eligíéramos

Eligíéramos is the form in Spanish used for the first-person plural (nosotros/as) of the imperfect subjunctive of the verb elegir (to choose). This form appears in subordinate clauses that express doubt, hypothetical situations, wishes, or conditions contrary to fact in the past. It is one of several variants available for the imperfect subjunctive of -er/-ir verbs.

Formation and variants: The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the third-person plural preterite form of the verb, replaced endings as -era/-ieras/-era/-éramos/-erais/-eran or, in some dialects, the -ra/-ras/-ra/-ramos/-rais/-ran set. For elegir, this yields forms such as eligieramos or elegieramos. The spelling with a written accent, eligíéramos, is a variant used in some varieties to indicate the pronunciation and stress pattern across two vowels. Both eligieramos and elegíéramos are recognized in standard Spanish; regional preferences may favor one variant over another.

Usage: Eligíéramos is used in contexts requiring the imperfect subjunctive, such as hypothetical past conditions or polite requests. Examples:

- Si eligieramos a un representante, tendríamos que justificar nuestra elección.

- Quisiera que eligieramos con más cuidado.

Etymology and notes: The verb elegir comes from the Latin eligere. The imperfect subjunctive forms, including eligíéramos, reflect the historical alternation between the -iera/-iese and -ra/-se families of endings in Spanish. While eligíéramos is less common in some dialects, it remains an accepted variant alongside eligieramos and elegieramos.

See also: elegir, subjuntivo, conjugation of -er/-ir verbs in the imperfect subjunctive.