Introduction

referirse means “to refer to”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to refer to” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows referirse 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 form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo me refiero al problema por la mañana.” — “I refer to the problem.”

referirse in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how referirse 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 {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo me refiero al problema cada día.” — “I refer to the problem.”
  2. “Tú te refieres al problema cada día.” — “you refer to the problem.”
  3. “Él se refiere al problema siempre.” — “He refers to the problem.”
  4. “Nosotros nos referimos al problema todos los días.” — “We refer to the problem.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo me referí al problema ayer.” — “I referred to the problem.” (preterite) 6. “Él se refirió al problema ayer.” — “He referred to the problem.” (preterite) 7. “Yo me refería al problema cuando era joven.” — “I used to refer to the problem.” (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 {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros nos referiremos al problema mañana.” — “We will refer to the problem.” (future) 9. “Tú te has referido al problema hoy.” — “you have referred to the problem.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo me refiera al problema.” — “I hope that I refer to the problem.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros os referís al problema cada semana.” — “You refer to the problem.” 12. “Ellos se refieren al problema normalmente.” — “They refer to the problem.”

referirse 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 referirse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú te refieres al problema?” — Do you refer to the problem?

Carlos: “Sí, yo me refiero al problema cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I refer to the problem every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También te refieres al problema?” — And yesterday? Did you refer to the problem too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo me referí al problema. Mañana nosotros referiremos al problema otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I referred to the problem. Tomorrow we will refer to the problem again.

A short paragraph

Él se refiere al problema cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how referirse works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo refiero al problema — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make referirse yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write refero for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is refiero. Because referirse changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo refiero al problema — until the changed stem feels natural.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is referí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — referi — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of referirse.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For referirse, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: referimos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Because referirse is reflexive, it always needs its pronoun: yo me refiero al problema, not yo refiero al problema. Without me, the sentence either means something else or means nothing at all. The pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se — learn them with the verb, not as an afterthought.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he referido al problema. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy referido is not the present perfect of referirse — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of referirse in the present?

  • A. refieres
  • B. refiere
  • C. referimos
  • D. refiero

2. What is the tu form of referirse in the preterite?

  • A. referimos
  • B. referiste
  • C. referí
  • D. refirió

3. What is the el form of referirse in the imperfect?

  • A. referías
  • B. referíamos
  • C. referíais
  • D. refería

4. What is the nosotros form of referirse in the future?

  • A. referirá
  • B. referiremos
  • C. referiré
  • D. referirás

5. What is the vosotros form of referirse in the present perfect?

  • A. he referido
  • B. has referido
  • C. ha referido
  • D. habéis referido

6. What is the ellos form of referirse in the present subjunctive?

  • A. refiera
  • B. refieran
  • C. refiera
  • D. refieras

7. What is the yo form of referirse in the preterite?

  • A. referiste
  • B. refirió
  • C. referimos
  • D. referí

8. What is the tu form of referirse in the imperfect?

  • A. referíamos
  • B. referías
  • C. refería
  • D. refería

9. What is the el form of referirse in the future?

  • A. referiré
  • B. referirás
  • C. referiremos
  • D. referirá

10. What is the nosotros form of referirse in the conditional?

  • A. referiría
  • B. referiríamos
  • C. referiría
  • D. referirías

Answer key

  1. refiero — The present table gives yo = refiero.
  2. referiste — The preterite table gives tu = referiste.
  3. refería — The imperfect table gives el = refería.
  4. referiremos — The future table gives nosotros = referiremos.
  5. habéis referido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis referido.
  6. refieran — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = refieran.
  7. referí — The preterite table gives yo = referí.
  8. referías — The imperfect table gives tu = referías.
  9. referirá — The future table gives el = referirá.
  10. referiríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = referiríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use referirse in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo me refiero al problema.” — “I refer to the problem.” Do not forget the reflexive pronoun: it goes before the verb. Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of referirse to learn first?

Learn the present yo form refiero first, then the preterite yo form referí and the participle referido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund refiriendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is referirse reflexive?

Yes — referirse is reflexive, so it always takes me, te, se, nos, os or se. You say yo me refiero, never just yo refiero. The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb, or attached to the infinitive and gerund.

Where can I see the full conjugation of referirse?

On the main conjugation page for referirse, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links