Distinguir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb distinguir means to distinguish, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, distinguir changes its ending for each person and tense, and 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 distingo a los gemelos en clase, and in the preterite you say distinguí los colores en la oscuridad. 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: distinguir
- English: to distinguish
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: distinguiendo
- Past participle: distinguido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + distinguido)
- Pattern to learn: this verb 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.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for distinguir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Distinguir is a -guir verb: the u drops before o and a, so yo distingo and the subjunctive distinga.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for distinguir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | distingo |
| tú | distingues |
| él/ella/Ud. | distingue |
| nosotros/as | distinguimos |
| vosotros/as | distinguís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distinguen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | distinguí |
| tú | distinguiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinguió |
| nosotros/as | distinguimos |
| vosotros/as | distinguisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distinguieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | distinguía |
| tú | distinguías |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinguía |
| nosotros/as | distinguíamos |
| vosotros/as | distinguíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distinguían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | distinguiré |
| tú | distinguirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinguirá |
| nosotros/as | distinguiremos |
| vosotros/as | distinguiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distinguirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | distinguiría |
| tú | distinguirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinguiría |
| nosotros/as | distinguiríamos |
| vosotros/as | distinguiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distinguirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he distinguido |
| tú | has distinguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha distinguido |
| nosotros/as | hemos distinguido |
| vosotros/as | habéis distinguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han distinguido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había distinguido |
| tú | habías distinguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había distinguido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos distinguido |
| vosotros/as | habíais distinguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían distinguido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré distinguido |
| tú | habrás distinguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá distinguido |
| nosotros/as | habremos distinguido |
| vosotros/as | habréis distinguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán distinguido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría distinguido |
| tú | habrías distinguido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría distinguido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos distinguido |
| vosotros/as | habríais distinguido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían distinguido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | distinga |
| tú | distingas |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinga |
| nosotros/as | distingamos |
| vosotros/as | distinguáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distingan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | distinguiera |
| tú | distinguieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinguiera |
| nosotros/as | distinguiéramos |
| vosotros/as | distinguierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distinguieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | distingue |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinga |
| nosotros/as | distingamos |
| vosotros/as | distinguid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distingan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | distingas |
| él/ella/Ud. | distinga |
| nosotros/as | distingamos |
| vosotros/as | distinguáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | distingan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | distinguiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy distinguiendo |
| Past participle | distinguido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he distinguido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: this verb 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. For distinguir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Distingo a los gemelos en clase. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change here: this verb 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. For distinguir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, distinguí el bien del mal. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, distinguía los colores en la oscuridad. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, distinguiré a su hermano por la voz. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Distinguiría a los gemelos en clase si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he distinguido el bien del mal. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había distinguido los colores en la oscuridad antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré distinguido a su hermano por la voz. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría distinguido a los gemelos en clase con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: this verb 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. For distinguir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él distinga el bien del mal. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For distinguir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él distinguiera los colores en la oscuridad, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: this verb 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. For distinguir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Distingue a su hermano por la voz! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: this verb 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. For distinguir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No distingas a los gemelos en clase. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with distinguir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Distingo a los gemelos en clase. — I distinguish the twins in class.
- Distingue el bien del mal. — He/she distinguishes good from evil.
- Ayer, distinguí los colores en la oscuridad. — Yesterday, I distinguished colours in the dark.
- Antes, nosotros distinguíamos a su hermano por la voz. — Before, we used to distinguish his brother by his voice.
- Mañana, tú distinguirás a los gemelos en clase. — Tomorrow, you will distinguish the twins in class.
- Yo distinguiría el bien del mal si tuviera más tiempo. — I would distinguish good from evil if I had more time.
- Él ha distinguido los colores en la oscuridad. — He has distinguished colours in the dark.
- Espero que él distinga a su hermano por la voz. — I hope he distinguishes his brother by his voice.
- Yo ya había distinguido a los gemelos en clase antes de salir. — I had already distinguished the twins in class before leaving.
- Ellos distinguían el bien del mal cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to distinguish good from evil when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo distingue a los gemelos en clase. — Right: Yo distingo a los gemelos en clase. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (distinguía), not the preterite. The preterite (distinguí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on distinguir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los gemelos en clase. (present tense) A. distingo B. distingues C. distingue D. distinguimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el bien del mal. (preterite) A. distinguí B. distinguiste C. distinguimos D. distinguió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los colores en la oscuridad. (imperfect) A. distinguías B. distingo C. distinguíamos D. distinguía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a su hermano por la voz. (future) A. distinguiremos B. distinguirás C. distinguiré D. distinguirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los gemelos en clase si pudiera. (conditional) A. distinguiría B. distinguirías C. distinguiríamos D. distingo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el bien del mal. (present subjunctive) A. distingas B. distingamos C. distingo D. distinga
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los colores en la oscuridad, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. distinguiéramos B. distingo C. distinguiera D. distinguieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su hermano por la voz. (present perfect) A. ha distinguido B. hemos distinguido C. he distinguido D. has distinguido
Complete the command: ¡___ a los gemelos en clase! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. distingue B. distinga C. distingamos D. distinguid
Which is the gerund of distinguir, used with estar for the progressive? A. distinguido B. distingo C. distinguí D. distinguiendo
Answer key
- distingo — The yo present tense of distinguir is distingo.
- distinguió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of distinguir is distinguió.
- distinguíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of distinguir is distinguíamos.
- distinguirás — The tú future of distinguir is distinguirás.
- distinguiría — The yo conditional of distinguir is distinguiría.
- distinga — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of distinguir is distinga.
- distinguiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of distinguir is distinguiera.
- hemos distinguido — The nosotros/as present perfect of distinguir is hemos distinguido.
- distingue — The affirmative tú imperative of distinguir is distingue.
- distinguiendo — The gerund of distinguir is distinguiendo: estoy distinguiendo. The participle distinguido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does distinguir mean in English?
Distinguir means to distinguish. It is used in everyday situations such as Distingo a los gemelos en clase. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is distinguir regular or irregular?
Distinguir is a spelling-change verb: it 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 endings are regular, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page, including distingo in the present and distinguí in the preterite.
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. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I distinguish” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo distinguí el bien del mal. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo distinguía los colores en la oscuridad. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he distinguido el bien del mal.
How do I practise distinguir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the distinguir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Distinguir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for distinguir.
- Distinguir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for distinguir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Disminuir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with distinguir.
- Distribuir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with distinguir.
- Dirigir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with distinguir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.