Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Hoy llevo una camisa a rayas, pero mañana quiero ponerme una lisa. - Today I’m wearing a striped shirt, but tomorrow I want to put on a plain one.

So estoy llevando una camisa a rayas is grammatically possible but sounds strange or overly specific, as if you’re talking about the process of carrying/wearing something in a particular moment (for example in a story: Durante el desfile estoy llevando la bandera).

For everyday “I’m wearing…”, Spanish uses llevo, not estoy llevando.

What is the difference between llevar and ponerse with clothes? Why both in this sentence?

They talk about two different moments:

llevar = to wear / to have on (state)
- Hoy llevo una camisa a rayas.
  = Today I am wearing a striped shirt.
ponerse = to put on (action of dressing)
- Mañana quiero ponerme una lisa.
  = Tomorrow I want to put on / wear a plain one.

In the sentence:

First part describes what you have on now (llevo).
Second part describes what you plan to put on tomorrow (quiero ponerme).

You could also say mañana quiero llevar una lisa. That sounds more like “tomorrow I want to wear a plain one” as a general plan, without focusing on the act of getting dressed.

Why is it camisa a rayas and not something like camisa de rayas?

Both are possible, but there is a tendency:

camisa a rayas – very common and natural in Spain for clothes with stripes.
camisa de rayas – also correct; some speakers use it, and it’s understood the same way.

With patterns on clothes, Spanish often uses:

a rayas – striped
a cuadros – checked
a lunares – polka-dotted

So una camisa a rayas is the most idiomatic option for “a striped shirt” in Spain.

What does lisa mean here? Is it a name?

Here lisa is not a name; it’s an adjective meaning plain / without a pattern.

It agrees with camisa (which is feminine singular), so we say:

una camisa lisa = a plain shirt

In the sentence, camisa is omitted the second time, but it’s understood:

mañana quiero ponerme una lisa
≈ mañana quiero ponerme una camisa lisa

So lisa here means plain (shirt), not the name Lisa.

Why can you leave out the word camisa after lisa?

Spanish often drops a repeated noun and leaves only the adjective, when the context makes it clear:

Prefiero la camisa azul, no la roja.
¿Quieres la grande o la pequeña?

In this sentence:

First mention: una camisa a rayas
Second mention: una lisa

Everyone understands una lisa as una camisa lisa. The noun is omitted to avoid repetition. The adjective lisa must still agree in gender and number with the understood noun (camisa → feminine singular → una lisa).

Why is it una camisa and una lisa (feminine), not un?

Because camisa is a feminine noun in Spanish. Most nouns ending in -a (though not all) are feminine, and the article and adjectives must agree:

una camisa a rayas
una camisa lisa
una lisa (short for una camisa lisa)

If the noun were masculine, everything would change:

un jersey a rayas
uno liso

So una and lisa are feminine to match camisa.

Why is rayas plural in a rayas?

Because the shirt has several stripes. Spanish normally refers to the elements of the pattern in the plural:

a rayas – with stripes (many stripes)
a cuadros – checked (many squares)
a lunares – with spots / polka dots (many dots)

You could say con una raya if you really meant with a single stripe, but for a typical striped shirt, a rayas is the natural expression.

How does quiero ponerme work? Why is me stuck on the end, and can I say me quiero poner instead?

ponerse is a reflexive verb. The reflexive pronoun for yo is me. With a conjugated verb plus infinitive, you have two correct options:

Attach the pronoun to the infinitive:
- Mañana quiero ponerme una lisa.
Put the pronoun before the conjugated verb:
- Mañana me quiero poner una lisa.

Both mean exactly the same and are equally correct in Spain.

You attach me to poner because it’s in the infinitive form ponerme, and Spanish allows pronouns to be attached to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands.

Why is it pero and not sino in pero mañana quiero ponerme una lisa?

pero and sino both translate as but, but they are used differently.

pero = but, adds or contrasts information with a previous affirmative statement:
- Hoy llevo una camisa a rayas, pero mañana quiero ponerme una lisa.
  (Today I’m wearing stripes, and tomorrow I want a plain one instead.)
sino = but rather / but instead, and it needs a negative in the first part:
- Hoy no llevo una camisa lisa, sino una a rayas.
  (Today I’m not wearing a plain shirt, but rather a striped one.)

Since the first part is affirmative (Hoy llevo…), we use pero, not sino.

Why don’t you say yo in Hoy llevo… and mañana quiero…?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él…) are usually dropped because the verb ending already shows who the subject is:

llevo → clearly yo
quiero → clearly yo

You would normally only say yo for emphasis or contrast:

Hoy llevo yo la camisa a rayas, no tú.

In neutral sentences, Spanish from Spain prefers:

Hoy llevo una camisa a rayas, pero mañana quiero ponerme una lisa.