[en] The time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) technique has been used to investigate the temperature dependence of the electric field gradient (EFG) at ¹⁸¹Ta ion probe in the intermetallic compound Hf₂Fe. The results of the measurements at 78 K are compared with the theoretical calculations performed by the first-principle full potential (FP) linear muffin tin orbital (LMTO) method in the atomic sphere approximation (ASA). The experimental results for two inequivalent Hf sites in Hf₂Fe reveal very large differences concerning the EFG values and their temperature dependencies. These facts are confirmed by the theoretical calculations and could be explained by the existence of different mechanisms of formation of the EFG's at these sites. (authors)