Ponerse is the reflexive form of poner ("to put, to place"). It has two main meanings:
- To put on clothing, makeup, or accessories.
- To become (a temporary change of state) — ponerse nervioso, ponerse rojo, ponerse contento.
Ponerse inherits all of poner's irregularities: the yo form is me pongo, the preterite stem is pus-, the future/conditional stem is pondr-, and the past participle is puesto.
Present Indicative
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me pongo |
| tú | te pones |
| él / ella / usted | se pone |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos ponemos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se ponen |
Me pongo los zapatos antes de salir.
I put on my shoes before going out.
Preterite
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me puse |
| tú | te pusiste |
| él / ella / usted | se puso |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos pusimos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se pusieron |
The preterite uses the irregular stem pus- with unaccented endings (puse, not pusé).
Se puso nervioso cuando la vio.
He got nervous when he saw her.
Imperfect
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me ponía |
| tú | te ponías |
| él / ella / usted | se ponía |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos poníamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se ponían |
Siempre se ponía la misma gorra.
He always used to wear the same cap.
Future
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me pondré |
| tú | te pondrás |
| él / ella / usted | se pondrá |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos pondremos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se pondrán |
The future stem is pondr- (the e of poner drops and a d is inserted).
Conditional
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me pondría |
| tú | te pondrías |
| él / ella / usted | se pondría |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos pondríamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se pondrían |
Yo no me pondría ese vestido.
I wouldn't put on that dress.
Present Subjunctive
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me ponga |
| tú | te pongas |
| él / ella / usted | se ponga |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos pongamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se pongan |
The subjunctive is built from the yo form stem: pong-.
No quiero que te pongas triste.
I don't want you to get sad.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me pusiera |
| tú | te pusieras |
| él / ella / usted | se pusiera |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos pusiéramos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se pusieran |
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú (affirmative) | ponte |
| tú (negative) | no te pongas |
| usted | póngase |
| nosotros | pongámonos |
| ustedes | pónganse |
The affirmative tú form is ponte (irregular — from pon + te).
Ponte el abrigo, hace frío.
Put on your coat, it's cold.
Non-Finite Forms
- Infinitive: ponerse
- Gerund: poniéndose
- Past participle: puesto (irregular)
Common Uses
1. Putting on clothes. For individual garments, use ponerse, not vestirse.
Me puse los lentes para leer.
I put on my glasses to read.
2. Becoming + adjective. This is one of several Spanish verbs meaning "to become." Ponerse is for temporary emotional or physical changes.
Se puso roja de vergüenza.
She turned red with embarrassment.
No te pongas así, todo va a estar bien.
Don't get like that, everything's going to be fine.
3. The sun setting.
El sol se pone a las siete en invierno.
The sun sets at seven in winter.
Related Topics
- Vestirse: Full ConjugationA2 — Complete conjugation of the reflexive verb vestirse — to get dressed
- Quedarse: Full ConjugationB1 — Complete conjugation of the reflexive verb quedarse — to stay, to remain
- Levantarse: Full ConjugationA2 — Complete conjugation of the reflexive verb levantarse — to get up