Escoger Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

escoger means to choose, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a spelling-changing -er verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo escojo todos los días» — I choose every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use escoger the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Escoger in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where escoger lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo escojo todos los días. — I choose every day.
  2. Tú escoges en el trabajo. — You choose at work.
  3. Él escoge con mi familia. — He chooses with my family.
  4. Nosotros escogemos por la mañana. — We choose in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo escogí por la tarde. — Yesterday I chose in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo escogía todos los días. — In the past, I used to choose every day.
  3. La semana pasada él escogió dos veces. — Last week He chose twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo escogeré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will choose without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo escogería ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would choose right now.
  3. Hoy yo he escogido dos veces. — Today I have chose twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú escojas pronto. — I hope You choose soon.
  2. ¡escoge, por favor! — Choose, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy escogiendo. — Right now I am choosing.

Escoger in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo escojo en el trabajo.» — I choose at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo escojo con mi familia.» — I choose with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo escogeré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will choose without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo escogería ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would choose right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he escogido dos veces.» — Today I have chose twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo escogí por la tarde. Antes, yo escogía todos los días. Hoy yo he escogido dos veces. Mañana yo escogeré sin falta.

Yesterday I chose in the afternoon. In the past, I used to choose every day. Today I have chose twice. Tomorrow I will choose without fail.

Common mistakes with escoger

1. Missing the spelling change in the present indicative

Wrong: Yo escogo.

Right: Yo escojo.

The spelling changes so the pronunciation stays the same: the yo form in the present indicative is escojo, not escogo. The endings are regular — only the spelling of the stem-final letter adjusts before e and i.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo escogía.

Right: Ayer yo escogí.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, escogí. The imperfect escogía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú escoges.

Right: Espero que tú escojas.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: escojas, not the indicative escoges. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No escoge.

Right: No escojas.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no escojas. The affirmative escoge can never follow no.

5. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo escoger todos los días.

Right: Yo escojo todos los días.

The infinitive escoger names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo escojo.

Quiz: escoger in use

Test yourself on escoger in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the tú form of escoger in the present indicative?

- (a) escoges
- (b) escoge
- (c) escojo
- (d) escogemos

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of escoger in the preterite?

- (a) escogí
- (b) escogió
- (c) escogimos
- (d) escogiste

3. What is the nosotros/as form of escoger in the future?

- (a) escogeremos
- (b) escogerás
- (c) escogeré
- (d) escogerá

4. What is the vosotros/as form of escoger in the present perfect?

- (a) habéis escogido
- (b) has escogido
- (c) ha escogido
- (d) he escogido

5. What is the tú form of escoger in the imperfect?

- (a) escogía
- (b) escogías
- (c) escogíamos
- (d) escogía

6. What is the gerund of escoger?

- (a) escoger
- (b) escojo
- (c) escogiendo
- (d) escogido

7. What is the past participle of escoger?

- (a) escogí
- (b) escoger
- (c) escogiendo
- (d) escogido

8. Which sentence uses escoger correctly?

- (a) *Yo escojo todos los días.* — I choose every day.
- (b) *Yo escoge todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo escoger todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo escoges todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses escoger correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo escogía por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo escoger por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo escogí por la tarde.* — Yesterday I chose in the afternoon.
- (d) *Ayer yo escojo por la tarde.*

10. What does escoger mean?

- (a) to escape
- (b) to hide oneself
- (c) to choose
- (d) to escape

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of escoger is escoges. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of escoger is escogió. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of escoger is escogeremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present perfect, the vosotros/as form of escoger is habéis escogido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the tú form of escoger is escogías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — The gerund of escoger is escogiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy escogiendo». 7. (d) — The past participle of escoger is escogido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he escogido». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of escoger; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (c) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of escoger; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (c) — escoger means «to choose».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I choose' in Spanish?

Say «Yo escojo todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I chose' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo escogí por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is escoger reflexive?

No — escoger is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo escojo, tú escoges, él escoge. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with escoger?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (escogí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (escogía) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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