distinguir Present Subjunctive Conjugation
distinguir — to tell apart
The present subjunctive follows the 'yo' form change: distinga, distingas, distinga, distingamos, distingáis, distingan.
distinguir Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this after expressions of doubt, desire, or necessity—like 'I hope you can tell them apart' (Espero que los distingas).
Notes on distinguir in the Present Subjunctive
Because the 'yo' form is 'distingo', the entire subjunctive mood uses 'disting-' as the base, dropping the 'u' to keep the sound consistent before the 'a'.
Example Sentences
Es importante que distingas los hechos de las opiniones.
It's important that you distinguish facts from opinions.
tú
No creo que ellos distingan la diferencia.
I don't think they distinguish the difference.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Keeping the 'u' (distingua).
Correct: distinga
Why: Just like in 'distingo', the 'u' is removed before an 'a' to maintain the hard 'g' sound without adding an extra syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: distingo
The present of distinguir is mostly regular, but the 'yo' form changes to 'distingo' to keep the sound right.
Preterite
yo: distinguí
Distinguir is completely regular in the preterite: distinguí, distinguiste, distinguió, distinguimos, distinguisteis, distinguieron.
Imperfect
yo: distinguía
The imperfect of distinguir is regular: distinguía, distinguías, distinguía, distinguíamos, distinguíais, distinguían.
Future
yo: distinguiré
The future of distinguir is regular: just add the endings to the infinitive (distinguiré).
Conditional
yo: distinguiría
The conditional of distinguir is regular: añadiría, añadirías... wait, I mean: distinguiría, distinguirías, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: distinguiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the preterite stem: distinguiera, distinguieras, distinguiera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: distingue
Give commands to distinguish: distingue (tú), distinga (usted), distingamos (nosotros), distinguid (vosotros), distingan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no distingas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no distingas, no distinga, no distingamos, no distingáis, no distingan.