Diferenciar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb diferenciar means to differentiate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -ar verb verb: the stem is diferenci and the endings follow the -ar pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. This page gives you the complete picture — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say «Yo diferencio todos los días», which means «I differentiate every day». Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: diferenciar
- English: to differentiate
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: diferenciando
- Past participle: diferenciado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + diferenciado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for diferenciar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for diferenciar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: diferenciando · Past participle: diferenciado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferencio |
| tú | diferencias |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferencia |
| nosotros/as | diferenciamos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferencian |
Use the present of diferenciar for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form diferencio is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -ar endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferencié |
| tú | diferenciaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferenció |
| nosotros/as | diferenciamos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferenciaron |
Use the preterite of diferenciar for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is diferencié. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferenciaba |
| tú | diferenciabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferenciaba |
| nosotros/as | diferenciábamos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferenciaban |
Use the imperfect of diferenciar for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is diferenciaba. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferenciaré |
| tú | diferenciarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferenciará |
| nosotros/as | diferenciaremos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferenciarán |
Use the future of diferenciar for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is diferenciaré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferenciaría |
| tú | diferenciarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferenciaría |
| nosotros/as | diferenciaríamos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferenciarían |
Use the conditional of diferenciar for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is diferenciaría. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he diferenciado |
| tú | has diferenciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha diferenciado |
| nosotros/as | hemos diferenciado |
| vosotros/as | habéis diferenciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han diferenciado |
Use the present perfect of diferenciar for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he diferenciado — haber in the present plus diferenciado. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había diferenciado |
| tú | habías diferenciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había diferenciado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos diferenciado |
| vosotros/as | habíais diferenciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían diferenciado |
Use the pluperfect of diferenciar when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había diferenciado. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré diferenciado |
| tú | habrás diferenciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá diferenciado |
| nosotros/as | habremos diferenciado |
| vosotros/as | habréis diferenciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán diferenciado |
Use the future perfect of diferenciar to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré diferenciado. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría diferenciado |
| tú | habrías diferenciado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría diferenciado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos diferenciado |
| vosotros/as | habríais diferenciado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían diferenciado |
Use the conditional perfect of diferenciar for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría diferenciado. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferencie |
| tú | diferencies |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferencie |
| nosotros/as | diferenciemos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferencien |
Use the present subjunctive of diferenciar when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is diferencie. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | diferenciara |
| tú | diferenciaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferenciara |
| nosotros/as | diferenciáramos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferenciaran |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of diferenciar after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is diferenciara. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | diferencia |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferencie |
| nosotros/as | diferenciemos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferencien |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of diferenciar to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is diferencia. For a polite command, use the usted form diferencie instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | diferencies |
| él/ella/Ud. | diferencie |
| nosotros/as | diferenciemos |
| vosotros/as | diferenciéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | diferencien |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of diferenciar to forbid or to warn: «¡No diferencies!». The tú form is diferencies, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo diferencio todos los días. — I differentiate every day.
- Ayer yo diferencié por la tarde. — Yesterday I differentiated in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo diferenciaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to differentiate every day.
- Mañana yo diferenciaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will differentiate without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo diferenciaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would differentiate right now.
- Hoy yo he diferenciado dos veces. — Today I have differentiated twice.
- Espero que tú diferencies pronto. — I hope You differentiate soon.
- Si yo diferenciara, todo sería distinto. — If I differentiated, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy diferenciando. — Right now I am differentiating.
- ¡diferencia, por favor! — Differentiate, please!
Common mistakes
1. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo diferenciaba.
Right: Ayer yo diferencié.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, diferencié. The imperfect diferenciaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú diferencias.
Right: Espero que tú diferencies.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: diferencies, not the indicative diferencias. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
3. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No diferencia.
Right: No diferencies.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no diferencies. The affirmative diferencia can never follow no.
4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
Wrong: Yo diferenciar todos los días.
Right: Yo diferencio todos los días.
The infinitive diferenciar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo diferencio.
5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He diferenciando.
Right: He diferenciado.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he diferenciado. The gerund diferenciando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy diferenciando»), never with haber.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the tú form of diferenciar in the present indicative?
- (a) diferencio
- (b) diferencias
- (c) diferencia
- (d) diferenciamos
2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of diferenciar in the preterite?
- (a) diferenció
- (b) diferenciaste
- (c) diferencié
- (d) diferenciamos
3. What is the nosotros/as form of diferenciar in the imperfect?
- (a) diferenciábamos
- (b) diferenciaba
- (c) diferenciabas
- (d) diferenciaba
4. What is the vosotros/as form of diferenciar in the future?
- (a) diferenciaréis
- (b) diferenciarás
- (c) diferenciará
- (d) diferenciaré
5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of diferenciar in the conditional?
- (a) diferenciaría
- (b) diferenciaría
- (c) diferenciarían
- (d) diferenciarías
6. What is the yo form of diferenciar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha diferenciado
- (b) has diferenciado
- (c) he diferenciado
- (d) hemos diferenciado
7. What is the tú form of diferenciar in the present subjunctive?
- (a) diferencie
- (b) diferencie
- (c) diferencies
- (d) diferenciemos
8. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of diferenciar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) diferenciara
- (b) diferenciaras
- (c) diferenciara
- (d) diferenciáramos
9. What is the gerund of diferenciar?
- (a) diferencio
- (b) diferenciar
- (c) diferenciando
- (d) diferenciado
10. What is the past participle of diferenciar?
- (a) diferencié
- (b) diferenciado
- (c) diferenciando
- (d) diferenciar
Answer key
1. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of diferenciar is diferencias. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of diferenciar is diferenció. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of diferenciar is diferenciábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the vosotros/as form of diferenciar is diferenciaréis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the conditional, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of diferenciar is diferenciarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present perfect, the yo form of diferenciar is he diferenciado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — In the present subjunctive, the tú form of diferenciar is diferencies. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the él/ella/Ud. form of diferenciar is diferenciara. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (c) — The gerund of diferenciar is diferenciando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy diferenciando». 10. (b) — The past participle of diferenciar is diferenciado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he diferenciado».
Frequently asked questions
Is diferenciar regular or irregular?
Yes — diferenciar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem diferenci unchanged throughout.
What are the gerund and past participle of diferenciar?
The gerund is diferenciando and the past participle is diferenciado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy diferenciando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he diferenciado»).
How do I say «I differentiate» in Spanish?
Say «Yo diferencio todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of diferenciar?
Use the preterite (diferencié) for a single finished event and the imperfect (diferenciaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo diferencié» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo diferenciaba» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with diferenciar?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú diferencies». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use diferenciar in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he diferenciado». The participle diferenciado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: diferenciar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: diferenciar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: dictar
- Related verb: diferenciarse
- Related verb: determinar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz