Meti is the regular transitive verb “to put, place, set.” Its central pattern has two distinct parts: an object that is moved or assigned a position, and a destination or resulting arrangement. The most important contrast for English speakers is sur la tablo “on the table” versus sur la tablon “onto the table.”
Complete regular paradigm
| Form | Function | Typical translation |
|---|---|---|
| meti | infinitive | to put, to place |
| metas | present indicative | put(s), is putting |
| metis | past indicative | put, placed |
| metos | future indicative | will put |
| metus | conditional | would put |
| metu | volitive | put!, let ... put |
Like all regular Esperanto verbs, meti has no person or number agreement: mi metas, ŝi metas, ili metas. The final vowel carries the tense or mood; the stem remains unchanged.
Mi metos la kvitancon en la dosierujon, por ke ni ne perdu ĝin.
I'll put the receipt in the folder so that we don't lose it.
Kie vi metus duan skribotablon en ĉi tiu ĉambro?
Where would you put a second desk in this room?
Metu la fragilajn glasojn sur la supran breton.
Put the fragile glasses on the top shelf.
Object plus destination
The thing placed is the direct object and therefore takes accusative -n. A separate phrase names the endpoint.
Ŝi metis la panon sur la tablon kaj la fromaĝon en la fridujon.
She put the bread on the table and the cheese in the refrigerator.
There are three -n endings here, but they do different work. La panon and la fromaĝon are direct objects. La tablon and la fridujon occur after local prepositions and mark destinations reached by movement.
Compare a static location with a destination:
La dokumentoj estas en la tirkesto; mi metis ilin en la tirkeston hieraŭ.
The documents are in the drawer; I put them into the drawer yesterday.
En la tirkesto answers “where?” The documents are already located there. En la tirkeston answers “to where?” and presents the drawer's interior as the attained endpoint. The same contrast applies to sur/sur ... -n, sub/sub ... -n, antaŭ/antaŭ ... -n, and other genuinely local prepositions.
Ne metu vian sakon apud la pordon; iu povus stumbli super ĝi.
Don't put your bag beside the door; someone could trip over it.
Here apud la pordon is directional because the bag is moved into the position beside the door. This directional use of -n is different from object marking even though the form is identical.
Existing location versus resulting location
Meti itself entails caused placement, so a following local phrase normally names the new location. If you merely describe where an object already is, use esti, kuŝi, stari, troviĝi, or another state verb.
La botelo staras sur la fenestrobreto, sed mi ne metis ĝin tien.
The bottle is standing on the windowsill, but I didn't put it there.
— Kien mi metu la pakaĵon? — Metu ĝin sub la skribotablon.
— Where should I put the package? — Put it under the desk.
The question word confirms the contrast: kie? asks about location, while kien? asks about a destination. In the answer, sub la skribotablon matches kien.
Not every complement is a prepositional phrase. Directional adverbs can carry -n directly: meti ion tien, meti la skatolon flanken “put the box aside.”
Abstract placement and result phrases
Esperanto extends physical placement to states, arrangements, and institutional acts. These are not random translations of every English “put”; they are established combinations in which something is conceptually brought into a result.
La nova regulo metos malgrandajn entreprenojn en malfacilan situacion.
The new rule will put small businesses in a difficult situation.
Ni devas meti la arkivon en ordon antaŭ la inspektado.
We need to put the archive in order before the inspection.
La interkonsento metis finon al plurjara disputo.
The agreement put an end to a dispute lasting several years.
In meti finon al io, finon is the object and al introduces what is ended. Meti demandon “pose a question,” meti kondiĉon “set a condition,” and meti ion je ies dispono “place something at someone's disposal” are common in (formal), administrative, and academic prose. In ordinary conversation, demandi is often more direct than meti demandon.
La muzeo metis la ciferecigitan kolekton je la dispono de esploristoj.
The museum made the digitized collection available to researchers.
Meti, teni, porti, and lasi
These verbs describe different stages or perspectives:
| Verb | Core viewpoint | Example idea |
|---|---|---|
| meti | cause something to occupy a place | put the cup on the shelf |
| teni | maintain possession, position, or state | hold the cup |
| porti | carry or wear while moving/possessing | carry the cup upstairs |
| lasi | depart or refrain from changing a place/state | leave the cup there |
Mi portis la skatolon supren, metis ĝin apud la liton kaj lasis ĝin tie.
