diferir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” — I differ from his opinion in the meeting.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what diferir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Difiere el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — He/she differs the payment until next month.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Difiero mucho de su hermano.” — I differ a lot from his brother.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and diferir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros diferimos la decisión para mañana.” — Tomorrow, we differ the decision until tomorrow.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Difieres el pago hasta el mes que viene?” — Do you differ the payment until next month?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” — I differ from his opinion in the meeting.
Preterite: “Diferí de su opinión en la reunión.” — I differed from his opinion in the meeting.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Difiere el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — He/she differs the payment until next month.
Preterite: “Difirió el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — He/she differed the payment until next month.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Diferimos mucho de su hermano.” — We differ a lot from his brother.
Preterite: “Diferimos mucho de su hermano.” — We differed a lot from his brother.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: diferir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Difiero de su opinión en la reunión.” — I differ from his opinion in the meeting.
“Difieres el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — You differ the payment until next month.
“Difiere mucho de su hermano.” — He/she differs a lot from his brother.
“Diferimos la decisión para mañana.” — We differ the decision until tomorrow.
“Diferís de su opinión en la reunión.” — You differ from his opinion in the meeting.
“Difieren el pago hasta el mes que viene.” — They differ the payment until next month.
“Difiero mucho de su hermano.” — I differ a lot from his brother.
“Difiere la decisión para mañana.” — He/she differs the decision until tomorrow.
Common mistakes with diferir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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: Yo needs the yo form difiero. The form difiere belongs with él, ella or Ud.
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 first-person present is difiero, not difero.
Wrong: “Ayer yo difiero el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Right: “Ayer yo diferí el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to diferí.
Wrong: “Ellos difiere el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Right: “Ellos difieren el pago hasta el mes que viene.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form difieren. The singular difiere belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: diferir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ de su opinión en la reunión.”
- (a) difiero
- (b) difieres
- (c) difiere
Answer: difiero — The yo form of diferir in the present is difiero.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ el pago hasta el mes que viene.”
- (a) difiero
- (b) difiere
- (c) difieres
Answer: difieres — The tú form of diferir in the present is difieres.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ mucho de su hermano.”
- (a) difieres
- (b) difiere
- (c) difiero
Answer: difiere — The él/ella form of diferir in the present is difiere.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ la decisión para mañana.”
- (a) diferimos
- (b) difiero
- (c) difieres
Answer: diferimos — The nosotros/as form of diferir in the present is diferimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ de su opinión en la reunión.”
- (a) difiero
- (b) difieres
- (c) diferís
Answer: diferís — The vosotros/as form of diferir in the present is diferís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ el pago hasta el mes que viene.”
- (a) difieres
- (b) difieren
- (c) difiero
Answer: difieren — The ellos/ellas form of diferir in the present is difieren.
7. What does diferir mean in English?
- (a) to differ, to postpone
- (b) to postpone
- (c) to be about
Answer: to differ, to postpone — Diferir means to differ, to postpone.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Diferí de su opinión en la reunión.
- (b) Diferiré de su opinión en la reunión.
- (c) Difiero 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. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is diferir regular in the present?
Diferir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie) in the present: the stem changes in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The forms are difiero, difieres, difiere, diferimos, diferís and difieren.
What is the gerund and the past participle of diferir?
The gerund is difiriendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy difiriendo. The past participle is diferido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he diferido.
What should I watch out for with diferir?
Diferir changes e to ie in the present (difiero) and e to i in the preterite third person (difirió) and the gerund (difiriendo). In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is difiero, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise diferir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the diferir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of diferir — every tense of diferir in one place.
- Diferir examples and quiz — more sentences with diferir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on diferir and other verbs.