Introduction

destinar means “to assign, to destine”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to assign, to destine” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows destinar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo destino el dinero al proyecto por la mañana.” — “I assign the money to the project.”

destinar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how destinar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo destino el dinero al proyecto cada día.” — “I assign the money to the project.”
  2. “Tú destinas el dinero al proyecto cada día.” — “you assign the money to the project.”
  3. “Él destina el dinero al proyecto siempre.” — “He assigns the money to the project.”
  4. “Nosotros destinamos el dinero al proyecto todos los días.” — “We assign the money to the project.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo destiné el dinero al proyecto ayer.” — “I assigned the money to the project.” (preterite) 6. “Él destinó el dinero al proyecto ayer.” — “He assigned the money to the project.” (preterite) 7. “Yo destinaba el dinero al proyecto cuando era joven.” — “I used to assign the money to the project.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros destinaremos el dinero al proyecto mañana.” — “We will assign the money to the project.” (future) 9. “Tú has destinado el dinero al proyecto hoy.” — “you have assigned the money to the project.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo destine el dinero al proyecto.” — “I hope that I assign the money to the project.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros destináis el dinero al proyecto cada semana.” — “You assign the money to the project.” 12. “Ellos destinan el dinero al proyecto normalmente.” — “They assign the money to the project.”

destinar in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how destinar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú destinas el dinero al proyecto?” — Do you assign the money to the project?

Pedro: “Sí, yo destino el dinero al proyecto cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I assign the money to the project every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También destinas el dinero al proyecto?” — And yesterday? Did you assign the money to the project too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo destiné el dinero al proyecto. Mañana nosotros destinaremos el dinero al proyecto otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I assigned the money to the project. Tomorrow we will assign the money to the project again.

A short paragraph

Él destina el dinero al proyecto cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how destinar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo destino el dinero al proyecto — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make destinar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is destiné, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — destine — 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 destinar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For destinar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: destinamos. 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.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he destinado el dinero al proyecto. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy destinado is not the present perfect of destinar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing destinar with descubrir

destinar and descubrir 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 destinar — assign — the sentence needs destinar; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo destine el dinero al proyecto. Using the indicative — Espero que yo destino — is one of the most frequent learner errors with destinar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of destinar in the present?

  • A. destinas
  • B. destina
  • C. destinamos
  • D. destino

2. What is the tu form of destinar in the preterite?

  • A. destinamos
  • B. destinaste
  • C. destiné
  • D. destinó

3. What is the el form of destinar in the imperfect?

  • A. destinabas
  • B. destinábamos
  • C. destinabais
  • D. destinaba

4. What is the nosotros form of destinar in the future?

  • A. destinará
  • B. destinaremos
  • C. destinaré
  • D. destinarás

5. What is the vosotros form of destinar in the present perfect?

  • A. he destinado
  • B. has destinado
  • C. ha destinado
  • D. habéis destinado

6. What is the ellos form of destinar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. destine
  • B. destinen
  • C. destine
  • D. destines

7. What is the yo form of destinar in the preterite?

  • A. destinaste
  • B. destinó
  • C. destinamos
  • D. destiné

8. What is the tu form of destinar in the imperfect?

  • A. destinábamos
  • B. destinabas
  • C. destinaba
  • D. destinaba

9. What is the el form of destinar in the future?

  • A. destinaré
  • B. destinarás
  • C. destinaremos
  • D. destinará

10. What is the nosotros form of destinar in the conditional?

  • A. destinaría
  • B. destinaríamos
  • C. destinaría
  • D. destinarías

Answer key

  1. destino — The present table gives yo = destino.
  2. destinaste — The preterite table gives tu = destinaste.
  3. destinaba — The imperfect table gives el = destinaba.
  4. destinaremos — The future table gives nosotros = destinaremos.
  5. habéis destinado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis destinado.
  6. destinen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = destinen.
  7. destiné — The preterite table gives yo = destiné.
  8. destinabas — The imperfect table gives tu = destinabas.
  9. destinará — The future table gives el = destinará.
  10. destinaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = destinaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use destinar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo destino el dinero al proyecto.” — “I assign the money to the project.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of destinar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form destino first, then the preterite yo form destiné and the participle destinado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund destinando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is destinar reflexive?

No — destinar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo destino el dinero al proyecto. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of destinar?

On the main conjugation page for destinar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links