refiriéndose a
/refiɾjendose a/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'referring to' is translated into Spanish as refiriéndose a.
What does it mean word for word?
The word refiriéndose is the gerund form of the verb referir (to refer) with the reflexive pronoun se attached to the end.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this construction, an accent mark is required on the 'e' in refiriéndose to maintain the correct stress on the gerund once the pronoun is attached. The form also changes based on who is doing the referring: use refiriéndome a if you are the one referring (referring to myself), and use refiriéndote a if you are talking to someone about their own reference (referring to you).
How do you pronounce it?
/refiɾjendose a/
Did you know?
- If you are refiriéndose a a specific person, you must use the 'personal a'. This is a unique Spanish grammatical marker that indicates a human object and has no equivalent in English.
- The reflexive pronoun se in refiriéndose does not mean the person is referring to themselves, but instead marks the act of referencing as a directed process.
- The root verb referir is a linguistic cousin of the English word 'report', as both originally described the act of carrying information back to a source.
Examples in context
- El informe enviado ayer, en referencia a las ventas trimestrales, es de vital importancia.The report sent yesterday, referring to the quarterly sales, is of vital importance.
- Con respecto a la propuesta del proyecto, tenemos algunas dudas que nos gustaría aclarar.Referring to the project proposal, we have some doubts that we would like to clarify.
- ¿Viste a Juan en la fiesta anoche? Hablando de eso, ¡qué bien se lo pasó!Did you see Juan at the party last night? Speaking of that, he had a great time!
- Estaba pensando en el viaje a la playa. En relación a eso, ¿tienes alguna preferencia de fechas?I was thinking about the beach trip. Referring to that, do you have any preferred dates?
- No tengo información respecto de ese tema. ¿Podrías explicarme más?I don't have information regarding that topic. Could you explain it to me more?
- Está hablando de la situación, refiriéndose a lo que pasó ayer.He is talking about the situation, referring to what happened yesterday.
- Está refiriéndose a la última reunión.He is referring to the last meeting.
- ¿Está refiriéndose a este libro?Are you referring to this book?
- Ella terminó la frase refiriéndose a su madre.She finished the sentence referring to her mother.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are discussing a confusing email.
- MateoNo entiendo este párrafo del correo.I don't understand this paragraph of the email.
- SofíaCreo que se está refiriéndose a los costos.I think he is referring to the costs.
- MateoAh, ahora tiene más sentido.Oh, now it makes more sense.
- SofíaExacto, Sofía lo explicó ayer.Exactly, Sofía explained it yesterday.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
