Present Indicative of Pôr | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

The verb pôr (to put / to place) stands apart from every other Portuguese verb. It does not end in -ar, -er, or -ir -- it is sometimes called a "fourth conjugation" all on its own. Historically, pôr descends from the Latin ponere (an -er verb), and its conjugation still shows traces of that -er heritage. What makes pôr especially important is the family of compound verbs built on it -- propor, compor, supor, and many more -- all of which follow the same pattern.

Conjugation

Person	Form	English
eu	ponho	I put
tu	pões	you put
ele / ela / você	põe	he/she puts; you put
nós	pomos	we put
(vós)	(pondes)	(you all put)
eles / elas / vocês	põem	they put; you all put

The eu form ponho carries the nasal -nh- sound, just like tenho and venho. The tu and ele forms use the tilde (pões, põe) to mark the nasal vowel, and eles adds the -m ending to põe. The nós form pomos is the most regular-looking of the set -- it simply adds -mos to the root po-.

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The circumflex on pôr distinguishes it from the preposition por (by / through / for). This is one of the few cases in Portuguese where an accent exists solely to tell two words apart. Remove the accent and the meaning changes entirely: Vou pôr o livro por cima da mesa -- "I'm going to put the book on top of the table" uses both in a single sentence.

Core uses

Putting and placing

The most basic meaning of pôr is to put or place something somewhere.

Ponho o livro na mesa.

I put the book on the table.

Põe isso ali, por favor.

Put that there, please.

Setting the table

Pôr a mesa is the standard expression for setting the table in European Portuguese.

Pões a mesa enquanto eu faço o jantar?

Will you set the table while I make dinner?

Putting on clothes

Pôr can mean to put on clothing, though European Portuguese also uses vestir for this purpose.

Ponho um casaco porque está frio.

I put on a coat because it's cold.

Laying eggs

In a completely different register, pôr also means to lay eggs.

A galinha põe ovos todos os dias.

The hen lays eggs every day.

Compound verbs of pôr

This is where pôr truly shines. Many essential Portuguese verbs are compounds built on pôr, and all of them follow exactly the same conjugation pattern. Learn pôr once, and you unlock an entire family.

Person	propor (to propose)	compor (to compose)	supor (to suppose)	dispor (to arrange)
eu	proponho	componho	suponho	disponho
tu	propões	compões	supões	dispões
ele / ela / você	propõe	compõe	supõe	dispõe
nós	propomos	compomos	supomos	dispomos
eles / elas / vocês	propõem	compõem	supõem	dispõem

The pattern is identical every time: prefix + the forms of pôr. Other common compounds include expor (to expose/exhibit: eu exponho), impor (to impose: eu imponho), and opor (to oppose: eu oponho).

Proponho que nos encontremos às três.

I propose that we meet at three.

O museu expõe obras de arte moderna.

The museum exhibits modern art works.

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When you encounter an unfamiliar verb ending in -por -- such as decompor, indispor, or repor -- you can conjugate it with confidence. Strip the prefix, conjugate pôr, and put the prefix back. It works every time.

Pôr vs por -- the accent that matters

This distinction causes frequent errors. Pôr (with circumflex) is the verb meaning "to put." Por (without accent) is a preposition meaning "by," "through," or "for."

Word	Type	Meaning	Example
pôr	verb	to put	Vou pôr a mesa.
por	preposition	by / through / for	Passo por ali todos os dias.

Vou pôr o livro por cima da mesa.

I'm going to put the book on top of the table.

In this sentence, pôr is the verb and por is the preposition -- both pronounced the same way, distinguished only in writing by the accent. Note that compound verbs like propor, compor, and supor do not carry the circumflex, because there is no preposition to confuse them with.

Pôr-se a + infinitive

The reflexive construction pôr-se a + infinitive means "to start doing something." It implies a sudden or deliberate beginning.

Pôs-se a chorar sem razão nenhuma.

She started crying for no reason at all.

Ponho-me a pensar e perco a noção do tempo.

I start thinking and I lose track of time.

Common expressions

Several everyday expressions are built around pôr. These are worth memorizing as fixed phrases:

pôr a mesa -- to set the table (Põe a mesa, por favor.)
pôr em causa -- to call into question (Isso põe em causa a sua decisão.)
pôr de lado -- to set aside (Ponho esse assunto de lado por agora.)
pôr fim a -- to put an end to (Eles põem fim à discussão.)
pôr-se a caminho -- to set off (Pomos-nos a caminho de manhã cedo.)
pôr em prática -- to put into practice (Ponho em prática o que aprendo.)

Common mistakes

1. Forgetting the tilde on põe and põem. The nasal mark is essential. Writing poe instead of põe is a spelling error and changes the pronunciation. The tilde signals the nasal quality of the vowel.

2. Confusing pôr with por. Dropping the circumflex turns the verb into a preposition. When you mean "to put," always write pôr. When you mean "by" or "for," write por without the accent.

3. Treating compound verbs as separate conjugations. Verbs like propor, compor, and supor follow pôr exactly. If you know eu ponho, you know eu proponho, eu componho, and eu suponho. Do not try to invent new patterns for them.

4. Writing pomos with an accent. Unlike pões, põe, and põem, the nós form pomos has no tilde and no circumflex. The stress falls naturally on the first syllable and needs no mark.