Breakdown of Me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista.
Questions & Answers about Me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista.
Spanish distinguishes between a state and a change of state:
- Estoy nervioso = I am nervous (describes your current state)
- Me pongo nervioso = I get nervous / I become nervous (emphasises that you become nervous because of something)
In the sentence Me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista, the idea is that having to speak in an interview causes a change: you were not nervous before, but then you get nervous. That’s why me pongo is more natural than estoy here.
If you said Estoy nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista, it would be understandable but less idiomatic; it sounds more like a repeated description of your state than a reaction.
Ponerse + adjective is a very common way to say “to become / to get + adjective”, especially for temporary emotional or physical states:
- ponerse nervioso – to get nervous
- ponerse triste – to get sad
- ponerse contento – to get happy
- ponerse enfermo – to get sick
The reflexive pronoun changes with the person:
- Me pongo nervioso – I get nervous
- Te pones nervioso – You get nervous
- Se pone nervioso – He/She gets nervous
- Nos ponemos nerviosos – We get nervous
- Os ponéis nerviosos – You (plural, Spain) get nervous
- Se ponen nerviosos – They get nervous
So in your sentence, me pongo nervioso literally means “I put myself nervous”, but idiomatically it’s “I get nervous”.
You need me because ponerse is being used reflexively here.
- poner (non‑reflexive) = to put / to place something
- Pongo el libro en la mesa. – I put the book on the table.
- ponerse (reflexive) = to become / to get (a certain way)
- Me pongo nervioso. – I get nervous.
Without me, pongo nervioso would mean “I make (someone) nervous”, and you’d need to say a alguien:
- Pongo nerviosa a la gente. – I make people nervous.
So for I get nervous, you must use the reflexive form: me pongo nervioso.
Nervioso / nerviosa agrees in gender with the person who is nervous.
- If the speaker is male:
- Me pongo nervioso.
- If the speaker is female:
- Me pongo nerviosa.
If you’re describing more than one person, you also change number:
- Group of men, or mixed group: Nos ponemos nerviosos.
- Group of women only: Nos ponemos nerviosas.
So the ending -o / -a / -os / -as must match the person or people whose state is being described.
Yes, both are grammatically correct:
- Me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista.
- Yo me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista.
In Spanish, the subject pronoun (yo) is usually omitted, because the verb ending (-o in pongo) already tells you it’s first person singular.
You typically add yo when you want to:
- emphasise contrast:
- Yo me pongo nervioso, pero él no. – I get nervous, but he doesn’t.
- clarify who you’re talking about in a context with multiple people.
In a neutral, standalone sentence, Me pongo nervioso… is more natural.
Spanish often uses the present tense to talk about general situations or repeated behaviour, even if in English you might think about the future.
- cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista
= whenever / every time I have to speak in an interview
If you were talking about one specific future time, you’d usually change the first verb to future and the second to subjunctive:
- Me pondré nervioso cuando tenga que hablar en una entrevista.
– I’ll get nervous when I have to speak in an interview (on that future occasion).
So:
- Present + cuando + present → general, habitual situation
- Future + cuando + present subjunctive → specific future situation
Both are possible, but they’re not used the same way:
- tener que + infinitive is the most common way to say “have to / must” in everyday speech:
- Tengo que hablar. – I have to talk.
- deber + infinitive is often a bit more formal or moral/ideal in tone:
- Debo hablar. – I ought to speak / I must speak (often sounds stronger or more “duty‑like”).
In casual, natural speech in Spain, tengo que hablar is much more frequent than debo hablar for this kind of sentence, so tengo que is the default choice here.
The preposition depends on the meaning:
- en una entrevista = in / during an interview (refers to the context or setting)
- hablar en una entrevista – to speak in an interview
- a una entrevista would usually go with a verb of movement, like ir (to go):
- Voy a una entrevista. – I’m going to an interview.
Because the idea is speaking during the interview, not going to it, the correct preposition is en.
Yes, you can say:
- Me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista.
- Me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar durante una entrevista.
Both are correct and very natural. The nuance:
- en una entrevista – slightly more neutral; focuses on the setting.
- durante una entrevista – emphasises the time period (while the interview is happening).
In practice, they’re almost interchangeable here.
You can use either order:
- Me pongo nervioso cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista.
- Cuando tengo que hablar en una entrevista, me pongo nervioso.
Both are perfectly natural. Changing the order here mainly affects rhythm, not meaning. Starting with Cuando… sometimes highlights the condition/situation first, but there’s no real difference in this case.
You’d flip the structure and use gustar‑type verbs or hacer + adjective:
Two natural options:
Las entrevistas me ponen nervioso / nerviosa.
– Interviews make me nervous.
Here, las entrevistas is the subject, and me ponen means they put me (in a nervous state).Las entrevistas me ponen de los nervios. (colloquial)
– Interviews get on my nerves / really stress me out.
If the speaker is female, remember to say nerviosa instead of nervioso.