Elegir conjugation Spanish verb

How elegir conjugates

Elegir changes e to i when the stress falls on the stem (elige, eligen), in the third person preterite (eligió, eligieron), in all present subjunctive forms and in the gerund (eligiendo). It also changes g to j before a and o: elijo, elija, elijamos. The past participle is elegido (he elegido, ha sido elegido); electo is only an adjective, as in presidente electo. Other forms are regular: elegí, elegía, elegiré.

Elegir in example sentences

• Present

  Elijo siempre el vuelo de la mañana para llegar temprano a las reuniones.

  I always choose the morning flight to get to meetings early.

• Preterite

  El comité eligió la propuesta de nuestro equipo.

  The committee chose our team's proposal.

• Imperfect

  De niño, mi hermano siempre elegía la película.

  As kids, my brother always picked the movie.

• Future

  Los socios elegirán al nuevo director en marzo.

  The partners will choose the new director in March.

• Present perfect

  Hemos elegido un proveedor más cercano para reducir costos.

  We've chosen a closer supplier to cut costs.

• Present subjunctive

  Puedes pedir lo que elijas; invita la empresa.

  You can order whatever you choose; the company is paying.

• Conditional

  ¿Qué opción elegirías tú en mi lugar?

  Which option would you choose if you were me?

• Affirmative commands

  Elija una fecha y le enviaremos la confirmación.

  Choose a date and we'll send you the confirmation.

Common phrases with elegir

elegir entre A y B

to choose between A and B

elegir a alguien como / para

to choose someone as / for

a elegir

of your choice

ser elegido

to be elected / chosen

Mistakes to avoid

• Writing *eligo* or *eliga*. Before o and a, g becomes j: elijo, elija.
• Forgetting the e→i change in the third person preterite: eligió, eligieron.
• Using electo as the participle: say Ha sido elegida, not *Ha sido electa* (electo is the adjective for someone elected but not yet in office).

Elegir tense by tense

• Elegir present
• Elegir preterite
• Elegir imperfect
• Elegir future
• Elegir conditional
• Elegir present subjunctive
• Elegir affirmative commands

Related verbs

• seguir to follow; to continue; to keep (doing)
• pedir to ask for; to request; to order
• repetir to repeat; to have a second helping
• dirigir to direct; to manage; to lead

Most common Spanish verbs

• ser
• estar
• tener
• haber
• hacer
• ir
• poder
• decir
• dar
• ver
• saber
• querer

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