Poner — "to put, to place, to set, to turn on" — is one of the four or five most-used verbs in everyday Spain and a one-stop shop for almost every kind of irregularity Spanish has. Inside one paradigm it packs: a yo-go present (pongo), a u-stem preterite (puse, puso — strong, unaccented), a future and conditional with both a dropped vowel and an inserted d (pondré, pondría), an irregular participle puesto used in every compound tense, and a short tú imperative pon. Add to that the enormous range of meanings — placing objects, turning on appliances, setting tables, putting on weight, putting up shows, getting on someone's nerves — and you get a verb that pulls more weight than almost any other in the language.
Pedagogically, poner is worth as much attention as ser, estar, ir, hacer, and tener. You will use it dozens of times a day in Spain, and getting its forms wrong is immediately noticeable.
Non-finite forms
| Form | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitivo | poner | to put, to place, to turn on |
| Infinitivo compuesto | haber puesto | to have put |
| Gerundio | poniendo | putting |
| Gerundio compuesto | habiendo puesto | having put |
| Participio | puesto (irregular) | put, placed, on (e.g. la tele puesta — the TV on) |
The participle puesto is critical to memorise — every compound tense and every passive construction depends on it. Puesto also lives an active second life as an adjective (la mesa puesta — the table set; muy puesto — very smart, well-dressed) and as a noun (un puesto de trabajo — a job position; un puesto del mercado — a market stall).
Indicative — simple tenses
Presente — yo-go
| yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pongo | pones | pone | ponemos | ponéis | ponen |
The yo form pongo is the classic "yo-go" pattern shared with tener (tengo), hacer (hago), salir (salgo), valer (valgo), venir (vengo), decir (digo), oír (oigo). The remaining five persons are perfectly regular -er on the stem pon-.
Siempre pongo música cuando cocino, si no me aburro.
I always put on music when I cook, otherwise I get bored.
¿Dónde ponéis los abrigos cuando viene gente a cenar?
Where do you guys put the coats when people come over for dinner?
Pretérito perfecto simple — u-stem
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| puse | pusiste | puso | pusimos | pusisteis | pusieron |
The preterite stem is pus-, with the strong-preterite endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. Stress falls on the stem in the yo and él forms, so neither carries an accent: puse, puso — never pusé, pusó. This same shape appears in the family of u-stem preterites: poder/pude, tener/tuve, saber/supe, estar/estuve, andar/anduve, caber/cupe.
Anoche puse el despertador a las seis y no se me ocurrió comprobar el volumen.
Last night I set the alarm for six and it never occurred to me to check the volume.
Mi padre puso la primera tele en color del barrio en 1976.
My dad put up the first color TV in the neighborhood in 1976.
Pretérito imperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ponía | ponías | ponía | poníamos | poníais | ponían |
The imperfect is fully regular for -er verbs — pon- + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. All forms carry an obligatory accent on the í.
De pequeños, mi madre nos ponía dibujos animados después de comer.
When we were little, my mom used to put on cartoons after lunch.
Futuro simple — dropped vowel + epenthetic d
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pondré | pondrás | pondrá | pondremos | pondréis | pondrán |
The future stem is pondr- — and here Spanish does two things at once. First, the e of poner drops out (the same dropped-vowel pattern as poder/podré, saber/sabré). Second, because dropping the e would leave pon-r-, which is awkward to pronounce, Spanish inserts a d between n and r to ease the transition: pondr-. This epenthetic d appears in five verbs: poner → pondré, tener → tendré, venir → vendré, salir → saldré, valer → valdré. Once you spot the pattern, you have all five at once.
Esta noche pondré la lavadora antes de cenar, que llevo días sin colada.
Tonight I'll put on a wash before dinner, I've gone days without laundry.
Condicional
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pondría | pondrías | pondría | pondríamos | pondríais | pondrían |
Same pondr- stem as the future, with conditional endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Yo no pondría tanto aceite, va a quedar muy pesada la ensalada.
I wouldn't put in so much oil, the salad's going to be really heavy.
Indicative — compound tenses
All compound tenses pair haber with the irregular participle puesto.
Pretérito perfecto compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| he puesto | has puesto | ha puesto | hemos puesto | habéis puesto | han puesto |
In peninsular Spanish this is the default tense for actions completed within a still-current time frame: esta mañana he puesto la mesa — I set the table this morning.
Esta semana he puesto orden en todos los armarios, me siento otra persona.
This week I've put all the closets in order, I feel like a new person.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| había puesto | habías puesto | había puesto | habíamos puesto | habíais puesto | habían puesto |
Cuando llegamos, ya habían puesto el árbol de Navidad en el salón.
By the time we arrived, they'd already put up the Christmas tree in the living room.
