elegir Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
elegir — to choose
The imperfect subjunctive is based on the third-person preterite 'eligieron', resulting in: eligiera, eligieras, eligiera, eligiéramos, eligierais, eligieran.
elegir Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for past-tense doubts or 'if' clauses, like 'Si yo eligiera...' (If I were to choose...).
Notes on elegir in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Since it comes from the preterite 'eligieron', the 'i' stem change persists through every single form of this tense.
Example Sentences
Si yo eligiera el color, sería verde.
If I were to choose the color, it would be green.
yo
Me gustaría que eligieras un postre.
I would like you to choose a dessert.
tú
Si ellos eligieran hoy, ganaríamos.
If they chose today, we would win.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'elegera' instead of 'eligiera'.
Correct: The correct form is 'eligiera'.
Why: This tense is always built from the third-person plural preterite, which has the 'i' stem change.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: elijo
Elegir is a stem-changing verb (e > i) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros, plus a spelling change in the 'yo' form.
Preterite
yo: elegí
Elegir has a stem change (e > i) in the third person: eligió and eligieron.
Imperfect
yo: elegía
The imperfect of elegir is regular: elegía, elegías, elegía, elegíamos, elegíais, elegían.
Future
yo: elegiré
The future tense of elegir is regular: elegiré, elegirás, elegirá, elegiremos, elegiréis, elegirán.
Conditional
yo: elegiría
The conditional of elegir is regular: elegiría, elegirías, elegiría, elegiríamos, elegiríais, elegirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: elija
The present subjunctive uses the 'i' stem change and the 'j' spelling in all forms: elija, elijas, elija, elijamos, elijáis, elijan.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: elige
The imperative uses the 'i' stem change for most commands: elige (tú), elija (usted), elijamos (nosotros), elegid (vosotros), elijan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no elijas
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms: no elijas, no elija, no elijamos, no elijáis, no elijan.