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Construct a symplectic basis two vectors at a time. Choose $e\ne 0$; the nondegenerate bilinear form supplies $g$ with $\omega (e,g)\ne 0$, and set $f=g/\omega (e,g)$. For any vector $x$, remove its paired components byThen $\omega (x^{\prime },e)=\omega (x^{\prime },f)=0$. Thus, for $U=\mathrm{span}\{e,f\}$, the symplectic orthogonal complement gives a direct sum $V=U\oplus U^{\omega }$; its restricted bilinear form remains nondegenerate. Repeat there until no vectors remain, then put all $e_i$ before all $f_i$. This proves even dimension and existence together. Only the nonzero pairing is divided out, so the construction also works in characteristic two. The pair-splitting argument is described in Bilinear Forms by Keith Conrad (Keith Conrad, Bilinear Forms, §5, proof of Theorem 5.1 and Theorem 5.4).

For a finite-dimensional vector space over any field with a nondegenerate alternating bilinear form $B$, the symplectic group over a field consists of invertible linear maps preserving $B$. In a symplectic basis its matrices satisfy $g^{\mathsf{T}}Jg=J$. Matching two symplectic bases gives a unique such linear map, and a symplectic basis exists by successively splitting off paired vectors. This includes arbitrary-characteristic and infinite-field versions, beyond the real Lie group and the symplectic group over a finite field.

With a Lagrangian subspace first in a paired symplectic basis, its stabilizer consists of $\left(\begin{array}{cc}A& AS\\ 0& A^{-\mathsf{T}}\end{array}\right)$ with $S$ symmetric. The additive symmetric-matrix unipotent radical has order $q^{m(m+1)/2}$; the Levi subgroup is $G{L}_m(q)$, acting by $S\mapsto AS{A}^{\mathsf{T}}$. Its index in $S{p}_{2m}(q)$ is ${\prod }_{i=1}^m(q^i+1)$, the number of Lagrangian subspaces.

For a line $⟨e⟩$, complete $(e,f)$ to a symplectic basis with complementary symplectic space $W$. The unipotent radical has elements $u(b,t)$ sending $e$ to $e$, $w$ to $w-B(w,b)e$ and $f$ to $f+b+te$. Its multiplication is $(b,t)(b^{\prime },t^{\prime })=(b+b^{\prime },t+t^{\prime }+B(b,b^{\prime }))$, giving order $q^{2m-1}$. Its commutator is central with parameter $2B(b,b^{\prime })$. It is Heisenberg-type in odd characteristic and abelian in characteristic two. The full stabilizer also scales $e,f$ inversely and acts symplectically on $W$.