Introduction

referirse means “to refer to” in English, and it is a verb you will meet again and again once you start reading and speaking Spanish. It is used whenever you need to talk about the problem — at home, at work, and in everyday conversation — which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of referirse in every tense and mood, with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. referirse is a reflexive -ir verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: “Yo me refiero al problema todos los días.” — “I refer to the problem.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive referirse
English to refer to
Verb type Reflexive -ir verb
Gerund refiriendo
Past participle referido
Auxiliary verb haber
  • Reflexive: yes — always use it with the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se.

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: refiriendo · Past participle: referido

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo refiero
tú refieres
él/ella/Ud. refiere
nosotros/as referimos
vosotros/as referís
ellos/ellas/Uds. refieren

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For referirse, the yo form is refiero, as in “Yo me refiero al problema.” — “I refer to the problem.” This is one of the tenses where referirse does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Preterite

Person Form
yo referí
tú referiste
él/ella/Ud. refirió
nosotros/as referimos
vosotros/as referisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. refirieron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For referirse, the yo form is referí, as in “Yo me referí al problema.” — “I referred to the problem.” This is one of the tenses where referirse does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo refería
tú referías
él/ella/Ud. refería
nosotros/as referíamos
vosotros/as referíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. referían

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For referirse, the yo form is refería, as in “Yo me refería al problema.” — “I used to refer to the problem.”

Future

Person Form
yo referiré
tú referirás
él/ella/Ud. referirá
nosotros/as referiremos
vosotros/as referiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. referirán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For referirse, the yo form is referiré, as in “Yo me referiré al problema.” — “I will refer to the problem.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo referiría
tú referirías
él/ella/Ud. referiría
nosotros/as referiríamos
vosotros/as referiríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. referirían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For referirse, the yo form is referiría, as in “Yo me referiría al problema.” — “I would refer to the problem.”

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he referido
tú has referido
él/ella/Ud. ha referido
nosotros/as hemos referido
vosotros/as habéis referido
ellos/ellas/Uds. han referido

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For referirse, the yo form is he referido, as in “Yo me he referido al problema.” — “I have referred to the problem.”

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había referido
tú habías referido
él/ella/Ud. había referido
nosotros/as habíamos referido
vosotros/as habíais referido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían referido

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For referirse, the yo form is había referido, as in “Yo me había referido al problema.” — “I had referred to the problem.”

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré referido
tú habrás referido
él/ella/Ud. habrá referido
nosotros/as habremos referido
vosotros/as habréis referido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán referido

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For referirse, the yo form is habré referido, as in “Yo me habré referido al problema.” — “I will have referred to the problem.”

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría referido
tú habrías referido
él/ella/Ud. habría referido
nosotros/as habríamos referido
vosotros/as habríais referido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían referido

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For referirse, the yo form is habría referido, as in “Yo me habría referido al problema.” — “I would have referred to the problem.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo refiera
tú refieras
él/ella/Ud. refiera
nosotros/as refiramos
vosotros/as refiráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. refieran

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For referirse, the yo form is refiera, as in “Espero que yo me refiera al problema.” — “I hope that I refer to the problem.” This is one of the tenses where referirse does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo refiriera
tú refirieras
él/ella/Ud. refiriera
nosotros/as refiriéramos
vosotros/as refirierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. refirieran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For referirse, the yo form is refiriera, as in “Si yo me refiriera al problema, ...” — “If I referred to the problem, ...” Watch out: the past participle of referirse is irregular — referido, not the regular form — and that irregular participle appears in every perfect tense.

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: refiriera becomes refiriese, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú refiere
Ud. refiera
nosotros/as refiramos
vosotros/as referid
Uds. refieran

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú refieras
Ud. refiera
nosotros/as refiramos
vosotros/as refiráis
Uds. refieran

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is refiere, as in “No te refieras al problema” — “Do not refer to the problem” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no refieras. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with referirse. This is one of the tenses where referirse does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with referirse, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo me refiero al problema cada día.” — “I refer to the problem.”
  2. “Él se refiere al problema todos los días.” — “He refers to the problem.”
  3. “Yo me referí al problema ayer.” — “I referred to the problem.”
  4. “Él se refirió al problema ayer.” — “He referred to the problem.”
  5. “Yo me refería al problema cuando era joven.” — “I used to refer to the problem.”
  6. “Nosotros nos referiremos al problema mañana.” — “We will refer to the problem.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo me referiría al problema.” — “If I could, i would refer to the problem.”
  8. “Yo me he referido al problema hoy.” — “I have referred to the problem.”
  9. “Espero que yo me refiera al problema.” — “I hope that I refer to the problem.”
  10. “Me estoy refiriendo al problema ahora mismo.” — “I am referring to the problem.”

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.

Confusing referirse with reflexionar

referirse and reflexionar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of referirse — refer to — the sentence needs referirse; if it needs the meaning of reflexionar, use that verb instead.

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

Is referirse regular or irregular?

referirse is a reflexive -ir verb. It changes its stem (e → ie) in several tenses, so the stem in the table is not always the infinitive stem. It is irregular in these tenses: present, present-subjunctive, preterite, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of referirse?

The past participle of referirse is referido. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he referido, había referido, habré referido — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund refiriendo and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of referirse?

The gerund of referirse is refiriendo. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy refiriendo, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. For this verb the gerund shows the stem change, so do not build it from the infinitive by habit. Keep it distinct from the past participle referido, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of referirse in the present?

The yo form is refiero — “Yo me refiero al problema.” means “I refer to the problem.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú refieres, él refiere, nosotros referimos, ellos refieren.

What is the difference between referirse and reflexionar?

referirse means “to refer to”, while reflexionar means “to reflect”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to refer to”, use referirse; if it is about the meaning of reflexionar, use reflexionar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

Do I always need the pronoun with referirse?

Yes. referirse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: me, te, se, nos, os, se. You say yo me refiero, tú te refieres, él se refiere. Leaving the pronoun out changes the meaning or makes the sentence wrong, so learn the pronoun together with each form.

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