Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Cuando baja la temperatura, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero. - When the temperature drops, I put on my leather jacket.

Hace frío = It’s cold (general description of the weather).
Baja la temperatura = The temperature goes down / drops (emphasises the change in temperature).

In your sentence, Cuando baja la temperatura highlights the moment of change or the condition that triggers the action: when the temperature drops, I put the jacket on.

You could also say:

Cuando hace frío, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero.
This sounds a bit more general: whenever it’s cold, you wear it.

Why are both verbs in the present tense if I’m talking about something that happens in general or in the future?

In Spanish, the present tense is used a lot for:

General truths / habits:
- Cuando llueve, cojo el paraguas. – When it rains, I take the umbrella.
- Cuando baja la temperatura, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero. – Whenever the temperature drops, I put on the leather jacket.

English might think of this as “when it gets cold, I put on…”, but Spanish is happy with simple present for both parts of this kind of conditional or habitual sentence.

If you were talking about a specific future occasion, you’d probably switch to future or another structure:

Cuando baje la temperatura, me pondré la chaqueta. – When the temperature drops (on that occasion), I’ll put the jacket on.

Why me pongo and not just pongo or llevo?

Poner (non‑reflexive) = to put, to place something somewhere:
- Pongo la chaqueta en la silla. – I put the jacket on the chair.
Ponerse (reflexive) + clothing = to put on (clothes), i.e. on yourself:
- Me pongo la chaqueta. – I put on the jacket.

The me is essential: it shows the action is done to yourself.

Llevar is different:

Llevar la chaqueta = to wear the jacket (or to carry the jacket).
Me pongo la chaqueta = the moment you put it on.

So me pongo fits because you’re talking about the action of putting it on, not just wearing it.

What does poner literally mean here, and is ponerse la chaqueta a fixed expression?

Literally, poner means to put/place. The reflexive form ponerse extends that to put something on (yourself).

Yes, ponerse + clothing is a very standard way to say to put clothing on:

Me pongo los zapatos. – I put my shoes on.
Se pone el abrigo. – He/She puts on the coat.

It’s not a special idiom; it’s the normal everyday verb for “put on clothes” in Spanish.

Could I say me visto la chaqueta instead of me pongo la chaqueta?

No, that’s not natural Spanish.

Vestirse is normally intransitive:
- Me visto. – I get dressed.
- Me visto rápido. – I get dressed quickly.

If you mention what you dress in, you use a preposition:

Me visto con una chaqueta. – I dress in a jacket.
Me visto de negro. – I dress in black.

To talk about putting on a specific garment as an action, Spanish uses:

Ponerse + prenda:
- Me pongo la chaqueta. – I put on the jacket.

So me visto la chaqueta is incorrect; use me pongo la chaqueta.

Why do we need the article la before chaqueta de cuero? Could I drop it?

In Spanish, you almost always need an article with singular countable nouns, especially with clothes:

Me pongo la chaqueta. – I put on the jacket.
Me pongo el abrigo. – I put on the coat.

If you say me pongo chaqueta, it sounds wrong or telegraphic, like broken Spanish.

Also, here la chaqueta de cuero suggests a specific jacket that you usually wear when it gets cold (your leather jacket). If you said una chaqueta de cuero, it would mean some leather jacket, not necessarily a particular one.

Is there a difference between chaqueta and cazadora in Spain?

Yes, there’s a nuance, especially in Peninsular Spanish:

Chaqueta = jacket in a broad sense, including casual and more formal jackets (blazer, suit jacket, cardigan‑style jackets, etc.).
Cazadora = a short, usually waist‑length casual jacket, often sporty or biker style. Leather jackets are very commonly called cazadora de cuero.

So in Spain, for this exact context, many people would naturally say:

Cuando baja la temperatura, me pongo la cazadora de cuero.

But chaqueta de cuero is grammatically correct and understandable; it’s just a bit more generic.

Why is it de cuero and not just chaqueta cuero, like English leather jacket?

Spanish doesn’t normally use one noun directly before another as an adjective (like leather jacket). Instead, it uses:

de + noun to express material, content, type:
- chaqueta de cuero – leather jacket
- mesa de madera – wooden table
- botella de agua – bottle of water
- sopa de tomate – tomato soup

So chaqueta cuero is incorrect; you need chaqueta de cuero.

Is there a difference between cuero and piel in Spain?

Both can mean leather, but there’s a nuance:

Cuero:
- Very common for thicker, more rugged leather, like belts, biker jackets, shoes, saddles, etc.
- chaqueta de cuero is the standard expression for “leather jacket”.
Piel:
- Literally skin; also used for furs and softer, more “luxurious” leather.
- Common in fashion, especially for softer leather clothing, gloves, handbags:
  - guantes de piel, bolso de piel.

In everyday Spain Spanish, chaqueta de cuero is more idiomatic for a leather jacket, though chaqueta de piel is also understood and used in some contexts.

Why does baja look like a third person verb, and what is its subject here?

Baja is the third person singular of bajar (present indicative).

The subject is la temperatura:

La temperatura baja. – The temperature drops.

So in Cuando baja la temperatura, the verb and the noun agree:

baja (3rd person singular)
la temperatura (singular noun)

If you used a plural subject, you’d change the verb:

Cuando bajan las temperaturas, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero. – When temperatures drop, I put on the leather jacket.

Can I change the word order to Me pongo la chaqueta de cuero cuando baja la temperatura?

Yes, absolutely. Both orders are correct:

Cuando baja la temperatura, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero.
Me pongo la chaqueta de cuero cuando baja la temperatura.

Two small points:

Comma use:
- Subordinate clause first → comma:
  - Cuando baja la temperatura, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero.
- Main clause first → usually no comma:
  - Me pongo la chaqueta de cuero cuando baja la temperatura.
Emphasis:
- Clause first = slight emphasis on the condition (when it drops).
- Clause second = slight emphasis on what you do (put on the jacket).

Semantically, they mean the same.

Why is there no yo before me pongo?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él…) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject:

Me pongo can only be yo in the present tense (yo me pongo).
(Yo) me pongo la chaqueta. – Both versions are correct; the one without yo is more natural.

You usually add yo only when you need emphasis or contrast:

Yo me pongo la chaqueta, pero ella no. – I put on the jacket, but she doesn’t.

In your original sentence, there’s no contrast, so yo is left out.

Why do we use cuando + indicative here and not the subjunctive (cuando baje la temperatura)?

It depends on the type of action:

Habitual / general actions (present) → indicative:
- Cuando baja la temperatura, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero.
  Meaning: Whenever the temperature drops (as a general rule), I put it on.
Future, specific or uncertain actions → often subjunctive after cuando:
- Cuando baje la temperatura, me pondré la chaqueta. – When the temperature drops (in the future), I’ll put the jacket on.
- Cuando tengas tiempo, llámame. – When you have time, call me.

In your sentence, you’re describing a habit, so baja (indicative) is the correct choice.

Would it be natural to say Cuando hace frío, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero instead? Is there any difference?

Yes, it’s perfectly natural. Both are common:

Cuando baja la temperatura, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero.
- Slight focus on the change: when the temperature drops.
Cuando hace frío, me pongo la chaqueta de cuero.
- More general: when it’s cold.

In everyday conversation, many speakers would probably say Cuando hace frío…, because it’s simpler and very common as a weather expression. Both are correct; the choice depends on whether you want to stress the drop in temperature or just the fact that it’s cold.