Megkülönböztethetünk

Megkülönböztethetünk is a Hungarian verb form derived from megkülönböztetni, meaning to distinguish or differentiate. It represents the first person plural form in the potential mood and translates roughly to “we can distinguish” or “we are able to differentiate.” This mood expresses ability or possibility rather than a definite action, and it is commonly used when discussing what a group could identify under certain conditions.

Morphology and usage notes: The form is built from the stem megkülönböztet- plus the potential suffix -het (or -hetünk for the 1st person plural) to indicate possibility. Other persons or tenses use related forms such as megkülönböztethet, megkülönböztethetjük, or megkülönböztethetnél, depending on number and mood. In typical sentences, megkülönböztethetünk introduces a claim about our ability to tell apart two or more items, phenomena, or categories.

Examples of use: It can appear in everyday language as well as in technical writing. For instance, one might say, "Mi megkülönböztethetjük a valódi adatokat a hamisaktól," meaning “We can distinguish real data from fake.” In analytical or educational contexts, the phrase signals that a distinction is possible given certain criteria or information.

Related forms: The noun megkülönböztetés denotes the act of distinguishing, while megkülönböztethetőség (or megkülönböztethetőségi) refers to distinguishability—the property of being able to be distinguished. The base verb megkülönböztetni covers the general act of differentiating.

See also: megkülönböztetés, megkülönböztethetőség, különbség.