Futuro compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habré puesto | habrás puesto | habrá puesto | habremos puesto | habréis puesto | habrán puesto |
Para cuando llegues a casa, ya habré puesto la cena en el horno.
By the time you get home, I'll have already put dinner in the oven.
Condicional compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habría puesto | habrías puesto | habría puesto | habríamos puesto | habríais puesto | habrían puesto |
Yo habría puesto un poco más de sal, pero a ti te ha quedado en su punto.
I would have added a little more salt, but yours came out just right.
Subjunctive — simple tenses
Presente de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ponga | pongas | ponga | pongamos | pongáis | pongan |
The present subjunctive is built from the yo form of the present indicative (pongo → drop the -o → add -a endings). The -ng- of pongo runs through every person of the present subjunctive — making this one of the most recognisable subjunctive patterns in the language.
Quiero que pongas la mesa antes de que lleguen los invitados.
I want you to set the table before the guests arrive.
No es necesario que pongáis nada elegante, es una cena informal.
There's no need for you to wear anything fancy, it's a casual dinner.
Imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se)
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | pusiera | pusieras | pusiera | pusiéramos | pusierais | pusieran |
| -se | pusiese | pusieses | pusiese | pusiésemos | pusieseis | pusiesen |
Built from the third-person plural preterite (pusieron), so the u-stem travels into the imperfect subjunctive. Both -ra and -se are interchangeable; -ra dominates in spoken Spain.
Si te pusieras un poco más serio, te tomarían más en cuenta en la oficina.
If you got a little more serious, they'd take you more seriously at the office.
Subjunctive — compound tenses
Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| haya puesto | hayas puesto | haya puesto | hayamos puesto | hayáis puesto | hayan puesto |
Me alegra que hayáis puesto al fin un cartel en la puerta, antes nadie encontraba la oficina.
I'm glad you've finally put up a sign on the door — before, nobody could find the office.
Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | hubiera puesto | hubieras puesto | hubiera puesto | hubiéramos puesto | hubierais puesto | hubieran puesto |
| -se | hubiese puesto | hubieses puesto | hubiese puesto | hubiésemos puesto | hubieseis puesto | hubiesen puesto |
Si hubieras puesto la alarma, no nos habríamos quedado dormidos.
If you'd set the alarm, we wouldn't have overslept.
Imperative — the short tú form pon
| Form | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | pon | no pongas |
| usted | ponga | no ponga |
| nosotros | pongamos | no pongamos |
| vosotros | poned | no pongáis |
| ustedes | pongan | no pongan |
The affirmative tú form is the irregular pon — short, monosyllabic, no theme vowel. This belongs to a small club of high-frequency verbs with monosyllabic tú imperatives: poner → pon, hacer → haz, decir → di, salir → sal, tener → ten, venir → ven, ir → ve, ser → sé. These short forms are obligatory; pone as an imperative is wrong.
The peninsular affirmative vosotros form poned is mandatory in Spain. The negative imperative borrows from the present subjunctive, so the -ng- returns: no pongas, no ponga, no pongamos, no pongáis, no pongan.
When pronouns attach to the affirmative imperative, a written accent appears to keep the stress on the right syllable: ponlo (one syllable + clitic, no accent), but póntelo (two clitics force an accent on pón-). The vosotros poned drops its d when the reflexive os is added — but only in the reflexive poner: poneos (put yourselves on), explained on the ponerse page.
Pon la mesa, anda, que ya están aquí los invitados.
Set the table, come on, the guests are already here.
No pongáis la calefacción tan alta, gasta una barbaridad.
Don't put the heating so high, it costs a fortune.
Póntelo, te queda genial.
Put it on, it looks great on you.
The reach of poner: not just "to put"
Poner covers an enormous semantic field in Spanish. Some of the most useful uses for learners:
| Sense | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| To place / put | Pon el libro en la mesa. | Put the book on the table. |
| To set (the table, an alarm, a price) | Pon el despertador a las siete. | Set the alarm for seven. |
| To turn on (an appliance, music, the news) | Pon la tele, que empiezan las noticias. | Turn on the TV, the news is starting. |
| To serve (food, a drink) | Ponme un café con leche, por favor. | Get me a coffee with milk, please. |
| To play (a film, a song) | ¿Qué ponen esta semana en el cine? | What's playing at the cinema this week? |
| To give as a name | Le pusieron Lucía. | They named her Lucía. |
| To send (a letter, a telegram — slightly dated) | Le puse un mensaje al jefe. | I sent the boss a message. |
| To say / write (in a text or sign) | ¿Qué pone en el cartel? | What does the sign say? |
| To lay (eggs) | Las gallinas ponen más en verano. | Hens lay more eggs in summer. |
The ¿qué pone…? use ("what does it say?") is genuinely peninsular and trips up Latin American speakers, who would more often use ¿qué dice…? on a sign.
¿Qué pone aquí? No veo nada con esta letra tan pequeña.
What does it say here? I can't read anything with letters this small.
Poner vs meter vs colocar: the placement trio
Three Spanish verbs cover what English calls put, and they are not interchangeable:
| Verb | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| poner | Default; placing on a surface, into a state, into a position | Pon el plato en la mesa. |
| meter | Putting into something (into a container, a hole, a tight space) | Mete la ropa en la lavadora. |
| colocar | Placing with care, arranging, positioning neatly | Colocó los libros por colores. |
If you can substitute English to insert or to stick in, the verb is meter. If the action involves arranging or positioning carefully, it is colocar. Default to poner in everything else.
Mete los platos en el lavavajillas y coloca los vasos en el armario de arriba.
Put the plates in the dishwasher and arrange the glasses in the cabinet up top.
High-frequency expressions with poner
| Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|
| poner la mesa | to set the table |
| poner una multa | to give a fine |
| poner verde a alguien | to slag someone off, to badmouth (literally: turn green) |
| poner los cuernos | to cheat on (a partner) — informal |
| poner pegas | to make a fuss, to raise objections |
| poner a alguien al día | to bring someone up to speed |
| poner por las nubes | to praise to the skies |
| poner por escrito | to put in writing |
| poner en duda / en cuestión | to call into doubt / question |
| poner pies en polvorosa | (informal) to take to one's heels, to bolt |
Te van a poner una multa de las gordas como sigas aparcando ahí.
You're going to get a hefty fine if you keep parking there.
No me pongas pegas y vente con nosotros el sábado.
Don't make a fuss and just come with us on Saturday.
Common Mistakes
❌ Yo pono la mesa todos los días.
The yo form is pongo, with -ng-.
✅ Yo pongo la mesa todos los días.
I set the table every day.
❌ Ayer pusé la lavadora antes de salir.
The yo preterite is puse — no accent, stress is on the stem.
✅ Ayer puse la lavadora antes de salir.
Yesterday I put on a wash before leaving.
❌ Mañana poneré el despertador a las seis.
The future is pondré — drop the e and insert d between n and r.
✅ Mañana pondré el despertador a las seis.
Tomorrow I'll set the alarm for six.
❌ He ponido la cena en el horno.
The participle is irregular: puesto, not ponido.
✅ He puesto la cena en el horno.
I've put dinner in the oven.
❌ Pone la mesa, anda.
The affirmative tú imperative is the short form pon.
✅ Pon la mesa, anda.
Set the table, come on.
❌ Quiero que pones música.
Querer que triggers the subjunctive: pongas.
✅ Quiero que pongas música.
I want you to put on some music.
Key Takeaways
- Poner is one of the most irregular high-frequency verbs in Spanish. Master four stems and you have the whole verb: pon- (default), pong- (yo present, present subjunctive), pus- (preterite, imperfect subjunctive), pondr- (future, conditional).
- The participle is the irregular puesto, used in every compound tense and as a productive adjective.
- The affirmative tú imperative is the short pon — no theme vowel. The peninsular vosotros form is poned; the negative across the board borrows the -ng- of the subjunctive.
- Poner covers far more than English put: turning on appliances, setting alarms, serving food, naming children, what signs say. Pair with meter (insert into) and colocar (arrange carefully) to cover all of English put.
- The future pondré shows the same epenthetic d as tendré, vendré, saldré, valdré — five verbs, one pattern.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Verbos regulares e irregularesA1 — Four kinds of irregularity in Spanish verbs — stem changes, spelling changes, yo-irregulars, and the truly chaotic verbs — and what 'irregular' really means in this language.
- Participios irregularesA2 — The fifteen-or-so irregular past participles every Spanish learner has to memorise — hecho, dicho, visto, puesto, escrito, abierto, roto, vuelto, muerto and the rest — plus the small set of verbs with two valid forms (frito/freído, impreso/imprimido).
- Futuro: raíces irregularesB1 — The twelve Spanish verbs with irregular future stems — tendr-, pondr-, saldr-, vendr-, valdr-, podr-, sabr-, cabr-, querr-, habr-, har-, dir- — grouped by pattern, with the same endings as regular verbs and the bonus that these stems also power the conditional.
- Imperativo afirmativo de tú: irregularesA2 — The eight famous monosyllabic tú commands — di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven — that every Spanish learner must memorise.
- ponerseA2 — Full conjugation reference for ponerse — the reflexive poner. Covers two core uses: placing oneself somewhere / putting clothes on, and the inchoative ponerse + adjective for sudden changes of state (ponerse triste, ponerse rojo, ponerse nervioso). Includes every tense, the irregular vosotros affirmative imperative poneos (with the dropped d), all clitic placement rules, and the dividing line between ponerse, volverse, hacerse, and quedarse.