Introduction
Elegir means “to choose, to elect”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Elegir is the verb for choosing something: a dress, a book, a restaurant. The thing chosen is the direct object, with no preposition. Elegir entre + options means to choose between things. The entre marks the set you choose from. This page shows elegir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — I choose a red dress.
Elegir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how elegir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use elegir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — I choose a red dress.
“¿Tú eliges entre estos dos?” — Do you choose between these two?
“Mi padre elige el restaurante.” — My father chooses the restaurant.
“Nosotros elegimos al presidente.” — We elect the president.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show elegir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo elegí un vestido rojo.” — Yesterday I chose a red dress. (preterite)
“Mi padre elegía el restaurante siempre.” — My father always used to choose the restaurant. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of elegir stays the same.
“Nosotros elegiremos al presidente mañana.” — We will elect the president tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has elegido ya la película?” — Have you chosen the film yet? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros elegís la película.” — You choose the film.
“Ellos eligen un hotel.” — They choose a hotel.
“Yo elijo siempre el mismo.” — I always choose the same one.
“El profesor elige a los mejores.” — The teacher chooses the best ones.
Elegir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how elegir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Ana: “¿Tú eliges entre estos dos?” — Do you choose between these two?
Luis: “Sí, yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — Yes, I choose a red dress.
Ana: “Nosotros elegimos al presidente.” — We elect the president.
Luis: “Y ellos eligen un hotel.” — And they choose a hotel.
Ana: “Vosotros elegís la película.” — You choose the film.
Luis: “Sí, y mi padre elige el restaurante.” — Yes, and my father chooses the restaurant.
A short paragraph
Ana elige un vestido rojo, y su padre elige el restaurante. Nosotros elegimos al presidente, y ellos eligen un hotel. Yo elijo siempre el mismo, y el profesor elige a los mejores. Elegir is part of every decision, because choosing a dress, choosing between two things and electing a president are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with elegir
These are the errors learners actually make with elegir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo eligo un vestido.” Right: “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” Why: The yo form of elegir is elijo, with a j, not eligo. The g of the stem becomes j before an o or an a, to keep the sound: elijo, elija. Eligo is not a word.
Wrong: “Nosotros eligen al presidente.” Right: “Nosotros elegimos al presidente.” Why: Nosotros keeps the unchanged stem: elegimos, not eligen. The stem change never applies to nosotros or vosotros.
Wrong: “Yo elijo un vestido ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo elegí un vestido rojo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished choice yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to elegí.
Wrong: “Ellos elige un hotel.” Right: “Ellos eligen un hotel.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form eligen. The singular elige belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el profesor.
Wrong: “Ellos elijo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos eligen todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form eligen, not the yo form elijo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: elegir in use
Ten questions on elegir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la película.” (You choose the film.)
- (a) eliges
- (b) elegís
- (c) elijo
Answer: elegís — The vosotros/as form of elegir in the present tense is elegís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un hotel.” (They choose a hotel.)
- (a) eligen
- (b) elijo
- (c) eliges
Answer: eligen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elegir in the present tense is eligen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ un vestido rojo.” (Yesterday I chose a red dress.)
- (a) elegiste
- (b) eligió
- (c) elegí
Answer: elegí — In the preterite, the yo form of elegir is elegí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Mi padre ______ el restaurante siempre.” (My father always used to choose the restaurant.)
- (a) elegías
- (b) elegía
- (c) elegía
Answer: elegía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of elegir is elegía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ al presidente mañana.” (We will elect the president tomorrow.)
- (a) elegiremos
- (b) elegiré
- (c) elegirás
Answer: elegiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of elegir is elegiremos.
6. What does elegir mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to choose, to elect
Answer: to choose, to elect — Elegir means “to choose, to elect”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo elijo un vestido rojo.
- (b) Yo eligo un vestido.
- (c) Nosotros eligen al presidente.
Answer: Yo elijo un vestido rojo. — “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I always choose the same one.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo eligen siempre el mismo.
- (b) Yo elijo siempre el mismo.
- (c) El profesor elige a los mejores.
Answer: Yo elijo siempre el mismo. — “Yo elijo siempre el mismo.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of elegir in the present tense?
- (a) elijo
- (b) eliges
- (c) elegimos
Answer: elegimos — The nosotros form is elegimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo elegí un vestido rojo.
- (b) Nosotros elegiremos al presidente mañana.
- (c) Yo elijo un vestido rojo.
Answer: Yo elijo un vestido rojo. — “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I choose a red dress' in Spanish?
Say 'Elijo un vestido rojo'. The yo form is elijo, with a j. The dress follows directly with no preposition.
How do you say 'to choose between two things' in Spanish?
Say 'elegir entre dos cosas'. In the present: '¿Tú eliges entre estos dos?' Entre marks the set you choose from.
What is the difference between elegir and escoger?
The two are synonyms, and both mean to choose. Escoger is slightly more common in everyday speech, while elegir is slightly more formal and is the verb used for elections. In most sentences they are interchangeable.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of elegir — every tense of elegir in one place.
- Elegir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on elegir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of elegir until they are automatic.