Irregular verb in English, past tense of Choose: Choose - Chose - Chosen

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The past tense of Choose are often confused with each other. The present form is Choose, the past form is Chose, and the past participle is Chosen. However, how are these verbs conjugated in 12 English tenses? Let's explore this together with PREP!

I. What is Choose?
II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Choose? The past tense of Choose in English
III. Conjugation of the Verb Choose
1. 1. In tenses
2. 2. In special sentence structures
IV. Phrasal verbs/idioms with Choose in English
VI. Exercises on applying the past tense of Choose verb with answers
1. 1. Exercise
2. 2. Answers

I. What is Choose?

What is the past tense of Choose? First, let's understand the meaning of Choose!

Choose is pronounced /tʃuːz/, acts as a verb, and means: to select, to pick. For example:

John chose the blue shirt instead of the red one for the meeting.
Sarah is trying to choose a vacation destination from several options.

II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Choose? The past tense of Choose in English

What is the past tense of Choose? V0, V2, and V3 are abbreviations for: the base form, simple past, and past participle. Let’s take a closer look at the V0, V2, and V3 forms of Choose in the table below:

Verb form		Example
V0	Choose/chooses /tʃuːz/	Alice always chooses the best seat at the theater.
V2	Chose /tʃoʊz/	Alice chose the best seat at the theater yesterday.
V3	Chosen /ˈtʃoʊ.zən/	Alice has chosen the best seat at the theater.

Choose past tense and past participle are: Choose past simple is Chose and Choose past participle is Chosen. Therefore, Choose past perfect tense is Had Chosen.

III. Conjugation of the Verb Choose

What is the past tense of Choose? How is the verb Choose conjugated in the 12 English tenses and special structures? Let's explore this together with PREP!

1. In tenses

12 tenses in English	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Present simple tense	choose	chooses	choose
	I choose the best option for the project. He chooses his words carefully when speaking in meetings. We choose our vacation spots based on the weather.
Present progressive tense	am choosing	is choosing	are choosing
	I am choosing a new book to read. He is choosing a color for the new room. We are choosing the best date for our event.
Present perfect tense	have chosen	has chosen	have chosen
	I have chosen the best team member for the task. He has chosen his career path carefully. We have chosen a new strategy for the upcoming project.
Present perfect progressive tense	have been choosing	has been choosing	has been choosing
	I have been choosing new recipes to try this month. He has been choosing different workout routines lately. We have been choosing the best locations for our new office.
Past simple tense	chose	chose	chose
	I chose the wrong movie for the party last night. He chose a different path after graduation. We chose a beautiful venue for the wedding last year.
Past progressive tense	was choosing	was choosing	were choosing
	I was choosing the outfit when the phone rang. He was choosing the right words during the negotiation. We were choosing our summer vacation plans last week.
Past perfect tense	had chosen	had chosen	had chosen
	I had chosen the restaurant before the guests arrived. He had chosen his new car by the time he got the loan. We had chosen the final design before the meeting started.
Past perfect progressive tense	had been choosing	had been choosing	had been choosing
	I had been choosing different options before I finally decided. He had been choosing a new career path for months before making a decision. We had been choosing between two venues for weeks before making our final choice.
Future simple tense	will choose	will choose	will choose
	I will choose the best option after reviewing all the details. He will choose a new laptop for work next month. We will choose the location for our new office soon.
Future progressive tense	will be choosing	will be choosing	will be choosing
	I will be choosing my courses for next semester next week. He will be choosing a new car this weekend. We will be choosing the best time for our event next month.
Future perfect tense	will have chosen	will have chosen	will have chosen
	I will have chosen the right candidate by the end of the interview process. He will have chosen his new apartment by the time he moves. We will have chosen the best venue by the time the event starts.
Future perfect progressive tense	will have been choosing	will have been choosing	will have been choosing
	I will have been choosing the final design for the brochure over the next few days. He will have been choosing the best candidate for the job by the time the applications close. We will have been choosing the best suppliers for our project by the end of the month.

2. In special sentence structures

Special Structure	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Conditional Sentences
Second conditional - Main Clause	would choose	would choose	would choose
Second conditional - Main Clause	If I were choosing a new car, I would choose a hybrid model. If he were choosing a vacation destination, he would choose a tropical island. If we were choosing a new office location, we would choose a central area.
Third conditional - Main Clause	would/might have saved	would/might have saved	would/might have saved
Third conditional - Main Clause	If I had chosen a different course last year, I might have enjoyed the subject more. If he had chosen the other option, he would have saved more money. If we had chosen a different supplier, we might have received better quality products.
Subjunctive Mood
Subjunctive expressing present situation	choose	choose	choose
Subjunctive expressing present situation contrary to fact	chose	chose	chose
Subjunctive expressing past situation contrary to fact	had chosen	had chosen	had chosen
Example	If I choose a new laptop, I consider the battery life as a top priority. If he chose a new hobby, he would choose something related to sports. If we had chosen a different supplier last year, we might have received better service.

IV. Phrasal verbs/idioms with Choose in English

After exploring Choose past form, let’s take note of the list of phrasal verbs/idioms with Choose in English below!

Phrasal verbs/ Idioms with Choose	Meaning	Example
choose up sb/ sth	To make a decision about selecting someone or something	John chose up the best players for his team from the selection available.
choose to do something	To decide to take a particular action or do something.	Sarah chose to study abroad to gain more international experience.
pick and choose	To select with great care or to be very selective in making choices.	Michael picked and chose his vacation destinations to ensure that he went to only the most beautiful places.
little/ not much to choose between	There is very little difference between two or more options.	Anna thought there was little to choose between the two job offers, as both had similar benefits.

VI. Exercises on applying the past tense of Choose verb with answers

To understand more about the past tense of Choose and the phrasal verbs with Choose in English, let’s complete the following exercises from PREP!

1. Exercise

Exercise 1: Fill in the correct form of the verb "Choose" in the sentences below:

If I _____ (choose) a different route, I might have avoided the traffic jam.
Anna _____ (choose) the best option for her project yesterday.
They _____ (choose) a new leader for the team by the end of this week.
We _____ (choose) this restaurant because it has great reviews.
By next month, John _____ (choose) a suitable date for the conference.
If Emi _____ (choose) to stay longer, she could have seen more of the city.
I _____ (choose) this book because it was highly recommended by a friend.
By the time we arrived, they _____ (choose) the movie already.
We _____ (choose) the location for the party last week.
If you _____ (choose) differently, you might have had a different outcome.

2. Answers

had chosen
chose
will have chosen
chose
will have chosen

had chosen
chose
had chosen
chose
had chosen

In this article, PREP has introduced you to the meaning, idioms, phrasal verbs, and past tense of Choose. Stay tuned with PREP for more valuable English knowledge!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.