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How to conjugate Poner in Spanish

poner to put, to place Irregular Verb Top 100

At a glance: Poner (to put, to place) is one of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: pongo, pones, pone, ponemos, ponéis, ponen. Yo adds a g (pongo); the other forms are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (puse), future (pondré), conditional (pondría), subjunctive and past participle (puesto).

Past participle
puesto put
Gerund
poniendo putting
Similar
colocar (to place), depositar (to deposit / place)

Introduction

Poner is the Spanish verb meaning "to put or to place". It can be used literally and figeratively, for example: "I put cheese on the pizza" and "he put me in a difficult position". It can be used when talking about turning on the television, the lights, or the heating, as well as to talk about putting on clothes, for example: "Hoy me pongo un vestido" (Today I put on a dress).

Sample Verb Conjugation Tables

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Indicative tenses of Poner

Poner in the Indicative Present

The Indicative Present of poner is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “pongo las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YopongoI put
Túponesyou put
Ella / Él / Ustedpones/he puts
Nosotras / Nosotrosponemoswe put
Vosotras / Vosotrosponéisyou (plural) put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesponenthey put

How it’s built: Yo adds a g (pongo); the other forms are regular.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Indicative Preterite

The Indicative Preterite of poner is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “puse las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YopuseI put
Túpusisteyou put
Ella / Él / Ustedpusos/he put
Nosotras / Nosotrospusimoswe put
Vosotras / Vosotrospusisteisyou (plural) put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedespusieronthey put

How it’s built: Irregular stem pus- plus the endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Indicative Imperfect

The Indicative Imperfect of poner is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “ponía las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I used to put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoponíaI used to put
Túponíasyou used to put
Ella / Él / Ustedponías/he used to put
Nosotras / Nosotrosponíamoswe used to put
Vosotras / Vosotrosponíaisyou (plural) used to put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesponíanthey used to put

How it’s built: Regular: stem pon- plus the -er endings.

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Poner in the Indicative Present Continuous

The Indicative Present Continuous of poner is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy poniendo las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I am putting the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoestoy poniendoI am putting
Túestás poniendoyou are putting
Ella / Él / Ustedestá poniendos/he is putting
Nosotras / Nosotrosestamos poniendowe are putting
Vosotras / Vosotrosestáis poniendoyou (plural) are putting
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesestán poniendothey are putting

How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund poniendo.

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Poner in the Indicative Informal Future

The Indicative Informal Future of poner is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a poner las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I am going to put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yovoy a ponerI am going to put
Túvas a poneryou are going to put
Ella / Él / Ustedva a poners/he is going to put
Nosotras / Nosotrosvamos a ponerwe are going to put
Vosotras / Vosotrosvais a poneryou (plural) are going to put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesvan a ponerthey are going to put

How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive poner.

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Poner in the Indicative Future

The Indicative Future of poner is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “pondré las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I will put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YopondréI will put
Túpondrásyou will put
Ella / Él / Ustedpondrás/he will put
Nosotras / Nosotrospondremoswe will put
Vosotras / Vosotrospondréisyou (plural) will put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedespondránthey will put

How it’s built: Irregular stem pondr- instead of poner, plus the future endings.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Indicative Conditional

The Indicative Conditional of poner is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “pondría las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I would put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YopondríaI would put
Túpondríasyou would put
Ella / Él / Ustedpondrías/he would put
Nosotras / Nosotrospondríamoswe would put
Vosotras / Vosotrospondríaisyou (plural) would put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedespondríanthey would put

How it’s built: Irregular stem pondr- instead of poner, plus the conditional endings.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Indicative Present Perfect

The Indicative Present Perfect of poner is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “he puesto las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I have put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohe puestoI have put
Túhas puestoyou have put
Ella / Él / Ustedha puestos/he has put
Nosotras / Nosotroshemos puestowe have put
Vosotras / Vosotroshabéis puestoyou (plural) have put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshan puestothey have put

How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the irregular past participle puesto.

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Poner in the Indicative Past Perfect

The Indicative Past Perfect of poner is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había puesto las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I had put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabía puestoI had put
Túhabías puestoyou had put
Ella / Él / Ustedhabía puestos/he had put
Nosotras / Nosotroshabíamos puestowe had put
Vosotras / Vosotroshabíais puestoyou (plural) had put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabían puestothey had put

How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the irregular past participle puesto.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Indicative Future Perfect

The Indicative Future Perfect of poner is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré puesto las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I will have put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabré puestoI will have put
Túhabrás puestoyou will have put
Ella / Él / Ustedhabrá puestos/he will have put
Nosotras / Nosotroshabremos puestowe will have put
Vosotras / Vosotroshabréis puestoyou (plural) will have put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrán puestothey will have put

How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the irregular past participle puesto.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Indicative Conditional Perfect of poner is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría puesto las verduras en la nevera”, meaning “I would have put the vegetables in the fridge”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabría puestoI would have put
Túhabrías puestoyou would have put
Ella / Él / Ustedhabría puestos/he would have put
Nosotras / Nosotroshabríamos puestowe would have put
Vosotras / Vosotroshabríais puestoyou (plural) would have put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrían puestothey would have put

How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the irregular past participle puesto.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Subjunctive tenses of Poner

Poner in the Subjunctive Present

The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “ponga”, meaning “I put”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YopongaI put
Túpongasyou put
Ella / Él / Ustedpongas/he puts
Nosotras / Nosotrospongamoswe put
Vosotras / Vosotrospongáisyou (plural) put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesponganthey put

How it’s built: Every form follows the yo present, pongo (ponga, pongas, ponga, pongamos, pongáis, pongan).