I carried the box upstairs, put it beside the bed, and left it there.
English “put” can sometimes mean “express” or “estimate,” where another Esperanto verb is preferable: esprimi la ideon, taksi la koston, formuli la demandon.
Productive compounds
Prefixes make the kind or direction of placement more explicit:
- enmeti — put in, insert;
- surmeti — put on top; put on clothing or an accessory;
- demeti — take off or remove from a position;
- formeti — put away, remove from the immediate place;
- remeti — put back;
- kunmeti — put together, assemble;
- elmeti — put out, display, expose.
Bonvolu demeti viajn malsekajn ŝuojn kaj surmeti la pantoflojn ĉe la pordo.
Please take off your wet shoes and put on the slippers by the door.
Post la riparo la teknikisto remetis la kovrilon kaj enmetis la baterion.
After the repair, the technician put the cover back and inserted the battery.
These compounds are productive but conventional. Surmeti is natural for putting on clothing, while the state of wearing it is porti: Mi surmetis mantelon kaj nun portas ĝin.
Participles and passive forms
| Time relation | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| ongoing | metanta — putting | metata — being put |
| earlier/completed | metinta — having put | metita — put, placed |
| later/intended | metonta — about to put | metota — to be put |
La seĝoj jam estas metitaj en rondo, do ni povas komenci la diskuton.
The chairs have already been placed in a circle, so we can begin the discussion.
Metita presents the placement as completed and often focuses on the resulting arrangement. Metata presents an ongoing or repeated process. Ordinary active events generally use simple metis rather than a heavier compound.
Register and frequency
Meti is very frequent and neutral. Physical placement dominates everyday conversation; abstract combinations such as meti finon al, meti kondiĉon, and meti je dispono are especially common in (formal) prose. All six finite/nonfinite forms and the participles are products of the regular system. The root itself is Fundamental; the finer choice among compounds is governed by established usage rather than by an exception in conjugation.
More explicitly, foundational norm supplies the regular met- forms and directional -n after a local preposition. Accepted variation includes a full prepositional destination such as en la skatolon or a directional adverb such as tien; ordinary word order can also shift for focus. The pedagogical recommendation is to mark an attained endpoint overtly. Attested usage supports both literal placement and the conventional abstract combinations above, but not every English expression containing “put.”
For the underlying endpoint rule, see Direction Toward a Place.
Common Mistakes
Leaving a destination unmarked
❌ Mi metis la telerojn sur la tablo.
Incorrect for movement onto the table — the phrase looks static.
✅ Mi metis la telerojn sur la tablon.
I put the plates on the table.
Omitting accusative on the object
❌ Metu tiu dosiero en la ĝustan dosierujon.
Incorrect — the file is the direct object.
✅ Metu tiun dosieron en la ĝustan dosierujon.
Put that file in the correct folder.
Using meti for a static position
❌ La ŝlosiloj metas sur la breto.
Incorrect — the keys are not causing placement; this is a location state.
✅ La ŝlosiloj kuŝas sur la breto.
The keys are lying on the shelf.
Confusing putting on with wearing
❌ Ŝi metas ruĝan jakon la tutan tagon.
Incorrect for the continuing state 'wears' — meti names placement, not continued wearing.
✅ Ŝi portas ruĝan jakon la tutan tagon.
She wears a red jacket all day.
Key Takeaways
- Meti is a regular transitive verb whose object takes -n.
- With a local preposition, an attained destination normally receives directional -n: en la skatolon, sur la tablon.
- Use a state verb for an existing location and meti for caused placement.
- Compounds such as enmeti, surmeti, formeti, and remeti specify direction or reversal.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Direction toward a PlaceA1 — Use directional -n to distinguish movement into or onto a place from movement or position within it.
- SurB2 — Use sur for significant surface contact, support or attachment, movement onto a surface, and related abstract effects and burdens.
- EnB1 — Use en for location within a place, period, or state, and add directional -n when something enters a new interior or result.
- Porti: To Carry Or WearB1 — Use porti for carrying, bearing, and wearing, and distinguish it from holding and goal-oriented bringing.
- Teni: To Hold Or KeepB1 — Use teni for holding, keeping, maintaining a state, and reflexive posture or conduct.
- Verb-Preposition FramesB1 — Learn which Esperanto verbs take direct objects and which select al, pri, de, kun, or je—and how the frame changes meaning.