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French · Verb · #314 most common

distinguer

to distinguish
to differentiate

Regular1st ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jedistingue
tudistingues
il/elledistingue
nousdistinguons
vousdistinguez
ils/ellesdistinguent

Je distingue facilement les deux couleurs.

I can easily distinguish the two colors.

Elle distingue le bruit des oiseaux du silence.

She distinguishes the sound of the birds from the silence.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jeai distingué
tuas distingué
il/ellea distingué
nousavons distingué
vousavez distingué
ils/ellesont distingué

Nous avons distingué les différences entre les deux modèles.

We distinguished the differences between the two models.

Ils ont distingué la vérité du mensonge.

They distinguished the truth from the lie.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jedistinguais
tudistinguais
il/elledistinguait
nousdistinguions
vousdistinguiez
ils/ellesdistinguaient

Quand j'étais jeune, je distinguais toujours les bonnes personnes.

When I was young, I always distinguished the good people.

Elle distinguait les sons de la nature pendant ses promenades.

She distinguished the sounds of nature during her walks.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jedistinguerai
tudistingueras
il/elledistinguera
nousdistinguerons
vousdistinguez
ils/ellesdistingueront

Demain, je distinguerai les différents styles de peinture.

Tomorrow, I will distinguish the different styles of painting.

Ils distingueront facilement les nuances de bleu.

They will easily distinguish the shades of blue.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jedistinguerais
tudistinguerais
il/elledistinguerait
nousdistinguerions
vousdistingueriez
ils/ellesdistingueraient

Je distinguerais les talents de chacun si j'avais le temps.

I would distinguish everyone's talents if I had the time.

Elle distinguerait les saveurs si elle goûtait les plats.

She would distinguish the flavors if she tasted the dishes.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.

jedistingue
tudistingues
il/elledistingue
nousdistinguions
vousdistinguiez
ils/ellesdistinguent

Il faut que tu distingues les faits des opinions.

You need to distinguish facts from opinions.

Je souhaite qu'elle distingue les bonnes intentions.

I hope that she distinguishes the good intentions.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

jeavais distingué
tuavais distingué
il/elleavait distingué
nousavions distingué
vousaviez distingué
ils/ellesavaient distingué

Avant de partir, j'avais distingué les priorités.

Before leaving, I had distinguished the priorities.

Ils avaient distingué les problèmes avant qu'il ne soit trop tard.

They had distinguished the problems before it was too late.

"distinguer" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "distinguer" regular or irregular in French?
"distinguer" is a regular 1st verb in French. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for 1st verbs.
How do you conjugate "distinguer" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "distinguer" conjugates as: distingue, distingues, distinguons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "distinguer" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "distinguer" conjugates as: ai distingué, as distingué, avons distingué, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "distinguer" in French?
"distinguer" (to distinguish, to differentiate) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.