How to Use Chose vs. Chosen (Irregular Verbs)

First published on December 16, 2022 by Dalia Y.|Last revised on October 20, 2024

Choose (pronounced like chews) is in the present. Chose is the simple past tense, and chosen is the past participle.

How to Use Chose vs. Chosen (Irregular Verbs)

What's the past tense of "choose"?

The simple past tense of choose is chose, and the past participle is chosen. Use chose for simple past and chosen with auxiliary verbs.

Definition of choose

The Oxford English Dictionary defines choose as "to select from a number of possibilities; pick by preference." It's one of the most common irregular verbs in English.

The past tense of choose is chose.

The past participle of choose is chosen.

Verb forms of 'choose'

Simple Cont. Perfect Perfect Cont.

Present

I/you/they choose • He/she/it chooses

Past

I/you/they chose • He/she/it chose

Future

I/you/they will choose • He/she/it will choose

Present

I am/you are choosing • He/she/it is choosing

Past

I was/you were choosing • He/she/it was choosing

Future

I/you will be choosing • He/she/it will be choosing

Present

I/you have chosen • He/she/it has chosen

Past

I/you had chosen • He/she/it had chosen

Future

I/you will have chosen • He/she/it will have chosen

Present

I have been choosing • He/she/it has been choosing

Past

I had been choosing • He/she/it had been choosing

Future

I will have been choosing • He/she/it will have been choosing

Is "choose" a regular or irregular verb?

The verb choose is irregular. Its past tense is chose and past participle is chosen, not "choosed." This is a common pattern among English irregular verbs.

When to use "chose" vs. "chosen"

I chose the pasta for dinner.

I have already chosen my career path.

The verb choose uses different forms for simple past and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so chose can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Sentence examples: choose, chose, chosen

Choose (present tense)

• You can choose any topping you like for the pizza.

• I always choose to walk when the weather is nice.

• Which of these paths will you choose?

Chose (past simple)

• Yesterday, she chose the red dress for the party.

• He chose his words carefully before speaking.

• We chose to stay home instead of going to the movies.

Chosen (present or past perfect)

• The team has chosen a new captain.

• She was chosen to represent the school at the competition.

• If I had known, I would have chosen a different path.

Synonyms & nearby words

Synonyms for choose

select pick elect decide opt prefer determine settle on

Nearby phrases

choose the lesser of two evils not much to choose between choose your poison choose sides choose wisely choose carefully

Origin of the verb choose

Old English ceosan "choose, seek out, select from two or more; decide, test, taste, try; accept, approve".

Practice: chose vs. chosen

Question 1 of 5

She always ___ the most difficult question first.

chooses
choose
chose

He hasn’t ___ a topic for his project yet.

chosen
chose
choose

Last night, I ___ to stay home instead of going out.

chose
choose
chosen

If you ___ that color, I think it will look great.

choose
chose
chooses

She was ___ between two different dresses.

choosing
chose
chosen

FAQs

What is the simple past tense of "choose"? +

The simple past tense of "choose" is "chose." This indicates a completed action in the past, as in "I chose the pasta." It's crucial to differentiate it from the past participle "chosen."

What's the past participle of "choose"? +

The present or past perfect). It also appears in passive voice constructions.

How do I use "chose" correctly? +

"Chose" is used to describe a single completed action in the past. For example, "The contestant chose what was behind door number three." It's the simple past tense and stands alone, unlike participles which need auxiliary verbs.

When do I use "chosen" instead of "chose"? +

Use "chosen" with auxiliary verbs like "had" to form the past perfect tense (e.g., "They had chosen a table"). This shows an action completed before another past action. Also, use "chosen" with "have" or "has" for present perfect.

What's the difference between "chose" and "chosen"? +

"Chose" is the simple past tense, showing a completed past action (e.g., "I chose pizza"). "Chosen" is the present or past perfect).

Sources

Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. "Choose, v." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
Merriam-Webster. "Choose." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.