diferenciar Present Conjugation
diferenciar — to distinguish
Diferenciar is regular in the present tense: diferencio, diferencias, diferencia, diferenciamos, diferenciáis, diferencian.
diferenciar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to state facts about how things differ or to describe your ability to tell things apart in the moment. It is common when discussing characteristics or spotting differences between two similar objects.
Notes on diferenciar in the Present
Diferenciar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense. There are no stem changes or spelling shifts.
Example Sentences
Yo diferencio los dos colores fácilmente.
I distinguish the two colors easily.
yo
¿Cómo diferencias a los gemelos?
How do you tell the twins apart?
tú
Ellos diferencian bien entre el bien y el mal.
They distinguish well between right and wrong.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: diferenzo
Correct: diferencio
Why: Learners sometimes forget to keep the 'i' from the stem before adding the -o ending.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: diferencié
The preterite of diferenciar is regular: diferencié, diferenciaste, diferenció, diferenciamos, diferenciasteis, diferenciaron.
Imperfect
yo: diferenciaba
The imperfect of diferenciar uses standard -aba endings: diferenciaba, diferenciabas, diferenciaba, diferenciábamos, diferenciabais, diferenciaban.
Future
yo: diferenciaré
For the future tense of diferenciar, add the endings to the infinitive: diferenciaré, diferenciarás, diferenciará, etc.
Conditional
yo: diferenciaría
The conditional of diferenciar is formed by adding -ía endings to the infinitive: diferenciaría, diferenciarías, diferenciaría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: diferencie
The present subjunctive of diferenciar changes the 'a' to 'e': diferencie, diferencies, diferencie, diferenciemos, diferenciéis, diferencien.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: diferenciara
The imperfect subjunctive of diferenciar uses the preterite stem 'diferenci-': diferenciara, diferenciaras, diferenciara.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: diferencia
The imperative of diferenciar gives commands: diferencia (tú), diferenciad (vosotros), or diferencie (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no diferencies
The negative imperative of diferenciar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no diferencies, no diferencie.