Distinguimos entre uso no autorizado y operación no autorizada.

Distinguimos is the first-person plural form of distinguir, so it means we distinguish.

In technical, legal, or formal writing, Spanish often uses we in a slightly impersonal way, like an institution or document speaking on behalf of a group. So this can sound like:

• We distinguish between...
• A distinction is made between...

A useful extra point: with many -ir verbs, the nosotros form in the present and the preterite looks the same. So distinguimos can also mean we distinguished in another context. Here, it is understood as present.

Because the structure here is distinguir entre X y Y, which means to distinguish between X and Y.

So:

• Distinguimos entre uso no autorizado y operación no autorizada.
• We distinguish between unauthorized use and unauthorized operation.

Spanish also allows another pattern:

• distinguir X de Y = to distinguish X from Y

For example:

• Distinguimos el uso de la operación.
• We distinguish use from operation.

Both are correct, but entre ... y ... is very natural when presenting two categories side by side.

Because Spanish often omits the article when talking about things in a general, categorical, or abstract way.

Here, uso no autorizado and operación no autorizada are being presented as two categories or concepts, so leaving out the articles sounds natural.

Compare:

• Distinguimos entre uso no autorizado y operación no autorizada.
  General categories.

• Distinguimos entre el uso no autorizado y la operación no autorizada del sistema.
  More specific, referring to particular types or instances in a given context.

So the version without articles is not incomplete; it is just more general and concise.

Because autorizado is being used like an adjective, and adjectives in Spanish must agree with the noun they describe.

• uso is masculine singular → no autorizado
• operación is feminine singular → no autorizada

So:

• uso no autorizado
• operación no autorizada

If they were plural, you would get:

• usos no autorizados
• operaciones no autorizadas

In Spanish, descriptive and classifying adjectives usually come after the noun, especially in formal or technical language.

So:

• uso no autorizado
• operación no autorizada

is the normal order.

Putting it before the noun would sound unusual here:

• no autorizado uso ✘
• no autorizada operación ✘

Post-noun position is especially common when the adjective helps define a category, which is exactly what is happening in this sentence.

They are very close, but not always exactly the same in tone.

• no autorizado = unauthorized, not approved
• sin autorización = without authorization

In many contexts, both are possible:

• uso no autorizado
• uso sin autorización

But no autorizado sounds especially natural in legal, administrative, compliance, or policy language. It feels more like a fixed label or category.

So in a formal sentence like this one, no autorizado / no autorizada is a very natural choice.

Even if the general meaning is already clear, a learner may notice that these two words are not exact synonyms.

• uso usually means use: the act of using something
• operación usually means operation, but in some contexts it can also mean procedure, action, or even transaction

So the sentence is making a distinction between two different kinds of unauthorized activity. The exact nuance depends on the field:

• in IT, uso might be general use of a system, while operación might be a specific system action
• in finance, operación can mean a transaction or formal operation
• in legal/policy language, the distinction may be deliberately precise

So even though both involve doing something, Spanish treats them as separate categories here.

Spanish could sometimes compress the phrase, but here the repetition helps make the distinction clearer and more formal.

The original structure is:

• uso no autorizado
• operación no autorizada

That makes each category stand on its own.

If you said:

• uso y operación no autorizados

it would sound less balanced, and there is also an agreement issue because uso is masculine and operación is feminine. Mixed-gender plural agreement would normally become masculine plural (no autorizados), which can make the phrasing feel less neat and less precise.

So repeating the adjective is often the better choice in formal writing.

Because operación is stressed on the last syllable: o-pe-ra-ción.

Spanish spelling rules say that words ending in n, s, or a vowel are normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable unless there is a written accent. Since this word is stressed on the last syllable, it needs the accent mark:

• operación

By contrast, autorizada follows the normal stress pattern, so it does not need a written accent.

No. In a simple list of two items joined by y, Spanish normally does not use a comma before y.

So this is correct:

• Distinguimos entre uso no autorizado y operación no autorizada.

A comma before y would usually be wrong here.

Both ideas are possible, depending on style.

Grammatically, the sentence literally says:

• We distinguish between unauthorized use and unauthorized operation.

But in formal English, especially in policies or legal texts, a more natural rendering might be:

• A distinction is made between unauthorized use and unauthorized operation.

That is because Spanish often uses first-person plural in formal writing where English may prefer a more impersonal style. So the Spanish form is active, but the English equivalent can be either active or impersonal depending on tone.