elegir
choose
Tomar una decisión entre varias opciones o personas para quedarse con una sola.
Definition & meaning
Elegir means to choose or to select from among alternatives. It can also mean to elect someone to a position.
- Puedes elegir un libro. — You can choose a book.
- Eligieron a una nueva presidenta. — They elected a new president.
Grammar & Word origin
Elegir is a verb. It has an irregular stem change in some forms: e becomes i, as in elijo (“I choose”). Its spelling also changes from g to j before o or a, as in elijo and elija.
It comes from Latin eligere, meaning “to select” or “to choose.”
Synonyms & antonyms
- seleccionar — “to select”; often suggests a more careful or formal process.
- escoger — “to choose”; a close synonym in most everyday contexts.
- rechazar — “to reject”; the opposite when an option is turned down rather than chosen.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Ella puede elegir cualquier libro de la biblioteca.verb
She can choose any book from the library.
Voy a elegir el color de la pared.verb
I am going to choose the color of the wall.
María no sabe qué libro elegir.verb
María doesn't know which book to choose.
Pedro quiere elegir la película para esta noche.verb
Pedro wants to choose the movie for tonight.
Ayer elegimos un regalo para nuestra amiga.verb
Yesterday we chose a gift for our friend.
¿Cuál trabajo elegiste al final?verb
Which job did you choose in the end?
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