Ella Verbsreferirse to refer (to oneself) Irregular Verb
At a glance: Referirse (to refer (to oneself)) is a widely used reflexive irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: me refiero, te refieres, se refiere, nos referimos, os referís, se refieren. Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change e to ie (refiero, refieres, refiere, refieren); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (se refirió), subjunctive and gerund (refiriendo).

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The Indicative Present of referirse is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “me refiero”, meaning “I refer”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me refiero | I refer |
| Tú | te refieres | you refer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se refiere | s/he refers |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos referimos | we refer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os referís | you (plural) refer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se refieren | they refer |
How it’s built: Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change e to ie (refiero, refieres, refiere, refieren); nosotros and vosotros are regular. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Preterite of referirse is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “me referí”, meaning “I referred”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me referí | I referred |
| Tú | te referiste | you referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se refirió | s/he referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos referimos | we referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os referisteis | you (plural) referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se refirieron | they referred |
How it’s built: Ella/Él and ellas/ellos change e to i (refirió, refirieron); the other forms are regular. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Imperfect of referirse is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “me refería”, meaning “I used to refer”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me refería | I used to refer |
| Tú | te referías | you used to refer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se refería | s/he used to refer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos referíamos | we used to refer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os referíais | you (plural) used to refer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se referían | they used to refer |
How it’s built: Regular: stem refer- plus the -ir endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Present Continuous of referirse is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “me estoy refiriendo”, meaning “I am referring”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me estoy refiriendo | I am referring |
| Tú | te estás refiriendo | you are referring |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se está refiriendo | s/he is referring |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos estamos refiriendo | we are referring |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os estáis refiriendo | you (plural) are referring |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se están refiriendo | they are referring |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the irregular gerund refiriendo. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Informal Future of referirse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “me voy a referir”, meaning “I am going to refer”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me voy a referir | I am going to refer |
| Tú | te vas a referir | you are going to refer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se va a referir | s/he is going to refer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos vamos a referir | we are going to refer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os vais a referir | you (plural) are going to refer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se van a referir | they are going to refer |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive referir. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Future of referirse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “me referiré”, meaning “I will refer”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me referiré | I will refer |
| Tú | te referirás | you will refer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se referirá | s/he will refer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos referiremos | we will refer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os referiréis | you (plural) will refer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se referirán | they will refer |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive referir plus the future endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Conditional of referirse is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “me referiría”, meaning “I would refer”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me referiría | I would refer |
| Tú | te referirías | you would refer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se referiría | s/he would refer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos referiríamos | we would refer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os referiríais | you (plural) would refer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se referirían | they would refer |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive referir plus the conditional endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Present Perfect of referirse is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “me he referido”, meaning “I have referred”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me he referido | I have referred |
| Tú | te has referido | you have referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se ha referido | s/he has referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hemos referido | we have referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habéis referido | you (plural) have referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se han referido | they have referred |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle referido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Past Perfect of referirse is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “me había referido”, meaning “I had referred”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me había referido | I had referred |
| Tú | te habías referido | you had referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se había referido | s/he had referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habíamos referido | we had referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habíais referido | you (plural) had referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habían referido | they had referred |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle referido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Future Perfect of referirse is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “me habré referido”, meaning “I will have referred”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habré referido | I will have referred |
| Tú | te habrás referido | you will have referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habrá referido | s/he will have referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habremos referido | we will have referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habréis referido | you (plural) will have referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrán referido | they will have referred |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle referido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of referirse is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “me habría referido”, meaning “I would have referred”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habría referido | I would have referred |
| Tú | te habrías referido | you would have referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habría referido | s/he would have referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habríamos referido | we would have referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habríais referido | you (plural) would have referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrían referido | they would have referred |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle referido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “me refiera”, meaning “I refer”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me refiera | I refer |
| Tú | te refieras | you refer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se refiera | s/he refers |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos refiramos | we refer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os refiráis | you (plural) refer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se refieran | they refer |
How it’s built: Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos follow the yo present, refiero (refiera, refieras, refiera, refieran); nosotros and vosotros change e to i (refiramos, refiráis). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “me refiriera”, meaning “I referred”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me refiriera | I referred |
| Tú | te refirieras | you referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se refiriera | s/he referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos refiriéramos | we referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os refirierais | you (plural) referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se refirieran | they referred |
How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, refirieron: drop -ron and add the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (refiriéramos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “me refiriere”, meaning “I will refer”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me refiriere | I will refer |
| Tú | te refirieres | you will refer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se refiriere | s/he will refer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos refiriéremos | we will refer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os refiriereis | you (plural) will refer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se refirieren | they will refer |
How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, refirieron: drop -ron and add the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (refiriéremos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “me haya referido”, meaning “I have referred”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me haya referido | I have referred |
| Tú | te hayas referido | you have referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se haya referido | s/he has referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hayamos referido | we have referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hayáis referido | you (plural) have referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hayan referido | they have referred |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle referido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “me hubiera referido”, meaning “I had referred”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiera referido | I had referred |
| Tú | te hubieras referido | you had referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiera referido | s/he had referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéramos referido | we had referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubierais referido | you (plural) had referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieran referido | they had referred |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle referido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “me hubiere referido”, meaning “I will have referred”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiere referido | I will have referred |
| Tú | te hubieres referido | you will have referred |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiere referido | s/he will have referred |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéremos referido | we will have referred |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubiereis referido | you (plural) will have referred |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieren referido | they will have referred |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle referido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “refiérase”, meaning “(to you formal) refer!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | refiérete | (to you) refer! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | refiérase | (to you formal) refer! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | refirámonos | let's refer! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | referíos | (to you plural) refer! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | refiéranse | (to you plural formal) refer! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present and attaches te (refiérete); usted and ustedes take the subjunctive present and attach se (refiérase, refiéranse); nosotros takes the subjunctive present, drops the s and attaches nos (refirámonos); vosotros drops the final r of the infinitive and attaches os (referíos).
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no se refiera”, meaning “(to you formal) don't refer!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no te refieras | (to you) don't refer! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no se refiera | (to you formal) don't refer! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no nos refiramos | let's not refer! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no os refiráis | (to you plural) don't refer! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no se refieran | (to you plural formal) don't refer! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no te refieras, no se refiera, no nos refiramos, no os refiráis, no se refieran.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
Referirse is an irregular Spanish verb. In the present tense: yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change e to ie (refiero, refieres, refiere, refieren); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (se refirió), subjunctive and gerund (refiriendo).
In the present tense (presente), referirse is conjugated as: yo me refiero, tú te refieres, él/ella/usted se refiere, nosotros nos referimos, vosotros os referís, ellos/ellas/ustedes se refieren. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), referirse is conjugated as: yo me referí, tú te referiste, él/ella/usted se refirió, nosotros nos referimos, vosotros os referisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se refirieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), referirse is conjugated as: yo me refería, tú te referías, él/ella/usted se refería, nosotros nos referíamos, vosotros os referíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes se referían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
In the future tense (futuro simple), referirse is conjugated as: yo me referiré, tú te referirás, él/ella/usted se referirá, nosotros nos referiremos, vosotros os referiréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se referirán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), referirse is conjugated as: yo me refiera, tú te refieras, él/ella/usted se refiera, nosotros nos refiramos, vosotros os refiráis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se refieran. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
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