destacar Present Conjugation
destacar — to highlight
The present tense of destacar is completely regular: destaco, destacas, destaca, destacamos, destacáis, destacan.
destacar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present to describe someone's habitual excellence or to point out (highlight) facts as you speak.
Notes on destacar in the Present
This verb is fully regular in the present indicative. No spelling changes occur here because the 'c' is followed by 'a' or 'o', which preserves the hard 'k' sound.
Example Sentences
Siempre destaco las noticias más relevantes.
I always highlight the most relevant news.
yo
Tú destacas por tu gran creatividad.
You stand out for your great creativity.
tú
Estos edificios destacan en el horizonte.
These buildings stand out on the skyline.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'destaco' when you mean 'I am standing out right now' (ongoing).
Correct: Estoy destacando
Why: While the present can be used for now, the present progressive (estar + gerund) is often more natural for ongoing actions.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: destaqué
The preterite of destacar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'destaqué'.
Imperfect
yo: destacaba
The imperfect of destacar is regular: destacaba, destacabas, destacaba, destacábamos, destacabais, destacaban.
Future
yo: destacaré
The future of destacar is regular: destacaré, destacarás, destacará, destacaremos, destacaréis, destacarán.
Conditional
yo: destacaría
The conditional of destacar is regular: destacaría, destacarías, destacaría, destacaríamos, destacaríais, destacarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: destaque
The present subjunctive of destacar features a 'c' to 'qu' spelling change: destaque, destaques, destaque, destaquemos, destaquéis, destaquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: destacara
The imperfect subjunctive of destacar is based on the preterite stem: destacara, destacaras, destacara, destacáramos, destacarais, destacaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: destaca
The imperative of destacar uses 'destaca' (tú) and 'destaque' (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no destaques
The negative imperative of destacar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no destaques, no destaque, no destaquemos, no destaquéis, no destaquen.