diff --git a/library/data/nat/choose.lean b/library/data/nat/choose.lean
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cd1f0e93e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/library/data/nat/choose.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+
+Module: data.nat.choose
+Authors: Leonardo de Moura
+
+Choice function for decidable predicates on natural numbers.
+
+This module provides the following two declarations:
+
+choose      {p : nat → Prop} [d : decidable_pred p] : (∃ x, p x) → nat
+choose_spec {p : nat → Prop} [d : decidable_pred p] (ex : ∃ x, p x) : p (choose ex)
+-/
+import data.subtype data.nat.basic data.nat.order
+open nat subtype decidable well_founded
+
+namespace nat
+context find_x
+parameter {p : nat → Prop}
+
+private definition lbp (x : nat) : Prop := ∀ y, y < x → ¬ p y
+
+private lemma lbp_zero : lbp 0 :=
+λ y h, absurd h (not_lt_zero y)
+
+private lemma lbp_succ {x : nat} : lbp x → ¬ p x → lbp (succ x) :=
+λ lx npx y yltsx,
+  or.elim (eq_or_lt_of_le yltsx)
+    (λ yeqx, by rewrite [yeqx]; exact npx)
+    (λ yltx, lx y yltx)
+
+private definition gtb (a b : nat) : Prop :=
+a > b ∧ lbp a
+
+local infix `≺`:50 := gtb
+
+private definition acc_of_px {x : nat} : p x → acc gtb x :=
+assume h,
+acc.intro x (λ (y : nat) (l : y ≺ x),
+  have h₁ : y > x,              from and.elim_left l,
+  have h₂ : ∀ a, a < y → ¬ p a, from and.elim_right l,
+  absurd h (h₂ x h₁))
+
+private definition acc_of_acc_succ {x : nat} : acc gtb (succ x) → acc gtb x :=
+assume h,
+acc.intro x (λ (y : nat) (l : y ≺ x),
+   have ygtx  : x < y,    from and.elim_left l,
+   by_cases
+     (λ yeqx : y = succ x, by rewrite [yeqx]; exact h)
+     (λ ynex : y ≠ succ x,
+        have ygtsx : succ x < y, from lt_of_le_and_ne (succ_lt_succ ygtx) (ne.symm ynex),
+        acc.inv h (and.intro ygtsx (and.elim_right l))))
+
+private definition acc_of_px_of_gt {x y : nat} : p x → y > x → acc gtb y :=
+assume px ygtx,
+acc.intro y (λ (z : nat) (l : z ≺ y),
+  have zgty : z > y,              from and.elim_left l,
+  have h    : ∀ a, a < z → ¬ p a, from and.elim_right l,
+  absurd px (h x (lt.trans ygtx zgty)))
+
+private definition acc_of_acc_of_lt : ∀ {x y : nat}, acc gtb x → y < x → acc gtb y
+| 0        y a0  ylt0  := absurd ylt0 !not_lt_zero
+| (succ x) y asx yltsx :=
+  assert ax : acc gtb x, from acc_of_acc_succ asx,
+  by_cases
+     (λ yeqx : y = x, by rewrite [yeqx]; exact ax)
+     (λ ynex : y ≠ x, acc_of_acc_of_lt ax (lt_of_le_and_ne yltsx ynex))
+
+parameter (ex : ∃ a, p a)
+parameter [dp : decidable_pred p]
+include dp
+
+private definition acc_of_ex (x : nat) : acc gtb x :=
+obtain (w : nat) (pw : p w), from ex,
+lt.by_cases
+  (λ xltw : x < w, acc_of_acc_of_lt (acc_of_px pw) xltw)
+  (λ xeqw : x = w, by rewrite [xeqw]; exact (acc_of_px pw))
+  (λ xgtw : x > w, acc_of_px_of_gt pw xgtw)
+
+private definition wf_gtb : well_founded gtb :=
+well_founded.intro acc_of_ex
+
+private definition find.F (x : nat) : (Π x₁, x₁ ≺ x → lbp x₁ → {a : nat | p a}) → lbp x → {a : nat | p a} :=
+match x with
+| 0 := λ f l0, by_cases
+  (λ p0 : p 0,    tag 0 p0)
+  (λ np0 : ¬ p 0,
+    have l₁ : lbp 1, from lbp_succ l0 np0,
+    have g  : 1 ≺ 0, from and.intro (lt.base 0) l₁,
+    f 1 g l₁)
+| (succ n) := λ f lsn, by_cases
+  (λ psn : p (succ n), tag (succ n) psn)
+  (λ npsn : ¬ p (succ n),
+    have lss : lbp (succ (succ n)), from lbp_succ lsn npsn,
+    have g   : succ (succ n) ≺ succ n, from and.intro (lt.base (succ n)) lss,
+    f (succ (succ n)) g lss)
+end
+
+private definition find_x : {x : nat | p x} :=
+@fix _ _ _ wf_gtb find.F 0 lbp_zero
+end find_x
+
+protected definition choose {p : nat → Prop} [d : decidable_pred p] : (∃ x, p x) → nat :=
+assume h, elt_of (find_x h)
+
+protected theorem choose_spec {p : nat → Prop} [d : decidable_pred p] (ex : ∃ x, p x) : p (choose ex) :=
+has_property (find_x ex)
+end nat
diff --git a/library/data/nat/default.lean b/library/data/nat/default.lean
index 3349fb2b9..8f2efa680 100644
--- a/library/data/nat/default.lean
+++ b/library/data/nat/default.lean
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ Copyright (c) 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
 Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
 Author: Jeremy Avigad
 -/
-import .basic .order .sub .div .bquant .sqrt .pairing .power
+import .basic .order .sub .div .bquant .sqrt .pairing .power .choose