optar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin optāre (“to choose”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [upˈta]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Northwestern) [opˈta]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [opˈtaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

optar (first-person singular present opto, first-person singular preterite optí, past participle optat); root stress: (Northern) /o̞/; (Balearic, Central, Northwestern, Valencia) /ɔ/

1. to pick, choose, go for

Conjugation

    Central Catalan conjugation of optar (first conjugation)

infinitive			optar
gerund			optant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		optat		optada
		plural		optats		optades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	opto	optes	opta	optem	opteu	opten
	imperfect	optava	optaves	optava	optàvem	optàveu	optaven
	future	optaré	optaràs	optarà	optarem	optareu	optaran
	preterite	optí	optares	optà	optàrem	optàreu	optaren
	conditional	optaria	optaries	optaria	optaríem	optaríeu	optarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	opti	optis	opti	optem	opteu	optin
	imperfect	optés	optessis	optés	optéssim	optéssiu	optessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	opta	opti	optem	opteu	optin
	negative (no)	—	no optis	no opti	no optem	no opteu	no optin

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• oftar, oftarr
• optarr

Adverb

optar (positive opt, superlative optast)

1. oftener

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “opt”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin optāre (“to choose”). Compare the inherited doublet outar.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /opˈta(ʁ)/ [opˈta(h)], /o.piˈta(ʁ)/ [o.piˈta(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /opˈta(ʁ)/ [opˈta(h)], /o.piˈta(ʁ)/ [o.piˈta(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /opˈta(ɾ)/, /o.piˈta(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /opˈta(ʁ)/ [opˈta(χ)], /o.piˈta(ʁ)/ [o.piˈta(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /opˈta(ɻ)/, /o.piˈta(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔpˈtaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔpˈtaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔpˈta.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: op‧tar

Verb

optar (first-person singular present opto, first-person singular preterite optei, past participle optado)

1. to opt; to choose; to pick

   Synonyms: decidir, escolher, selecionar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of optar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	optar
Personal	optar	optares	optar	optarmos	optardes	optarem
Gerund
	optando
Past participle
Masculine	optado			optados
Feminine	optada			optadas
Indicative
Present	opto	optas	opta	optamos	optais	optam
Imperfect	optava	optavas	optava	optávamos	optáveis	optavam
Preterite	optei	optaste	optou	optamos1, optámos2	optastes	optaram
Pluperfect	optara	optaras	optara	optáramos	optáreis	optaram
Future	optarei	optarás	optará	optaremos	optareis	optarão
Conditional	optaria	optarias	optaria	optaríamos	optaríeis	optariam
Subjunctive
Present	opte	optes	opte	optemos	opteis	optem
Imperfect	optasse	optasses	optasse	optássemos	optásseis	optassem
Future	optar	optares	optar	optarmos	optardes	optarem
Imperative
Affirmative		opta	opte	optemos	optai	optem
Negative (não)		não optes	não opte	não optemos	não opteis	não optem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Related terms

• opção
• opcional
• optante
• optativamente
• optativo

Further reading

• “optar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “optar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin optāre (“to choose”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /obˈtaɾ/ [oβ̞ˈt̪aɾ]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: op‧tar

Verb

optar (first-person singular present opto, first-person singular preterite opté, past participle optado)

1. to opt

Conjugation

    Conjugation of optar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			optar
gerund			optando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		optado		optada
		plural		optados		optadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	opto	optastú optásvos	opta	optamos	optáis	optan
	imperfect	optaba	optabas	optaba	optábamos	optabais	optaban
	preterite	opté	optaste	optó	optamos	optasteis	optaron
	future	optaré	optarás	optará	optaremos	optaréis	optarán
	conditional	optaría	optarías	optaría	optaríamos	optaríais	optarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	opte	optestú optésvos2	opte	optemos	optéis	opten
	imperfect (ra)	optara	optaras	optara	optáramos	optarais	optaran
	imperfect (se)	optase	optases	optase	optásemos	optaseis	optasen
	future1	optare	optares	optare	optáremos	optareis	optaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		optatú optávos	opte	optemos	optad	opten
	negative		no optes	no opte	no optemos	no optéis	no opten

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of optar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive optar	dative	optarme	optarte	optarle, optarse	optarnos	optaros	optarles, optarse
	accusative	optarme	optarte	optarlo, optarla, optarse	optarnos	optaros	optarlos, optarlas, optarse
with gerund optando	dative	optándome	optándote	optándole, optándose	optándonos	optándoos	optándoles, optándose
	accusative	optándome	optándote	optándolo, optándola, optándose	optándonos	optándoos	optándolos, optándolas, optándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative opta	dative	óptame	óptate	óptale	óptanos	not used	óptales
	accusative	óptame	óptate	óptalo, óptala	óptanos	not used	óptalos, óptalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative optá	dative	optame	optate	optale	optanos	not used	optales
	accusative	optame	optate	optalo, optala	optanos	not used	optalos, optalas
with formal second-person singular imperative opte	dative	ópteme	not used	óptele, óptese	óptenos	not used	ópteles
	accusative	ópteme	not used	óptelo, óptela, óptese	óptenos	not used	óptelos, óptelas
with first-person plural imperative optemos	dative	not used	optémoste	optémosle	optémonos	optémoos	optémosles
	accusative	not used	optémoste	optémoslo, optémosla	optémonos	optémoos	optémoslos, optémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative optad	dative	optadme	not used	optadle	optadnos	optaos	optadles
	accusative	optadme	not used	optadlo, optadla	optadnos	optaos	optadlos, optadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative opten	dative	óptenme	not used	óptenle	óptennos	not used	óptenles, óptense
	accusative	óptenme	not used	óptenlo, óptenla	óptennos	not used	óptenlos, óptenlas, óptense

Further reading

• “optar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025