How do you say “I put” in Spanish?
“I put” in the present tense is pongo, the first-person singular form of the verb poner (to put, to place).
- Pongo el libro en la mesa. (I put the book on the table.)
- Siempre pongo azúcar en el café. (I always put sugar in my coffee.)
Spanish uses the present tense for both “I put” and “I am putting”: Pongo la ropa en el armario can mean either.
Why is pongo irregular?
Poner belongs to a group of verbs with a -go ending in the yo form. The regular pattern for -er verbs would give pono, but Spanish adds a g and gets pongo. The rest of the present tense is regular, so there is only one irregular form to learn.
Present tense of poner
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | pongo | Pongo la mesa. (I set the table.) |
| tú | pones | ¿Dónde pones las llaves? (Where do you put the keys?) |
| él/ella/usted | pone | Ella pone música. (She puts on music.) |
| nosotros/nosotras | ponemos | Ponemos la tele. (We put on the TV.) |
| vosotros/vosotras | ponéis | ¿Ponéis sal en la sopa? (Do you all put salt in the soup?) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | ponen | Ponen un anuncio. (They put up an ad.) |
Note that only the yo form is irregular. There is no stem change in poner.
Other tenses of poner
Preterite (completed past action)
The preterite uses an irregular stem, pus-, with special endings without accents.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | puse |
| tú | pusiste |
| él/ella/usted | puso |
| nosotros/nosotras | pusimos |
| vosotros/vosotras | pusisteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pusieron |
Ayer puse la ropa en la lavadora. (Yesterday I put the clothes in the washing machine.)
This answers the question “What is the preterite tense of the verb poner?”: puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron.
Imperfect
Regular: ponía, ponías, ponía, poníamos, poníais, ponían.
Cuando era niño, ponía la mesa cada noche. (When I was a child, I used to set the table every night.)
Future and conditional
Poner drops the e of the infinitive and inserts a d: the stem is pondr-.
| Subject | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|
| yo | pondré | pondría |
| tú | pondrás | pondrías |
| él/ella/usted | pondrá | pondría |
| nosotros/nosotras | pondremos | pondríamos |
| vosotros/vosotras | pondréis | pondríais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pondrán | pondrían |
Present subjunctive
The yo form (pongo) is the base: remove the -o and add the opposite endings.
ponga, pongas, ponga, pongamos, pongáis, pongan
Quiero que pongas la mesa. (I want you to set the table.)
Commands
- tú affirmative: pon (irregular, no -e): Pon el libro aquí. (Put the book here.)
- tú negative: no pongas
- usted: ponga
- ustedes: pongan
- nosotros: pongamos
You can practise these commands in our Spanish imperative exercises, and see how they combine with pronouns in commands with pronouns.
Gerund and past participle
- Gerund: poniendo (putting). Estoy poniendo la mesa. (I am setting the table.)
- Past participle: puesto (put). He puesto las llaves en el cajón. (I have put the keys in the drawer.)
Poner versus ponerse
Poner means to put something somewhere. Ponerse is the reflexive form (me pongo, te pones, se pone, nos ponemos, os ponéis, se ponen) and has two main uses.
Putting on clothes or accessories
Me pongo el abrigo. (I put on my coat.) Se pone los zapatos. (He or she puts on his or her shoes.)
Becoming (a temporary change in state or mood)
Me pongo nervioso antes de un examen. (I get nervous before an exam.) Ella se pone roja. (She turns red.)
So poner usually describes what you do to another thing, while ponerse describes what happens to you, or what you put on yourself.
Common expressions with poner
- poner la mesa: to set the table
- poner la tele or poner música: to turn on the TV, to put on music
- poner un huevo: to lay an egg
- poner de buen humor: to put someone in a good mood
- poner en marcha: to start up, to set in motion
- ponerse de acuerdo: to come to an agreement
- ponerse a + infinitive: to start doing something (Me pongo a estudiar., I start studying.)
Usage varies by region, so some expressions are more common in Spain than in Latin America, or the other way round. Check a local dictionary if you are unsure.
Verbs built on poner
Many verbs are formed by adding a prefix to poner, and most follow the same pattern (-go in the yo form, -pus- in the preterite, -pondr- in the future):
| Verb | Meaning | Yo form |
|---|---|---|
| componer | to compose | compongo |
| proponer | to propose | propongo |
| suponer | to suppose | supongo |
| exponer | to expose | expongo |
| imponer | to impose | impongo |
| disponer | to have available | dispongo |
An important exception is that their tú commands take an accent: propón, supón, compón.
What other verbs follow the same pattern?
Other common -go verbs include hacer (hago), salir (salgo), tener (tengo), venir (vengo) and decir (digo). See our guide to the most common irregular verbs in Spanish for the full picture.
What are the 20 most used verbs in Spanish?
Frequency lists differ, so there is no single official answer. Verbs that appear near the top of most lists include ser, estar, haber, tener, hacer, ir, poder, decir, ver, dar, saber, querer, poner and hablar. Many of these are irregular, which is why they are worth learning early.
Common mistakes
- Saying pono or ponego instead of pongo.
- Mixing up the preterite stem (pus-) with the infinitive stem (pon-): ponió is wrong; use puso.
- Using poner where ponerse is needed for clothing: Me pongo la camisa, not Pongo la camisa when you mean putting it on yourself.
Quick practice
Complete the sentences with the correct form of poner.
- Yo ___ la leche en el café. (present)
- Ellos ___ la mesa para la cena. (present)
- Ayer ella ___ su abrigo en la silla. (preterite)
- Tú ___ música muy alta. (present)
Answers: 1. pongo, 2. ponen, 3. puso, 4. pones.
FAQ
What is the yo form of poner? Pongo.
What is the difference between poner and ponerse? Poner is to put something somewhere. Ponerse is to put something on yourself or to become a certain way.
Is poner irregular in the present tense? Only in the yo form.