distinguir Preterite Conjugation
distinguir — to tell apart
Distinguir is completely regular in the preterite: distinguí, distinguiste, distinguió, distinguimos, distinguisteis, distinguieron.
distinguir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you successfully identified or told something apart at a specific moment in the past.
Notes on distinguir in the Preterite
Distinguir is fully regular in the preterite. The 'u' stays in every form because it is followed by 'i' or 'e', which keeps the 'g' sound hard.
Example Sentences
Por fin distinguí su silueta entre la multitud.
I finally made out his silhouette in the crowd.
yo
¿Distinguió usted la diferencia entre los dos vinos?
Did you distinguish the difference between the two wines?
él/ella/usted
Ellos distinguieron el barco a lo lejos.
They spotted the boat in the distance.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Removing the 'u' in the third person (distingió).
Correct: distinguió
Why: The 'u' is necessary before 'i' and 'e' to keep the 'g' hard. Without it, it would sound like a 'j'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'distinguir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: distingo
The present of distinguir is mostly regular, but the 'yo' form changes to 'distingo' to keep the sound right.
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.
Present Subjunctive
yo: distinga
The present subjunctive follows the 'yo' form change: distinga, distingas, distinga, distingamos, distingáis, distingan.
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.