How to Say "to identify" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to identify” is “identificar” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Pudimos identificar la causa del problema rápidamente.
We were able to identify the cause of the problem quickly.
La policía identificó al sospechoso por las cámaras de seguridad.
The police identified the suspect using the security cameras.
Necesitas identificar tu equipaje antes de salir del aeropuerto.
You need to identify (tag/claim) your luggage before leaving the airport.
The 'c' to 'qu' Spelling Rule
In the Preterite 'yo' form (identifiqué) and the Subjunctive, the 'c' changes to 'qu' to keep the hard 'k' sound that the verb has in its base form. This is very common for -car verbs!
Forgetting the Spelling Change
Mistake: “Yo identificé (Incorrect spelling in preterite)”
Correction: Yo identifiqué. The 'c' must change to 'qu' before 'e' to maintain the correct pronunciation.
Related Translations
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