verb
to distinguish, to tell apart
B1
Means to distinguish or tell apart (identify differences). Often used transitively — e.g. jemanden/etwas von etwas unterscheiden or zwischen A und B unterscheiden. Auxiliary verb: haben. Irregular strong verb: Präteritum 'unterschied', Partizip II 'unterschieden'. Also appears reflexively: 'sich unterscheiden' = to differ.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Er unterschied zwischen den beiden Optionen.
He distinguished between the two options.
Ich konnte keinen Unterschied unterscheiden.
I couldn't distinguish any difference.
Sie hat sich von den anderen unterschieden.
She differed from the others.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Picture two very similar objects and a magnifying glass separating them to 'unterscheiden' them.
Sounds like 'under-side-en' — imagine looking under the surface to see the difference.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Unterscheiden is often used with 'zwischen' (to distinguish between) or 'von' (to distinguish something from something). It is a strong verb with irregular past forms.