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I am making a game in Spanish and the first part is asking for a language, I would like to know how I ask "Please select a language.". I know that one way to say it is "por favor seleccione un idioma." however I would like to know if I use that ending "e" or if I use the infinitive "selectionar" when asking people questions.

Thanks,

C. Harrison

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  • seleccione is correct but in english it would be Please select a language. Is this what you mean? If so, please edit the question.
    – DGaleano
    Sep 11, 2016 at 0:30
  • Sorry @DGaleano I didn't notice the mistake I had made, luckily people still understood what I was saying so the question and answer works. I edited it so it made sense
    – C. Harrison
    Sep 19, 2016 at 18:18

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DISCLAIMER: The following is suitable for the Spanish spoken in Spain. The answer may vary among other Spanish-speaking countries.

TL;DR. Go for Por favor, selecciona un idioma in most cases.

Quite an interesting question. I will give you my opinion as gamer. Of course, if you are unsure you can always go for seleccionar un idioma, but then the game would be very impersonal. I'd prefer the game to be more friendly, so you have two options, as you already know:

  • Selecciona un idioma.
  • Seleccione un idioma.

Now, you have to think about the target audience of the game. If it's for kids, teenagers, or even young adults or just can be played by people of all ages, go for selecciona un idioma. I'd go for the polite version if the game is targeted for adults only (maybe a betting game, a sex game, something with a strong adult theme).

You have even another option, if the game is a party one and is going to be played by groups: seleccionad un idioma (party games are light-hearted and so you can use the colloquial version in this case).

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  • "Selecciona un idioma" would sound ok in Spanish(Spain). If something better is needed, I'd go for "Elige un idioma".
    – carrdelling
    Sep 11, 2016 at 0:25
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    To avoid using personal forms, you can also go for the nominal construction. In this case, Selección de idioma. Not that I think it is better or worse than other alternatives, just one more to consider.
    – Gorpik
    Sep 11, 2016 at 9:54

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