Questions & Answers about Pongo el papel en la papelera.
Pongo is the first person singular (yo) of the verb poner in the present indicative.
- Infinitive: poner = to put, to place
- Yo form: yo pongo = I put / I am putting
In Spanish, the simple present often covers both English “I put” and “I am putting”, depending on context.
So Pongo el papel en la papelera can mean either “I put the paper in the bin” (habitual) or “I’m putting the paper in the bin” (right now).
Spanish usually drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- Pongo el papel en la papelera. = I put the paper in the bin.
- Yo pongo el papel en la papelera. is also correct, but yo adds emphasis, like “I put the paper in the bin (not someone else).”
So you normally say Pongo…, and use Yo pongo… if you want to stress the subject.
In Spanish, en is used both for location (“in / inside”) and often for movement into a place when the focus is on where something ends up.
- Pongo el papel en la papelera.
Focus: where the paper goes (in the bin).
If you say a la papelera, it sounds more like movement “to(wards) the bin” rather than ending up inside it, and you’d normally use it with verbs of throwing:
- Tiro el papel a la papelera. = I throw the paper to/into the bin.
For poner with containers, en is the normal preposition: poner algo en la caja, en el bolso, en el bolsillo, etc.
In this sentence, el papel suggests a specific piece of paper (the one both speakers know about).
Compare:
- Pongo el papel en la papelera.
= I put the paper (that one) in the bin. - Pongo papel en la papelera.
= I put paper in the bin (some paper, in general, or paper as a material).
Both are grammatically correct; the article el gives a more specific meaning.
In Spanish, the gender of nouns is largely arbitrary and must be memorized.
- Papel is masculine: el papel, los papeles.
- Papelera is feminine: la papelera, las papeleras.
The word papelera is formed with the suffix -era, which often means:
- a container or place related to something:
- papel → papelera (place/container for paper)
- pan → panera (bread basket)
- or a profession:
- pan → panadero / panadera (baker)
Many -era nouns are feminine, but that’s not a strict rule; you still have to learn the gender with each noun.
In Spain, papelera usually means:
- A small bin, often in an office, classroom, bedroom, or bathroom.
- Traditionally for paper, but in everyday use people often throw all kinds of small rubbish in it.
For larger or general rubbish bins you also hear:
- cubo de basura = rubbish bin (household)
- contenedor = large street container
- basura (generic word for trash/garbage)
So in a Spanish classroom or office in Spain, papelera is the usual word for the small bin next to a desk or in the corner.
Yes, there are several common options, each with a nuance:
Pongo el papel en la papelera.
Neutral: I put/place the paper in the bin.Tiro el papel a la basura / a la papelera.
Very common for throwing away rubbish.
Literally “I throw the paper in the trash/bin.”Echo el papel a la papelera.
Also common in Spain, especially for throwing something into a container.
Echar is very frequent with bins:- No eches eso ahí. = Don’t throw that there.
Meto el papel en la papelera.
Focuses on putting something inside (getting it into the container).
All are correct; poner just sounds neutral and a bit more careful/controlled than tirar or echar.
Yes, Estoy poniendo el papel en la papelera is correct. It’s the present progressive, used for actions happening right now.
Contrast:
Pongo el papel en la papelera.
- habitual: I (normally) put the paper in the bin.
- or present action: I’m putting the paper in the bin (context decides).
Estoy poniendo el papel en la papelera.
Emphasizes the action in progress right now, like “I’m in the process of putting…”
In everyday speech, Spanish often uses the simple present where English would use the -ing form, so Pongo… is very natural even for a current, ongoing action.
Yes, that word order is grammatically correct, but less neutral.
Pongo el papel en la papelera.
Normal, neutral order.Pongo en la papelera el papel.
This sounds a bit more marked, as if you’re emphasizing where you put it, or contrasting it with somewhere else:- “I put in the bin the paper (not on the table / not somewhere else).”
So it’s possible, but the usual everyday order is the one you started with.
El papel is a direct object, so we replace it with lo (masculine singular):
- Pongo el papel en la papelera.
- Lo pongo en la papelera. = I put it in the bin.
Position rules:
- With a conjugated verb: pronoun goes before the verb.
- Lo pongo en la papelera.
- With a gerund or infinitive: pronoun can go before the conjugated verb or attached to the non‑finite form:
- Lo estoy poniendo en la papelera.
- Estoy poniéndolo en la papelera.
pongo → PON-go
- Stress on the first syllable: PON.
- The g is hard, like in go.
papelera → pa-pe-LE-ra
- Stress on LE: pa-pe-LE-ra.
- All vowels are clear: a (as in “father”), e (as in “get”).
Papel itself is pa-PEL, stress on PEL. That’s why it has no written accent: by default, words ending in -l are stressed on the last syllable.