Elegían

Elegían is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb elegir, meaning to choose or to elect. As a past tense form, it describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past, rather than a single completed act.

Conjugation and morphology: The imperfect tense of elegir for all subjects is regular in its endings, with a stem that remains ele- in the imperfect. The forms are: yo elegía, tú elegías, él/ella/usted elegía, nosotros elegíamos, vosotros elegíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes elegían. The form elegían specifically corresponds to “they were choosing” or “they used to choose.”

Etymology: The verb elegir comes from the Latin eligere, meaning to select or to pick. Over time, it entered Spanish through Vulgar Latin, evolving into the current form with the modern root ele- and the characteristic irregular present tense forms, while the imperfect uses regular endings.

Usage notes: Elegían is used to describe past selections or elections viewed as habitual or continuous over a period, or to set a scene in narrative past. For completed past actions, the preterite elegieron would be used instead. In subordinate clauses, it can appear after verbs of preference, voting, or decision-making in the past.

Examples: "Los miembros del jurado elegían al ganador entre varias propuestas." "Cuando eran jóvenes, elegían a sus representantes cada año."

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