Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Dónde pongo esto?

¿Dónde pongo esto?

Where do I put this?

Breakdown of ¿Dónde pongo esto?

to put / to set (the table) / to make (an excuse) / to give, to impose (a fine, a penalty)

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Questions & Answers about ¿Dónde pongo esto?

Why is the verb pongo and not "pono"?

The verb poner (to put) has a special, irregular "yo" (I) form. Instead of following the normal rules, it adds a "g" to become pongo. The other forms of the verb, like pones (you put) or pone (he/she puts), are perfectly regular.

Why does this sentence use esto instead of este or esta?

Esto is the neuter form of "this". You use it when you are talking about an unknown object, a general concept, or something whose gender isn't specified yet. If you were holding a specific masculine object like a book (el libro), you would say este, but for a general "this", use esto.

Where is the word for "I" (yo) in this sentence?

In Spanish, the verb ending usually tells you exactly who is doing the action. Because pongo specifically means "I put", you don't need to add yo. It is perfectly natural to leave it out!

Why isn't the word "do" translated in the Spanish sentence?

Spanish doesn't use helping verbs like "do" or "does" to make questions. Instead, you just use the main verb and add question marks. So, ¿Dónde pongo esto? literally translates as "Where put I this?", which means "Where do I put this?" in English.