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seleccionar

seh-lehk-syoh-NAHR/seleksjoˈnaɾ/

“seleccionar” means “to select” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to select, to choose

Also: to pick out
VerbA2regular ar
A hand picking a single bright red apple from a basket of green apples.
gerundseleccionando
past Participleseleccionado
infinitiveseleccionar

📝 In Action

Tienes que seleccionar una opción en la pantalla.

A1

You have to select an option on the screen.

El profesor va a seleccionar a cinco estudiantes para el viaje.

A2

The teacher is going to pick out five students for the trip.

Hemos seleccionado los mejores ingredientes para esta receta.

B1

We have selected the best ingredients for this recipe.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • seleccionar todo – select all
  • seleccionar cuidadosamente – select carefully
  • proceso de seleccionar – selection process

to screen, to shortlist

Also: to curate
VerbB2regular arformal
A person using a large sieve to separate small pebbles from fine golden sand.
gerundseleccionando
past Participleseleccionado
infinitiveseleccionar

📝 In Action

Debemos seleccionar los mejores granos de café a mano.

B2

We must screen the best coffee beans by hand.

El comité seleccionó a tres candidatos finales.

B2

The committee shortlisted three final candidates.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • seleccionar personal – to recruit/screen staff

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesseleccionaran
yoseleccionara
túseleccionaras
vosotrosseleccionarais
nosotrosseleccionáramos
él/ella/ustedseleccionara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesseleccionen
yoseleccione
túselecciones
vosotrosseleccionéis
nosotrosseleccionemos
él/ella/ustedseleccione

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesseleccionaron
yoseleccioné
túseleccionaste
vosotrosseleccionasteis
nosotrosseleccionamos
él/ella/ustedseleccionó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesseleccionaban
yoseleccionaba
túseleccionabas
vosotrosseleccionabais
nosotrosseleccionábamos
él/ella/ustedseleccionaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesseleccionan
yoselecciono
túseleccionas
vosotrosseleccionáis
nosotrosseleccionamos
él/ella/ustedselecciona
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "seleccionar" in Spanish:

to curate→to shortlist→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: seleccionar

Question 1 of 3

Which word is the most formal way to say 'to choose'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
selección(selection) — Noun
seleccionado(selected/shortlisted) — Adjective
selector(selector/switch) — Noun
selecto(exclusive/select) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'selectio', derived from 'seligere', which combines 'se-' (apart) and 'legere' (to gather or choose). It literally means 'to gather apart' from the rest.

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: selectFrench: sélectionner

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'seleccionar' different from 'escoger'?

Yes. 'Escoger' is more common for daily choices like what to eat. 'Seleccionar' is used for more formal, digital, or systematic choosing based on specific criteria.

Can I use 'seleccionar' for people?

Yes, especially in professional contexts like choosing candidates for a job or players for a sports team.

Does it have any irregular forms?

No, it is a perfectly regular -ar verb. If you know how to conjugate 'hablar', you know how to conjugate 'seleccionar'.