destacar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
destacar — to highlight
The present subjunctive of destacar features a 'c' to 'qu' spelling change: destaque, destaques, destaque, destaquemos, destaquéis, destaquen.
destacar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this tense when expressing a wish, doubt, or recommendation that someone or something stand out, or after impersonal expressions like 'es importante que'.
Notes on destacar in the Present Subjunctive
This verb undergoes a spelling change (c > qu) in all persons of the present subjunctive to maintain the hard 'k' sound before the letter 'e'.
Example Sentences
Espero que tu talento destaque en la audición.
I hope your talent stands out in the audition.
él/ella/usted
Es importante que destaquemos los puntos positivos.
It's important that we highlight the positive points.
nosotros
No creo que ellos destaquen por su puntualidad.
I don't think they stand out for their punctuality.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'destace' instead of 'destaque'.
Correct: destaque
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' makes an 's' or 'th' sound. To keep the 'k' sound from the infinitive 'destacar', you must use 'qu'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: destaco
The present tense of destacar is completely regular: destaco, destacas, destaca, destacamos, destacáis, destacan.
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.
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.