Learn Spanish (Spain): Ayer me puse a plantar el árbol allí. - Yesterday I started to plant the tree there.

Ayer me puse a plantar el árbol allí.

Yesterday I started to plant the tree there.

Breakdown of Ayer me puse a plantar el árbol allí.

to start (+ infinitive)

Questions & Answers about Ayer me puse a plantar el árbol allí.

Why does me puse a mean "I started to" when the verb poner usually means "to put"?

When you use the reflexive form ponerse followed by the preposition a and an infinitive (like plantar), it creates a special phrase meaning "to start doing something" or "to set about doing something". It often implies you made a deliberate decision to get down to work.

Is the word a always required before the infinitive here?

Yes. The structure to say you are starting an action is strictly ponerse a followed by an infinitive verb. If you drop the a, the sentence is grammatically incorrect.

Why is puse in the preterite tense here instead of the imperfect tense (ponía)?

The word ayer (yesterday) pinpoints a specific, completed timeframe. Also, the phrase ponerse a focuses on the exact moment an action began. Both of these require the preterite tense (puse) rather than the imperfect, which is used for ongoing, descriptive background actions in the past.

Could I just use empecé a instead of me puse a in this sentence?

Yes, empecé a plantar (I started to plant) is perfectly correct and means almost the exact same thing. However, me puse a sounds a bit more conversational and carries the slight nuance of "I got down to the business of planting", showing your active, deliberate involvement in the task.