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SPANISH VERB

ponerse

to put on

  • #103 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Gerund: poniéndose
  • Past participle: puesto

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I put on
  2. tú you put on
  3. usted, él, ella he/she puts on
  4. nosotros we put on
  5. vosotros Spain you all put on
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they put on

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I put on
  2. tú you put on
  3. usted, él, ella he/she put on
  4. nosotros we put on
  5. vosotros Spain you all put on
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they put on

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to put on
  2. tú you used to put on
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to put on
  4. nosotros we used to put on
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to put on
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to put on

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will put on
  2. tú you will put on
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will put on
  4. nosotros we will put on
  5. vosotros Spain you all will put on
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will put on

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would put on
  2. tú you would put on
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would put on
  4. nosotros we would put on
  5. vosotros Spain you all would put on
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would put on

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I put on
  2. tú (that) you put on
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she put on
  4. nosotros (that) we put on
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all put on
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they put on

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I put on
  2. tú (if) you put on
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she put on
  4. nosotros (if) we put on
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all put on
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they put on

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú put on!
  2. usted put on! (formal)
  3. nosotros put on! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain put on! (all of you)
  5. ustedes put on! (all of you)

How to use ponerse

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Me pongo suéter porque en la oficina hace frío.

    I put on a sweater because it's cold in the office.

  2. Past

    ¿Te pusiste los zapatos nuevos para la fiesta?

    Did you put on the new shoes for the party?

  3. Imperfect

    Mi abuela se ponía un rebozo para salir.

    My grandmother used to put on a rebozo to go out.

  4. Future

    Me pondré la camisa azul para la entrevista.

    I'll put on the blue shirt for the interview.

  5. Conditional

    Yo me pondría botas, va a llover toda la tarde.

    I'd put on boots, it's going to rain all afternoon.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Quiero que te pongas el cinturón de seguridad.

    I want you to put on your seatbelt.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Si te pusieras gorra, no te quemarías tanto.

    If you put on a cap, you wouldn't get so burnt.

  8. Imperative

    ¡Ponte la chamarra, hace frío afuera!

    Put on your jacket, it's cold outside!

Good to know

  • "Ponerse" plus a feeling is to get that way: "Se puso triste", "Me puse nervioso."
  • "Ponerse a" is to start doing something: "Se puso a llorar."

Where you hear ponerse

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 3

  • Me pongo bloqueador. I put on sunscreen.
  • Me puse el chaleco salvavidas. I put on the life jacket.
  • Me voy a poner el huipil. I'm going to put on the huipil.

Spanish · Intermediate Level 3

  • Me pongo el vestido de mi mamá. I'm putting on my mother's dress.
  • Me puse el traje, aunque me queda chico. I put on the suit, although it's too small for me.
  • Me voy a poner el rebozo de la abuela. I'm going to put on the grandmother's shawl.
22
Don't Touch Them!

Beginner Level 3 · Póntelo. · ponte · me puse

Needs a subscription 3
You've Become a Real Mexican

Intermediate Level 3 · se puso · se puso muy nerviosa

Needs a subscription 5
May You Be Very Happy

Intermediate Level 3 · ¡Póntelo!

Needs a subscription 7
Someone Who Knows

Intermediate Level 3 · cómo se pone el lazo

Needs a subscription 21
If We Won

Advanced Level 1 · te pondrías triste

Needs a subscription 22
Since When Do You Talk Like That?

Advanced Level 1 · poneos los abrigos · Poneos los abrigos.

Needs a subscription 7
The More I Think About It

Advanced Level 3 · póngase unas medias

Needs a subscription 11
The East Wind

Advanced Level 3 · poneos crema

Needs a subscription 13
Don't Look at the Clock

Advanced Level 3 · ¿Dónde me pongo?

Needs a subscription 17
Just in Case

Advanced Level 3 · ponte música

Needs a subscription 17
Water Under the Bridge

Fluency Level 2 · No te pongas así.

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -er verb.