Referir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

referir means "to refer" 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. Referir means to refer something to someone, or to tell a story: referir el caso a un especialista, referir una historia. With se it means to refer to something: referirse a un problema. 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 referir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the referir present tense page.

referir 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 refiero el caso a un especialista — "I refer the case to a specialist"
  2. Mi amigo refiere una historia de su infancia — "My friend refers a story from his childhood"
  3. Mañana, tú referirás los datos en su informe — "Tomorrow, you will refer the data in his report"
  4. Yo referiría el problema al director si pudiera — "I would refer the problem to the director 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 referí el caso a un especialista — "Yesterday, I referred the case to a specialist"
  2. Antes, nosotros referíamos una historia de su infancia — "Before, we used to refer a story from his childhood"
  3. Él ha referido los datos en su informe — "He has referred the data in his report"
  4. Yo ya había referido el problema al director antes de salir — "I already had referred the problem to the director 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 refiera el caso a un especialista — "I hope he refers the case to a specialist"
  2. Si yo refiriera una historia de su infancia, todo cambiaría — "If I referred a story from his childhood, everything would change"
  3. Refiere los datos en su informe. — "Refer the data in his report."
  4. Yo habría referido el problema al director con más tiempo — "I would have referred the problem to the director with more time"

referir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use referir 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 refiero el caso a un especialista — "I refer the case to a specialist"
  • Marcos: Él refiere una historia de su infancia — "He refers a story from his childhood"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo referí los datos en su informe — "Yesterday, I referred the data in his report"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú referirás el problema al director — "Tomorrow, you will refer the problem to the director"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Refiere un ejemplo de su libro. — "Refer an example from his book."
  • Lucía: Él ha referido el caso a un especialista — "He has referred the case to a specialist"
  • Marcos: Espero que él refiera una historia de su infancia — "I hope he refers a story from his childhood"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo refería los datos en su informe — "Before, I used to refer the data in his report"

Common mistakes with referir

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

✗ *Yo refero el problema al director.

✓ Correct: Yo refiero el problema al director.

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

✗ *Espero que él refiere el problema al director

✓ Correct: Espero que él refiera el problema al director

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él refiera el problema al director — not the indicative Espero que él refiere el problema al director.

✗ *Ayer, yo refiero un ejemplo de su libro

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo referí un ejemplo de su libro

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo referí un ejemplo de su libro.

✗ *De niño, yo referí el caso a un especialista todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo refería el caso a un especialista todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo refería el caso a un especialista todos los días.

✗ *Yo refiero en los datos en su informe.

✓ Correct: Yo refiero los datos en su informe.

referir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo refiero los datos en su informe.

Quiz: referir in use

Ten questions on referir — 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 ______ el caso a un especialista — "I refer the case to a specialist" (present) A. refiere B. referimos C. refiero D. refieres

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ una historia de su infancia — "Yesterday, I referred a story from his childhood" (preterite) A. referí B. referiste C. refirió D. referimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ los datos en su informe — "Before, we used to refer the data in his report" (imperfect) A. referías B. referíais C. referíamos D. refería

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el problema al director — "Tomorrow, you will refer the problem to the director" (future) A. referirás B. referiré C. referirá D. referiremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un ejemplo de su libro — "I would refer an example from his book" (conditional) A. referiríamos B. referiríais C. referiría D. referirías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el caso a un especialista — "He has referred the case to a specialist" (present perfect) A. hemos referido B. ha referido C. he referido D. has referido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ una historia de su infancia — "I hope he refers a story from his childhood" (present subjunctive) A. refiráis B. refiera C. refieras D. refiramos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ los datos en su informe. — "Refer the data in his report." (affirmative imperative) A. refiramos B. referid C. refiere D. refiera

  9. Which is the gerund of referir, used with estar for the progressive? A. referido B. refiero C. referí D. refiriendo

  10. What does referir mean in English? A. to cross B. to refer C. to mention D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. refiero — The present form for yo is refiero.
  2. referí — The preterite form for yo is referí.
  3. referíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is referíamos.
  4. referirás — The future form for tú is referirás.
  5. referiría — The conditional form for yo is referiría.
  6. ha referido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha referido.
  7. refiera — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is refiera.
  8. refiere — The affirmative imperative form is refiere.
  9. refiriendo — The gerund of referir is refiriendo: estoy refiriendo. The participle referido is used with haber instead.
  10. to refer — referir means to refer.

Frequently asked questions

What does referir mean in English?

referir means to refer. For example: Yo refiero el caso a un especialista — "I refer the case to a specialist". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with referir?

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

Is referir regular?

No. referir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: refiero, refieres, refiere and refieren — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: referimos, referís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: refirió, refirieron, and the gerund is refiriendo.

How do I practise referir?

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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