transferir

Transferir is a verb found in both Spanish and Portuguese with the core meaning of moving something from one place to another or passing it to someone else. It is used in legal, financial, technological, and everyday contexts to describe relocation, ownership changes, or the transmission of information or signals. In finance, for example, it can mean transferring money between accounts; in computing, transferring data; in telephony, transferring a call.

Etymology-wise, transferir comes from the Latin transferre, formed from trans- “across” and ferre “to bear or carry.” The word spread into the Romance languages with similar forms and meanings, giving Spanish transferir and Portuguese transferir as cognates of the English “transfer.”

In Portuguese, transferir is a regular -ir verb. Its present indicative forms are eu transfiro, tu transferes, ele transfere, nós transferimos, vós transferis, eles transferem. The noun corresponding to the action is transferência. Common uses include transferir fundos, dados, ou direitos, bem como transferir uma chamada em sistemas de telefonia.

In Spanish, transferir is a stem-changing verb with forms such as transfiero, transfieres, transfiere, transferimos, transferís, transfieren in the present. Preterite forms include transferí, transferiste, transfirió, transferimos, transferisteis, transfirieron. The noun is transferencia. It appears in contexts like transferir dinero, archivos, o la propiedad de un bien.

Related terms include transferencia, traspasar, mover, and ceder. The concept also appears in technical and legal contexts, where precise transfer mechanisms and conditions are described to formalize the act of passing assets, data, or responsibilities.