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seleccionar

seh-lehk-syoh-NAHRseleksjoˈnaɾ

“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

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

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

Present Subjunctive

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

Indicative

Preterite

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

Imperfect

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

Present

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

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "seleccionar" in Spanish:

to choose→to curate→to screen→to select→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'.