identificar

Identificar is a Spanish verb that means to identify, to recognize, or to establish the identity of a person, object, or concept. It can also imply determining distinguishing features, classifying, or naming what something is. The verb is transitive and commonly used with a direct object, as in identificar a alguien or identificar un rasgo. It can appear in passive or impersonal constructions, such as ser identificado.

Etymology and form: the word derives from the concept of identity (identidad) and is built with the suffix -ificar, indicating making or becoming. It follows regular -ar verb conjugation patterns in Spanish. For example, present indicative forms include identifico, identificas, identifica, identificamos, identificáis, identifican. The preterite (pretérito) forms are identifiqué, identificaste, identificó, identificamos, identificasteis, identificaron, and the imperfect forms are identificaba, identificabas, identificaba, identificábamos, identificabais, identificaban. In the present subjunctive: identifique, identifiques, identifique, identifiquemos, identifiquéis, identifiquen.

Usage and contexts: identificarse is also used in reflexive form to mean “to identify oneself.” In law and criminology, identifica a una persona to verify who someone is. In science and biology, identification refers to determining the species or category of an organism. In information technology and data management, an "identificador" is a unique identifier assigned to a data element, while "identificación" denotes the process of confirming identity. The term has broad applicability in fields that require recognition, classification, or confirmation of identity.

See also: identidad, identificador, identificación, identidades.