Introduction
Distinguir means “to distinguish”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Distinguir means to distinguish, and it is used for telling two things apart and for standing out: distinguir a los gemelos, distinguirse en el trabajo. It is a -guir verb: the u drops before o and a, so yo distingo and the subjunctive distinga. This page shows distinguir 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 present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Distingo a los gemelos en clase.” — I distinguish the twins in class.
Distinguir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how distinguir 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 distinguir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Distingo a los gemelos en clase.” — I distinguish the twins in class.
“¿Distingues el bien del mal?” — Do you distinguish good from evil?
“Distingue los colores en la oscuridad.” — He/she distinguishes colours in the dark.
“Nosotros distinguimos a su hermano por la voz.” — We distinguish his brother by his voice.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show distinguir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo distinguí a los gemelos en clase.” — Yesterday, I distinguished the twins in class. (preterite)
“Antes, él distinguía el bien del mal.” — Before, he used to distinguish good from evil. (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 distinguir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros distinguiremos los colores en la oscuridad.” — Tomorrow, we will distinguish colours in the dark. (future)
“¿Tú has distinguido a su hermano por la voz?” — Have you distinguished his brother by his voice? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros distinguís a los gemelos en clase.” — You distinguish the twins in class.
“Ellos distinguen el bien del mal.” — They distinguish good from evil.
“Yo distingo los colores en la oscuridad.” — I distinguish colours in the dark.
“Mi padre distingue a su hermano por la voz.” — My father distinguishes his brother by his voice.
Distinguir 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 distinguir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú distingues el bien del mal?” — Do you distinguish good from evil?
Pedro: “Sí, yo distingo a los gemelos en clase.” — Yes, I distinguish the twins in class.
Marta: “Nosotros distinguimos a su hermano por la voz.” — We distinguish his brother by his voice.
Pedro: “Y ellos distinguen el bien del mal.” — And they distinguish good from evil.
Marta: “Vosotros distinguís los colores en la oscuridad.” — You distinguish colours in the dark.
Pedro: “Sí, y él distingue a los gemelos en clase.” — Yes, and he distinguishes the twins in class.
A short paragraph
Distingue a los gemelos en clase, y nosotros distinguimos a su hermano por la voz. Yo distingo el bien del mal, y ellos distinguen los colores en la oscuridad. Distinguir is part of everyday life, because distinguish is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with distinguir
These are the errors learners actually make with distinguir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo distingue a los gemelos en clase.” Right: “Yo distingo a los gemelos en clase.” Why: The person matters: distingue is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is distingo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo distinguo el bien del mal.” Right: “Yo distingo el bien del mal.” Why: Distinguir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is distingo and distingue, and the gerund is distinguiendo. The form distingo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
Wrong: “Treating distinguir and diferenciar as identical in every context.” Right: “Distinguir means to distinguish, while diferenciar means to differentiate.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: distinguir fits sentences such as Distingo a los gemelos en clase, while diferenciar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy distinguido el bien del mal.” Right: “Yo he distinguido el bien del mal.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he distinguido, has distinguido, ha distinguido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo distinguí los colores en la oscuridad todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo distinguía los colores en la oscuridad todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (distinguía), not the preterite. The preterite (distinguí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: distinguir in use
Ten questions on distinguir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a los gemelos en clase.” (You distinguish the twins in class.)
- (a) distinguís
- (b) distingo
- (c) distingues
Answer: distinguís — The vosotros/as form of distinguir in the present tense is distinguís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el bien del mal.” (They distinguish good from evil.)
- (a) distingues
- (b) distinguen
- (c) distingo
Answer: distinguen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of distinguir in the present tense is distinguen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ a los gemelos en clase.” (Yesterday I distinguished the twins in class.)
- (a) distinguiste
- (b) distinguió
- (c) distinguí
Answer: distinguí — In the preterite, the yo form of distinguir is distinguí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ el bien del mal.” (Before, he used to distinguish good from evil.)
- (a) distinguía
- (b) distingo
- (c) distinguías
Answer: distinguía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of distinguir is distinguía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ los colores en la oscuridad.” (Tomorrow we will distinguish colours in the dark.)
- (a) distinguirás
- (b) distinguiremos
- (c) distinguiré
Answer: distinguiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of distinguir is distinguiremos.
6. What does distinguir mean in English?
- (a) to distinguish
- (b) to decrease
- (c) to differentiate
Answer: to distinguish — Distinguir means “to distinguish”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo distingue a los gemelos en clase.
- (b) Ellos distingue el bien del mal.
- (c) Yo distingo a los gemelos en clase.
Answer: Yo distingo a los gemelos en clase. — “Yo distingo a los gemelos en clase.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I distinguish the twins in class.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre distingue a su hermano por la voz.
- (b) Distingo a los gemelos en clase.
- (c) Distinguen a los gemelos en clase.
Answer: Distingo a los gemelos en clase. — “Distingo a los gemelos en clase.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of distinguir in the present tense?
- (a) distingo
- (b) distingues
- (c) distinguimos
Answer: distinguimos — The nosotros form is distinguimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros distinguiremos los colores en la oscuridad.
- (b) Distingo a los gemelos en clase.
- (c) Ayer, yo distinguí a los gemelos en clase.
Answer: Distingo a los gemelos en clase. — “Distingo a los gemelos en clase.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I distinguish the twins in class' in Spanish?
Say 'Distingo a los gemelos en clase'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Distingo a los gemelos en clase todos los días'.
How do you say 'He distinguishes good from evil' in Spanish?
Say 'Él distingue el bien del mal'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes distingue.
What is the difference between distinguir and diferenciar?
Distinguir means to distinguish, while diferenciar means to differentiate. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use distinguir when you mean to distinguish, as in 'Distingo a los gemelos en clase', and use diferenciar for to differentiate.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of distinguir — every tense of distinguir in one place.
- Distinguir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on distinguir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of distinguir until they are automatic.