elegir Preterite Conjugation
elegir — to choose
Elegir has a stem change (e > i) in the third person: eligió and eligieron.
elegir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you made a final choice or selection at a specific point in time, like choosing a dish at a restaurant or picking a winner.
Notes on elegir in the Preterite
This is a 'slipper verb.' The 'e' changes to 'i' only in the third-person singular (él/ella/usted) and plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes). The rest of the forms are regular for -ir verbs.
Example Sentences
Ayer elegí el vestido rojo para la fiesta.
Yesterday I chose the red dress for the party.
yo
Ella eligió la mejor opción para su carrera.
She chose the best option for her career.
él/ella/usted
Ellos eligieron un nuevo presidente el mes pasado.
They chose a new president last month.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'elegió' for the yo form.
Correct: The correct form is 'elegí'.
Why: The stem change only happens in the third person, and the first person singular always ends in -í in the preterite for -ir verbs.
Mistake: Writing 'elegieron' instead of 'eligieron'.
Correct: The correct form is 'eligieron'.
Why: You must remember the e-to-i stem change in the third-person plural.
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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.
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.
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.