Escoger Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb escoger means to choose, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a spelling-changing -er verb verb: the stem is escog and the endings follow the -er pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. This page gives you the complete picture — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say «Yo escojo todos los días», which means «I choose every day». Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: escoger
- English: to choose
- Verb type: spelling-changing -er verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: escogiendo
- Past participle: escogido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + escogido)
- Spelling change: in the present indicative the yo form is escojo, not escogo, so the stem-final letter changes before e and i.
- Spelling change: in the present subjunctive the yo form is escoja, not escoga, so the stem-final letter changes before e and i.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for escoger, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for escoger. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: escogiendo · Past participle: escogido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escojo |
| tú | escoges |
| él/ella/Ud. | escoge |
| nosotros/as | escogemos |
| vosotros/as | escogéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escogen |
Use the present of escoger for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form escojo is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -er endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escogí |
| tú | escogiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | escogió |
| nosotros/as | escogimos |
| vosotros/as | escogisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escogieron |
Use the preterite of escoger for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is escogí. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escogía |
| tú | escogías |
| él/ella/Ud. | escogía |
| nosotros/as | escogíamos |
| vosotros/as | escogíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escogían |
Use the imperfect of escoger for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is escogía. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escogeré |
| tú | escogerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | escogerá |
| nosotros/as | escogeremos |
| vosotros/as | escogeréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escogerán |
Use the future of escoger for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is escogeré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escogería |
| tú | escogerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | escogería |
| nosotros/as | escogeríamos |
| vosotros/as | escogeríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escogerían |
Use the conditional of escoger for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is escogería. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he escogido |
| tú | has escogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha escogido |
| nosotros/as | hemos escogido |
| vosotros/as | habéis escogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han escogido |
Use the present perfect of escoger for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he escogido — haber in the present plus escogido. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había escogido |
| tú | habías escogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había escogido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos escogido |
| vosotros/as | habíais escogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían escogido |
Use the pluperfect of escoger when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había escogido. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré escogido |
| tú | habrás escogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá escogido |
| nosotros/as | habremos escogido |
| vosotros/as | habréis escogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán escogido |
Use the future perfect of escoger to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré escogido. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría escogido |
| tú | habrías escogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría escogido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos escogido |
| vosotros/as | habríais escogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían escogido |
Use the conditional perfect of escoger for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría escogido. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escoja |
| tú | escojas |
| él/ella/Ud. | escoja |
| nosotros/as | escojamos |
| vosotros/as | escogáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escojan |
Use the present subjunctive of escoger when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is escoja. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | escogiera |
| tú | escogieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | escogiera |
| nosotros/as | escogiéramos |
| vosotros/as | escogierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escogieran |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of escoger after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is escogiera. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | escoge |
| él/ella/Ud. | escoja |
| nosotros/as | escojamos |
| vosotros/as | escoged |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escojan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of escoger to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is escoge. For a polite command, use the usted form escoja instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | escojas |
| él/ella/Ud. | escoja |
| nosotros/as | escojamos |
| vosotros/as | escogáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | escojan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of escoger to forbid or to warn: «¡No escojas!». The tú form is escojas, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo escojo todos los días. — I choose every day.
- Ayer yo escogí por la tarde. — Yesterday I chose in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo escogía todos los días. — In the past, I used to choose every day.
- Mañana yo escogeré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will choose without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo escogería ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would choose right now.
- Hoy yo he escogido dos veces. — Today I have chose twice.
- Espero que tú escojas pronto. — I hope You choose soon.
- Si yo escogiera, todo sería distinto. — If I chose, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy escogiendo. — Right now I am choosing.
- ¡escoge, por favor! — Choose, please!
Common mistakes
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.
6. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He escogiendo.
Right: He escogido.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he escogido. The gerund escogiendo goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy escogiendo»), never with haber.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the tú form of escoger in the present indicative?
- (a) escogemos
- (b) escojo
- (c) escoge
- (d) escoges
2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of escoger in the preterite?
- (a) escogió
- (b) escogimos
- (c) escogiste
- (d) escogí
3. What is the nosotros/as form of escoger in the imperfect?
- (a) escogías
- (b) escogía
- (c) escogíamos
- (d) escogía
4. What is the vosotros/as form of escoger in the future?
- (a) escogeréis
- (b) escogeré
- (c) escogerás
- (d) escogerá
5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of escoger in the conditional?
- (a) escogería
- (b) escogerían
- (c) escogerías
- (d) escogería
6. What is the yo form of escoger in the present perfect?
- (a) he escogido
- (b) hemos escogido
- (c) has escogido
- (d) ha escogido
7. What is the tú form of escoger in the present subjunctive?
- (a) escoja
- (b) escoja
- (c) escojamos
- (d) escojas
8. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of escoger in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) escogiera
- (b) escogiéramos
- (c) escogieras
- (d) escogiera
9. What is the gerund of escoger?
- (a) escogiendo
- (b) escojo
- (c) escoger
- (d) escogido
10. What is the past participle of escoger?
- (a) escogí
- (b) escoger
- (c) escogido
- (d) escogiendo
Answer key
1. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of escoger is escoges. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of escoger is escogió. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of escoger is escogíamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the vosotros/as form of escoger is escogeréis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the conditional, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of escoger is escogerían. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present perfect, the yo form of escoger is he escogido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — In the present subjunctive, the tú form of escoger is escojas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the él/ella/Ud. form of escoger is escogiera. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (a) — The gerund of escoger is escogiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy escogiendo». 10. (c) — The past participle of escoger is escogido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he escogido».
Frequently asked questions
Is escoger regular or irregular?
Mostly yes — escoger takes the regular -er endings, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms (for example the yo preterite escogí). The endings never change; only the stem-final letter adjusts so the pronunciation stays the same.
What are the gerund and past participle of escoger?
The gerund is escogiendo and the past participle is escogido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy escogiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he escogido»).
How do I say «I choose» in Spanish?
Say «Yo escojo todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of escoger?
Use the preterite (escogí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (escogía) for habits and background. «Ayer yo escogí» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo escogía» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with escoger?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú escojas». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use escoger in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he escogido». The participle escogido never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: escoger-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: escoger-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: esconderse
- Related verb: establecerse
- Related verb: emprender
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz