Diferir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb diferir means to differ, to postpone, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, diferir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say difiero de su opinión en la reunión, and in the preterite you say diferí mucho de su hermano. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: diferir
- English: to differ, to postpone
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (e → ie)
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: difiriendo
- Past participle: diferido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + diferido)
- Stem change: e → ie in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for diferir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Diferir changes e to ie in the present (difiero) and e to i in the preterite third person (difirió) and the gerund (difiriendo).
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for diferir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | difiero |
| tú | difieres |
| él/ella/Ud. | difiere |
| nosotros/as | diferimos |
| vosotros/as | diferís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | difieren |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferí |
| tú | diferiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | difirió |
| nosotros/as | diferimos |
| vosotros/as | diferisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | difirieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | difería |
| tú | diferías |
| él/ella/Ud. | difería |
| nosotros/as | diferíamos |
| vosotros/as | diferíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferiré |
| tú | diferirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferirá |
| nosotros/as | diferiremos |
| vosotros/as | diferiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferiría |
| tú | diferirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferiría |
| nosotros/as | diferiríamos |
| vosotros/as | diferiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he diferido |
| tú | has diferido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha diferido |
| nosotros/as | hemos diferido |
| vosotros/as | habéis diferido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han diferido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había diferido |
| tú | habías diferido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había diferido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos diferido |
| vosotros/as | habíais diferido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían diferido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré diferido |
| tú | habrás diferido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá diferido |
| nosotros/as | habremos diferido |
| vosotros/as | habréis diferido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán diferido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría diferido |
| tú | habrías diferido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría diferido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos diferido |
| vosotros/as | habríais diferido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían diferido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | difiera |
| tú | difieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | difiera |
| nosotros/as | difiramos |
| vosotros/as | difiráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | difieran |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | difiriera |
| tú | difirieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | difiriera |
| nosotros/as | difiriéramos |
| vosotros/as | difirierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | difirieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | difiere |
| él/ella/Ud. | difiera |
| nosotros/as | difiramos |
| vosotros/as | diferid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | difieran |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | difieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | difiera |
| nosotros/as | difiramos |
| vosotros/as | difiráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | difieran |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | difiriendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy difiriendo |
| Past participle | diferido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he diferido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For diferir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Difiero de su opinión en la reunión. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For diferir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, diferí el pago hasta el mes que viene. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For diferir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, difería mucho de su hermano. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For diferir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, diferiré la decisión para mañana. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For diferir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Diferiría de su opinión en la reunión si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For diferir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he diferido el pago hasta el mes que viene. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For diferir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había diferido mucho de su hermano antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For diferir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré diferido la decisión para mañana. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For diferir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría diferido de su opinión en la reunión con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For diferir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él difiera el pago hasta el mes que viene. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For diferir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él difiriera mucho de su hermano, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For diferir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Difiere la decisión para mañana! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For diferir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No difieras de su opinión en la reunión. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with diferir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Difiero de su opinión en la reunión. — I differ from his opinion in the meeting.
- Difiere el pago hasta el mes que viene. — He/she differs the payment until next month.
- Ayer, diferí mucho de su hermano. — Yesterday, I differed a lot from his brother.
- Antes, nosotros diferíamos la decisión para mañana. — Before, we used to differ the decision until tomorrow.
- Mañana, tú diferirás de su opinión en la reunión. — Tomorrow, you will differ from his opinion in the meeting.
- Yo diferiría el pago hasta el mes que viene si tuviera más tiempo. — I would differ the payment until next month if I had more time.
- Él ha diferido mucho de su hermano. — He has differed a lot from his brother.
- Espero que él difiera la decisión para mañana. — I hope he differs the decision until tomorrow.
- Yo ya había diferido de su opinión en la reunión antes de salir. — I had already differed from his opinion in the meeting before leaving.
- Ellos diferían el pago hasta el mes que viene cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to differ the payment until next month when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo difiere de su opinión en la reunión. — Right: Yo difiero de su opinión en la reunión. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (difería), not the preterite. The preterite (diferí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on diferir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de su opinión en la reunión. (present tense) A. difiero B. difieres C. difiere D. diferimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el pago hasta el mes que viene. (preterite) A. diferí B. diferiste C. diferimos D. difirió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ mucho de su hermano. (imperfect) A. diferías B. difiero C. diferíamos D. difería
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la decisión para mañana. (future) A. diferiremos B. diferirás C. diferiré D. diferirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de su opinión en la reunión si pudiera. (conditional) A. diferiría B. diferirías C. diferiríamos D. difiero
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el pago hasta el mes que viene. (present subjunctive) A. difieras B. difiramos C. difiero D. difiera
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ mucho de su hermano, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. difiriéramos B. difiero C. difiriera D. difirieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la decisión para mañana. (present perfect) A. ha diferido B. hemos diferido C. he diferido D. has diferido
Complete the command: ¡___ de su opinión en la reunión! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. difiere B. difiera C. difiramos D. diferid
Which is the gerund of diferir, used with estar for the progressive? A. diferido B. difiero C. diferí D. difiriendo
Answer key
- difiero — The yo present tense of diferir is difiero.
- difirió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of diferir is difirió.
- diferíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of diferir is diferíamos.
- diferirás — The tú future of diferir is diferirás.
- diferiría — The yo conditional of diferir is diferiría.
- difiera — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of diferir is difiera.
- difiriera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of diferir is difiriera.
- hemos diferido — The nosotros/as present perfect of diferir is hemos diferido.
- difiere — The affirmative tú imperative of diferir is difiere.
- difiriendo — The gerund of diferir is difiriendo: estoy difiriendo. The participle diferido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does diferir mean in English?
Diferir means to differ, to postpone. It is used in everyday situations such as Difiero de su opinión en la reunión. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is diferir regular or irregular?
Diferir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
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. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I differ” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo diferí el pago hasta el mes que viene. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo difería mucho de su hermano. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he diferido el pago hasta el mes que viene.
How do I practise diferir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the diferir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Diferir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for diferir.
- Diferir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for diferir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Desistir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with diferir.
- Difundir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with diferir.
- Definir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with diferir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.