diferenciar Preterite Conjugation
diferenciar — to distinguish
The preterite of diferenciar is regular: diferencié, diferenciaste, diferenció, diferenciamos, diferenciasteis, diferenciaron.
diferenciar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you successfully distinguished or identified a difference at a specific point in time, such as during a test or a particular event.
Notes on diferenciar in the Preterite
Diferenciar is regular in the preterite. Note the accent on the final vowels of the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Example Sentences
Ayer diferencié las dos marcas por el sabor.
Yesterday I distinguished the two brands by the taste.
yo
Ella diferenció los resultados rápidamente.
She distinguished the results quickly.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros diferenciamos los sonidos en la grabación.
We distinguished the sounds in the recording.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: diferencie
Correct: diferencié
Why: Without the accent, 'diferencie' is the subjunctive form, not the past tense 'I distinguished'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: diferencio
Diferenciar is regular in the present tense: diferencio, diferencias, diferencia, diferenciamos, diferenciáis, diferencian.
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.