Introduction

Elegir means “to choose, to elect”, and this page covers exactly one thing: elegir in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for elegir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about elegir in the present. Elegir is the verb for choosing something: a dress, a book, a restaurant. The thing chosen is the direct object, with no preposition. For example: “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — I choose a red dress. Everything on this page uses the forms of elegir exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Elegir in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo elijo
tú eliges
él/ella/Ud. elige
nosotros/as elegimos
vosotros/as elegís
ellos/ellas/Uds. eligen

Gerund: eligiendo · Past participle: elegido

The gerund is eligiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy eligiendo” means the action of elegir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is elegido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he elegido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how elegir is used.

How the present of elegir is formed

Elegir is a stem-changing -ir verb: the stem vowel changes from e → i in the stressed forms. That means yo, tú, él/ella/Ud. and ellos/ellas/Uds. take the changed stem, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Start from the stem eleg and add the regular -ir endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en: you get elijo, eliges, elige, then back to the unchanged stem for elegimos and elegís, and the changed stem again for eligen. The nosotros and vosotros forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect the change everywhere — it is not there. Learn the four changed forms and the two unchanged forms as two groups and the pattern becomes automatic.

Elegir has two changes to learn, and they work together. The stem change e → i appears in elijo, eliges, elige and eligen, and disappears in elegimos and elegís. The spelling change g → j appears before an o or an a: the yo form is elijo, not eligo, and the subjunctive is elija. The gerund is eligiendo, with the same e → i change. The preterite has its own change: eligió and eligieron carry the i in the third person, while elegí, elegiste and elegimos keep the e.

When to use the present of elegir

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use elegir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Choosing something

Elegir is the verb for choosing something: a dress, a book, a restaurant. The thing chosen is the direct object, with no preposition. Example: “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — I choose a red dress.

2. Choosing between options

Elegir entre + options means to choose between things. The entre marks the set you choose from. Example: “¿Tú eliges entre estos dos?” — Do you choose between these two?

3. Electing someone

Elegir a + person means to elect or to choose someone for a role. The personal a appears because the object is a person. Example: “Nosotros elegimos al presidente.” — We elect the president.

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and elegir is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — I choose a red dress.

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with elegir in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros elegimos al presidente.” — We elect the president.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Yo elijo un vestido rojo cada mes.” — I choose a red dress every month.

  • Preterite: “Ayer yo elegí un vestido rojo.” — Yesterday I chose a red dress.

  • Cada mes describes a routine, so the present is right; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Mi padre elige el restaurante siempre.” — My father always chooses the restaurant.

  • Preterite: “Mi padre eligió el restaurante ayer.” — My father chose the restaurant yesterday.

  • Siempre signals repetition, so the present fits; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite fits.

  • Present Tense: “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — I choose a red dress.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo elegí un vestido rojo.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.

  • The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: elegir in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Yo elijo un vestido rojo.” — I choose a red dress.

  2. “¿Tú eliges entre estos dos?” — Do you choose between these two?

  3. “Mi padre elige el restaurante.” — My father chooses the restaurant.

  4. “Nosotros elegimos al presidente.” — We elect the president.

  5. “Vosotros elegís la película.” — You choose the film.

  6. “Ellos eligen un hotel.” — They choose a hotel.

  7. “Yo elijo siempre el mismo.” — I always choose the same one.

  8. “El profesor elige a los mejores.” — The teacher chooses the best ones.

Common mistakes with elegir in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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.

Quiz: elegir in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ un vestido rojo.” (I choose a red dress.)

  • (a) eliges
  • (b) elige
  • (c) elijo

Answer: elijo — The yo form of elegir in the present is elijo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ entre estos dos?” (Do you choose between these two?)

  • (a) elige
  • (b) eliges
  • (c) elijo

Answer: eliges — The tú form of elegir in the present is eliges. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Mi padre ______ el restaurante.” (My father chooses the restaurant.)

  • (a) elige
  • (b) elijo
  • (c) eliges

Answer: elige — The él/ella/Ud. form of elegir in the present is elige. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ al presidente.” (We elect the president.)

  • (a) elijo
  • (b) eliges
  • (c) elegimos

Answer: elegimos — The nosotros/as form of elegir in the present is elegimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of elegir in the present?

  • (a) eliges
  • (b) elegís
  • (c) elijo

Answer: elegís — From the table above: vosotros/as takes elegís. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros elegís la película.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un hotel.” (They choose a hotel.)

  • (a) elijo
  • (b) eliges
  • (c) eligen

Answer: eligen — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is eligen.

7. Elegir is a stem-changing verb (e → i). Which form keeps the ORIGINAL stem?

  • (a) elegimos
  • (b) elijo
  • (c) eligen

Answer: elegimos — In a e → i stem-changing verb, nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem, while yo, tú, él and ellos take the changed stem. So elegimos is the unchanged form.

8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?

  • (a) Yo elijo un vestido rojo cada mes.
  • (b) Ayer yo elegí un vestido rojo.
  • (c) Ayer yo elegí un vestido rojo.

Answer: Yo elijo un vestido rojo cada mes. — “Yo elijo un vestido rojo cada mes.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.

Frequently asked questions

Is elegir regular in the present tense?

No. Elegir is a stem-changing -ir verb: the e of the stem becomes i in the stressed forms yo, tú, él and ellos (elijo, eliges, elige, eligen), while nosotros and vosotros keep the e (elegimos, elegís). The endings are the regular -ir endings.

Why is the yo form elijo and not eligo?

Because the g of the stem becomes j before an o or an a, to keep the sound: elijo in the present yo, elija in the subjunctive. The same spelling appears in the preterite yo: elegí keeps the g, because the ending starts with an i, not an o or an a.

Does elegir take a preposition before a person?

Yes, it takes the personal a: elegir al presidente, elegir a los mejores. Before a thing, there is no preposition: elegir un vestido. Before a set of options, use entre: elegir entre estos dos.

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