Eligieramos

Eligieramos is the first-person plural form of the Spanish verb elegir (to choose) in the imperfect subjunctive mood. It is used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical, uncertain, or non-factual situations in the past, or in conditional constructions with a past reference. In English, it can translate roughly as “we were to choose” or “if we chose,” depending on the context.

Orthography and variants: The imperfect subjunctive of elegir has two common orthographic variants in the nosotros form: elegieramos and elegiéramos. Both are generally accepted in contemporary Spanish, with some varieties favoring the form with an acute accent on the i (elegiéramos) to indicate the correct stress. There is also discussion among grammarians about stem alternations in some forms of the imperfect subjunctive, but eligieramos remains the standard form for this person and tense.

Usage in sentences: Eligieramos appears in clauses introduced by si (if) or by verbs of doubt, desire, or possibility. Examples include: “Si eligieramos a un líder, podríamos avanzar” and “No estaba seguro de si eligieramos bien a la persona adecuada.” The form is more common in formal or literary writing than in everyday speech, where simpler constructions or other tenses may be preferred.

Relation to related forms: Eligieramos is part of the same conjugation family as other imperfect subjunctive forms of irregular verbs ending in -er, and it shares the general function of the imperfect subjunctive across Spanish, alongside forms ending in -ra and -se variants. It is directly related to elegir, in contrast to its present forms like elegimos or ello’s other tenses such as elige or elegiría.

See also: elegir, imperfect subjunctive, subjunctive mood, si clauses.