Inferir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

inferir means "to infer" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Inferir means to infer or to deduce something from evidence: inferir la respuesta de los datos. It is a formal verb, common in academic and logical writing. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of inferir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the inferir present tense page.

inferir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo infiero la respuesta de los datos — "I infer the answer from the data"
  2. Mi amigo infiere su intención por sus gestos — "My friend infers his intention from his gestures"
  3. Mañana, tú inferirás la verdad de sus palabras — "Tomorrow, you will infer the truth from his words"
  4. Yo inferiría el resultado del experimento si pudiera — "I would infer the result of the experiment if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo inferí la respuesta de los datos — "Yesterday, I inferred the answer from the data"
  2. Antes, nosotros inferíamos su intención por sus gestos — "Before, we used to infer his intention from his gestures"
  3. Él ha inferido la verdad de sus palabras — "He has inferred the truth from his words"
  4. Yo ya había inferido el resultado del experimento antes de salir — "I already had inferred the result of the experiment before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él infiera la respuesta de los datos — "I hope he infers the answer from the data"
  2. Si yo infiriera su intención por sus gestos, todo cambiaría — "If I inferred his intention from his gestures, everything would change"
  3. Infiere la verdad de sus palabras. — "Infer the truth from his words."
  4. Yo habría inferido el resultado del experimento con más tiempo — "I would have inferred the result of the experiment with more time"

inferir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use inferir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo infiero la respuesta de los datos — "I infer the answer from the data"
  • Marcos: Él infiere su intención por sus gestos — "He infers his intention from his gestures"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo inferí la verdad de sus palabras — "Yesterday, I inferred the truth from his words"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú inferirás el resultado del experimento — "Tomorrow, you will infer the result of the experiment"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Infiere una conclusión lógica. — "Infer a logical conclusion."
  • Lucía: Él ha inferido la respuesta de los datos — "He has inferred the answer from the data"
  • Marcos: Espero que él infiera su intención por sus gestos — "I hope he infers his intention from his gestures"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo infería la verdad de sus palabras — "Before, I used to infer the truth from his words"

Common mistakes with inferir

The errors learners actually make with inferir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo infero el resultado del experimento.

✓ Correct: Yo infiero el resultado del experimento.

inferir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is infiero, not infero.

✗ *Espero que él infiere el resultado del experimento

✓ Correct: Espero que él infiera el resultado del experimento

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él infiera el resultado del experimento — not the indicative Espero que él infiere el resultado del experimento.

✗ *Ayer, yo infiero una conclusión lógica

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo inferí una conclusión lógica

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo inferí una conclusión lógica.

✗ *De niño, yo inferí la respuesta de los datos todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo infería la respuesta de los datos todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo infería la respuesta de los datos todos los días.

✗ *Yo infiero en la verdad de sus palabras.

✓ Correct: Yo infiero la verdad de sus palabras.

inferir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo infiero la verdad de sus palabras.

Quiz: inferir in use

Ten questions on inferir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la respuesta de los datos — "I infer the answer from the data" (present) A. infieres B. infiere C. inferimos D. infiero

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ su intención por sus gestos — "Yesterday, I inferred his intention from his gestures" (preterite) A. inferiste B. infirió C. inferimos D. inferí

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la verdad de sus palabras — "Before, we used to infer the truth from his words" (imperfect) A. inferíamos B. infería C. inferías D. inferíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el resultado del experimento — "Tomorrow, you will infer the result of the experiment" (future) A. inferirá B. inferiremos C. inferirás D. inferiré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una conclusión lógica — "I would infer a logical conclusion" (conditional) A. inferirías B. inferiríamos C. inferiríais D. inferiría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la respuesta de los datos — "He has inferred the answer from the data" (present perfect) A. has inferido B. hemos inferido C. ha inferido D. he inferido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ su intención por sus gestos — "I hope he infers his intention from his gestures" (present subjunctive) A. infiera B. infieras C. infiramos D. infiráis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la verdad de sus palabras. — "Infer the truth from his words." (affirmative imperative) A. infiere B. infiera C. infiramos D. inferid

  9. Which is the gerund of inferir, used with estar for the progressive? A. inferido B. infiero C. inferí D. infiriendo

  10. What does inferir mean in English? A. to cross B. to infer C. to deduce D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. infiero — The present form for yo is infiero.
  2. inferí — The preterite form for yo is inferí.
  3. inferíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is inferíamos.
  4. inferirás — The future form for tú is inferirás.
  5. inferiría — The conditional form for yo is inferiría.
  6. ha inferido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha inferido.
  7. infiera — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is infiera.
  8. infiere — The affirmative imperative form is infiere.
  9. infiriendo — The gerund of inferir is infiriendo: estoy infiriendo. The participle inferido is used with haber instead.
  10. to infer — inferir means to infer.

Frequently asked questions

What does inferir mean in English?

inferir means to infer. For example: Yo infiero la respuesta de los datos — "I infer the answer from the data". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with inferir?

inferir takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is inferir regular?

No. inferir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: infiero, infieres, infiere and infieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: inferimos, inferís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: infirió, infirieron, and the gerund is infiriendo.

How do I practise inferir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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