distinguir

to distinguish

verb dees-teen-GEER Less Common

Also means

to make out (visually)

Usage Note

Distinguir is slightly irregular: the yo-present is distingo (not distinguo), because the -gu- spelling only keeps the 'g' sound before -e/-i. Distinguirse (reflexive) means to stand out or excel: se distingue por su amabilidad ('she stands out for her kindness'). The adjective distinguido carries the additional sense of 'distinguished, refined' in social contexts.

Examples

"Es difícil distinguir los dos colores."

Natural Translation

It is hard to distinguish the two colours.

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