The Spanish verb
The Spanish Verb Poner
As you know, any Spanish verb conjugation has two groups: simple tenses and compound tenses. Simple tenses consist of a single word (the main verb), while compound tenses consist of two words (
Now let’s see the conjugation of poner with example sentences.
The Spanish Verb Poner in Indicative
You will see the verb
| Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional | |
| yo tú él nosotros vosotros ellos | pon pones pone ponemos ponéis ponen | ponía ponías ponía poníamos poníais ponían |
Yo pongo los zapatos en el armario.
I put the shoes in the closet.
Has estropeado la camisa, ¡le pusiste lejía en vez de detergente!
You ruined the shirt, you used bleach instead of detergent!
Mis abuelos ponían flores en el jarrón para decorar la habitación.
My grandparents used to put flowers in the vase to decorate the room.
El equipo pondrá a sus mejores jugadores en el campo para el partido.
The team will put their best players on the field for the match.
¿Te pondrías el abrigo azul para la boda?
Would you wear the blue coat for the wedding?
The Spanish Verb Poner in Subjunctive
As you can see, the Imperfect has two forms in subjunctive. You can use any of them since both are correct.
| Present | Imperfect (1) | Imperfect (2) | Future | |
| yo tú él nosotros vosotros ellos |
Te recomiendo que te pongas la camisa blanca con la falda verde.
I recommend that you wear the white shirt with the green skirt.
Yo te aconsejé que pusieras las llaves en el cajón para no perderlas.
Yo te aconsejé que pusieses las llaves en el cajón para no perderlas.
I advised you to put the keys in the drawer so you wouldn’t lose them.
Nowadays the Future subjunctive forms are not very often used. These forms are only seen in administrative or legal documents and in some set phrases.
The Spanish Verb Poner in Imperative
In Spanish, negative commands are done using the Present subjunctive forms. Simply say
| Affirmative | Negative | |
| tú usted vosotros, vosotras ustedes | poned | no no no no |
Pon el libro encima de la mesa, por favor.
Put the book on the table, please.
No pongas tanta sal y pimienta en todos los platos.
Don’t put so much salt and pepper in every dish.
The Spanish Verb Poner : Non-Finite Forms
The Spanish non-finite forms are the infinitive (
| Non-Finite | |
| infinitive gerund past participle | poner poniendo |
No voy a poner esta taza de cerámica en el lavavajillas.
I will not put this ceramic cup in the dishwasher.
Los periodistas están poniendo las cámaras al lado de la mesa.
The journalists are placing the cameras next to the table.
¿Dónde has puesto la sal? No la encuentro.
Where have you put the salt? I can’t find it.
Exercises
Let’s practice the forms of the Spanish verb