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Poner in the Subjunctive Imperfect

The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “pusiera”, meaning “I put”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YopusieraI put
Túpusierasyou put
Ella / Él / Ustedpusieras/he put
Nosotras / Nosotrospusiéramoswe put
Vosotras / Vosotrospusieraisyou (plural) put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedespusieranthey put

How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, pusieron: drop -ron and add the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (pusiéramos).

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Poner in the Subjunctive Future

The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “pusiere”, meaning “I will put”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YopusiereI will put
Túpusieresyou will put
Ella / Él / Ustedpusieres/he will put
Nosotras / Nosotrospusiéremoswe will put
Vosotras / Vosotrospusiereisyou (plural) will put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedespusierenthey will put

How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, pusieron: drop -ron and add the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (pusiéremos).

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Subjunctive Present Perfect

The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “haya puesto”, meaning “I have put”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohaya puestoI have put
Túhayas puestoyou have put
Ella / Él / Ustedhaya puestos/he has put
Nosotras / Nosotroshayamos puestowe have put
Vosotras / Vosotroshayáis puestoyou (plural) have put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshayan puestothey have put

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the irregular past participle puesto.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Subjunctive Past Perfect

The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “hubiera puesto”, meaning “I had put”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiera puestoI had put
Túhubieras puestoyou had put
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiera puestos/he had put
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéramos puestowe had put
Vosotras / Vosotroshubierais puestoyou (plural) had put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieran puestothey had put

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the irregular past participle puesto.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Poner in the Subjunctive Future Perfect

The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “hubiere puesto”, meaning “I will have put”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiere puestoI will have put
Túhubieres puestoyou will have put
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiere puestos/he will have put
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéremos puestowe will have put
Vosotras / Vosotroshubiereis puestoyou (plural) will have put
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieren puestothey will have put

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the irregular past participle puesto.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Imperative tenses of Poner

Poner in the Imperative Affirmative

The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “ponga”, meaning “(to you formal) put!”.

In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
Túpon(to you) put!
Ella / Él / Ustedponga(to you formal) put!
Nosotras / Nosotrospongamoslet's put!
Vosotras / Vosotrosponed(to you plural) put!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedespongan(to you plural formal) put!

How it’s built: Tú is irregular (pon); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (ponga, pongamos, pongan); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (poned).

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Poner in the Imperative Negative

The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no ponga”, meaning “(to you formal) don't put!”.

In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
Túno pongas(to you) don't put!
Ella / Él / Ustedno ponga(to you formal) don't put!
Nosotras / Nosotrosno pongamoslet's not put!
Vosotras / Vosotrosno pongáis(to you plural) don't put!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesno pongan(to you plural formal) don't put!

How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no pongas, no ponga, no pongamos, no pongáis, no pongan.

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Example sentences and usage

  • Sería mejor que te pusieras un impermeable. You had better put on a raincoat.
  • Pon el mazo de cartas sobre la mesa de roble. Place the deck of cards on the oaken table.
  • Es un lío total y me pone de los nervios. It's a complete mess, and it's getting on my nerves.
  • Sería mejor que te pusieras un impermeable. You had better put on a raincoat.
  • Cuando tu negocio se ponga a andar, ahí hablaremos de un aumento. When your business gets rolling we'll talk about an increase.
  • Espero que pronto te pongas bien. I hope that you will get well soon.
  • El cielo se puso cada vez más oscuro. The sky became darker and darker.
  • Me puse muy contento de ver a mi viejo amigo. Meeting my old friend was very pleasant.

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Frequently asked questions about Poner

Is poner a regular or irregular verb?

Poner is an irregular Spanish verb. In the present tense: yo adds a g (pongo); the other forms are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (puse), future (pondré), conditional (pondría), subjunctive and past participle (puesto).

How do you conjugate poner in the present tense (presente)?

In the present tense (presente), poner is conjugated as: yo pongo, tú pones, él/ella/usted pone, nosotros ponemos, vosotros ponéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes ponen. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.

How do you conjugate poner in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?

In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), poner is conjugated as: yo puse, tú pusiste, él/ella/usted puso, nosotros pusimos, vosotros pusisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes pusieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.

How do you conjugate poner in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?

In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), poner is conjugated as: yo ponía, tú ponías, él/ella/usted ponía, nosotros poníamos, vosotros poníais, ellos/ellas/ustedes ponían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.

How do you conjugate poner in the future tense (futuro simple)?

In the future tense (futuro simple), poner is conjugated as: yo pondré, tú pondrás, él/ella/usted pondrá, nosotros pondremos, vosotros pondréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes pondrán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.

How do you conjugate poner in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?

In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), poner is conjugated as: yo ponga, tú pongas, él/ella/usted ponga, nosotros pongamos, vosotros pongáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes pongan. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.

What’s the difference between poner and ponerse?

Poner means ‘to put, to place’ and ponerse means ‘to put on, to place on’. Ponerse is the reflexive form of poner, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun – me, te, se, nos, os or se – that matches the subject. The verb itself is conjugated the same way: in the present tense, yo pongo becomes me pongo. In the affirmative tú imperative the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb, so pon becomes ponte.

What are some common example sentences using poner?

Here are everyday sentences using poner: Sería mejor que te pusieras un impermeable. (You had better put on a raincoat.) Pon el mazo de cartas sobre la mesa de roble. (Place the deck of cards on the oaken table.) Es un lío total y me pone de los nervios. (It's a complete mess, and it's getting on my nerves.) Sería mejor que te pusieras un impermeable. (You had better put on a raincoat.) Cuando tu negocio se ponga a andar, ahí hablaremos de un aumento. (When your business gets rolling we'll talk about an increase.)


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Want to explore other verb conjugations?

Why not check out Ponerse – to put on, to place on or see the complete list of verbs here.


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