Poner is a common irregular verb in Spanish and important to know how to conjugate. In addition, it is a very polysemic verb, which means it can have a lot of different meanings. As a matter of fact, the American Heritage Spanish dictionary lists numerous meanings for poner. Here are some of the most commonly used ones:
Poner Verb Conjugation in Spanish
The sun set at 7 P.M.
- to put
- to give a grade
- to lay (eggs)
- to turn on
- to wear
- to become/get: me puse triste - I got sad
- to set (for the sun)
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Conjugations
On top of its many meanings, poner has the added complexity of being a strongly irregular verb. With that in mind, study the tables and examples below carefully.
Present
|
Yo |
pongo |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
ponemos |
|
Tú (Vos) |
pones (ponés) |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
ponéis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
pone |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
ponen |
Examples:
- Los exámenes me ponen muy nervioso. - Exams make me very nervous.
- ¿Dónde pusiste las llaves?- Where did you put the keys?
Imperfect
|
Yo |
ponía |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
poníamos |
|
Tú/Vos |
ponías |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
poníais |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
ponía |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
ponían |
Examples:
- Mi abuela siempre le ponía canela al té. - My grandmother would always put cinnamon in her tea.
- No sabía que le ponías azúcar al café. - I didn't know you put sugar in your coffee.
Preterite
|
Yo |
puse |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
pusimos |
|
Tú/Vos |
pusiste |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
pusisteis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
puso |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
pusieron |
Examples:
- Hace frío, por eso me puse bufanda. - It's cold; that's why I wore a scarf.
- El sol se puso a las 7 P. M. - The sun set at 7 P. M.
Future
|
Yo |
pondré |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
pondremos |
|
Tú/Vos |
pondrás |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
pondréis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
pondrá |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
pondrán |
Examples:
- Si no te molesta, pondré la calefacción. - If it's ok with you, I will turn the heating on.
- Pondré el agua en la heladera. - I will put the water in the fridge.
Conditional
|
Yo |
pondría |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
pondríamos |
|
Tú/Vos |
pondrías |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
pondríais |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
pondría |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
pondrían |
Examples:
- Nunca pensé que el profesor me pondría un 10. - I didn't think the teacher would give me a 10.
- La gallina pondría más huevos si fuese más grande. - The hen would lay more eggs if it were bigger.
As complicated as the conjugation of poner may seem, it's a very common verb, so you'll be using it so often that soon you will find yourself conjugating it without even thinking about it.