elegir Present Subjunctive Conjugation
elegir — to choose
The present subjunctive uses the 'i' stem change and the 'j' spelling in all forms: elija, elijas, elija, elijamos, elijáis, elijan.
elegir Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this after expressions of doubt, desire, or commands, such as 'Espero que elijas bien' (I hope you choose well).
Notes on elegir in the Present Subjunctive
This tense follows the 'yo' form of the present indicative (elijo). Because it is an -ir verb with a stem change, even the nosotros and vosotros forms change to 'i' (elijamos).
Example Sentences
Es importante que elijas un buen tema.
It is important that you choose a good topic.
tú
Busco a alguien que elija con cuidado.
I am looking for someone who chooses carefully.
él/ella/usted
El jefe quiere que elijamos el diseño hoy.
The boss wants us to choose the design today.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'eliga' instead of 'elija'.
Correct: The correct form is 'elija'.
Why: To maintain the soft sound from 'elegir', you must use a 'j' before the 'a' ending.
Mistake: Using 'elegamos' for nosotros.
Correct: The correct form is 'elijamos'.
Why: -Ir stem-changing verbs like elegir also change their stem in the nosotros and vosotros forms of the subjunctive.
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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.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: eligiera
The imperfect subjunctive is based on the third-person preterite 'eligieron', resulting in: eligiera, eligieras, eligiera, eligiéramos, eligierais, eligieran.
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.