Poner Conjugation | How to Conjugate Poner in Spanish

Poner means “to put,” “to place,” “to set,” “to add,” or “to turn on” in many contexts. You will learn its major irregular families and high-frequency constructions.

Poner conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Linguistically, poner is highly irregular. RAE gives pongo, preterite puse / puso, future/conditional pondr-, subjunctive ponga, gerund poniendo, participle puesto, and command pon / poné.

Poner gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber. The participle puesto remains invariant in compound forms.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	poner	to put / place / set
Gerund	poniendo	putting / placing / setting
Past participle	puesto	put / placed / set

Poner meaning and essential uses

RAE records a very broad set of transitive meanings centered on placing, situating, arranging, adding, setting, writing, activating, naming, and establishing something.

High-frequency learner uses include poner algo en + place, poner la mesa, poner música, poner un nombre, and poner algo en duda.

Poner irregular conjugation patterns

Present first-person singular is pongo. Preterite uses pus-: puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron.

Future and conditional use pondr-. Present subjunctive uses pong-; past/future subjunctive use pusier-. The participle is irregular puesto, and tú command is pon.

Poner indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Poner present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. First-person singular is irregular pongo; the remaining present forms use pon-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pongo	I put / place / set
Tú — you, singular informal	pones	you put / place / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pone	he / she puts / places / sets; you put / place / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	ponemos	we put / place / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	ponéis	you put / place / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	ponen	they put / place / set; you put / place / set (plural)

• Pongo las llaves en la mesa. — I put the keys on the table.

Poner preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. Preterite uses the irregular pus- stem: puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	puse	I put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	pusiste	you put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	puso	he / she put / placed / set; you put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pusimos	we put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pusisteis	you put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pusieron	they put / placed / set; you put / placed / set (plural)

• Ayer puse los libros en la estantería. — Yesterday I put the books on the shelf.

Poner imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	ponía	I used to put / place / set / was putting / placing / setting
Tú — you, singular informal	ponías	you used to put / place / set / were putting / placing / setting
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ponía	he / she used to put / place / set / was putting / placing / setting; you used to put / place / set / were putting / placing / setting (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	poníamos	we used to put / place / set / were putting / placing / setting
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	poníais	you used to put / place / set / were putting / placing / setting (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	ponían	they used to put / place / set / were putting / placing / setting; you used to put / place / set / were putting / placing / setting (plural)

• Antes poníamos música durante la cena. — We used to put on music during dinner.

Poner present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus poniendo.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy poniendo	I am putting / placing / setting
Tú — you, singular informal	estás poniendo	you are putting / placing / setting
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está poniendo	he / she is putting / placing / setting; you are putting / placing / setting (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos poniendo	we are putting / placing / setting
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis poniendo	you are putting / placing / setting (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están poniendo	they are putting / placing / setting; you are putting / placing / setting (plural)

• Estoy poniendo la mesa. — I am setting the table.

Poner near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir + a + poner.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a poner	I am going to put / place / set
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a poner	you are going to put / place / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a poner	he / she is going to put / place / set; you are going to put / place / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a poner	we are going to put / place / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a poner	you are going to put / place / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a poner	they are going to put / place / set; you are going to put / place / set (plural)

• Voy a poner el teléfono en silencio. — I am going to put the phone on silent.

Poner future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. Future uses the irregular stem pondr-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pondré	I will put / place / set
Tú — you, singular informal	pondrás	you will put / place / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pondrá	he / she will put / place / set; you will put / place / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pondremos	we will put / place / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pondréis	you will put / place / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pondrán	they will put / place / set; you will put / place / set (plural)

• Pondremos las sillas junto a la pared. — We will put the chairs next to the wall.

Poner conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. Conditional uses the irregular stem pondr-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pondría	I would put / place / set
Tú — you, singular informal	pondrías	you would put / place / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pondría	he / she would put / place / set; you would put / place / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pondríamos	we would put / place / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pondríais	you would put / place / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pondrían	they would put / place / set; you would put / place / set (plural)

• Pondría otra lámpara aquí. — I would put another lamp here.

Poner present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he puesto	I have put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	has puesto	you have put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha puesto	he / she has put / placed / set; you have put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos puesto	we have put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis puesto	you have put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han puesto	they have put / placed / set; you have put / placed / set (plural)

• He puesto todos los documentos en la carpeta. — I have put all the documents in the folder.

Poner past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había puesto	I had put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	habías puesto	you had put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había puesto	he / she had put / placed / set; you had put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos puesto	we had put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais puesto	you had put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían puesto	they had put / placed / set; you had put / placed / set (plural)

• Ya habíamos puesto la mesa. — We had already set the table.

Poner future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré puesto	I will have put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás puesto	you will have put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá puesto	he / she will have put / placed / set; you will have put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos puesto	we will have put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis puesto	you will have put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán puesto	they will have put / placed / set; you will have put / placed / set (plural)

• Para entonces habrán puesto todas las señales. — By then they will have put up all the signs.

Poner conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría puesto	I would have put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías puesto	you would have put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría puesto	he / she would have put / placed / set; you would have put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos puesto	we would have put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais puesto	you would have put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían puesto	they would have put / placed / set; you would have put / placed / set (plural)

• Habría puesto más agua en la sopa. — I would have added more water to the soup.

Poner subjunctive conjugations

Poner present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Present subjunctive uses pong- throughout.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	ponga	that I put / place / set
Tú — you, singular informal	pongas	that you put / place / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ponga	that he / she put / place / set; that you put / place / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pongamos	that we put / place / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pongáis	that you put / place / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pongan	that they put / place / set; that you put / place / set (plural)

• Quiero que pongas las llaves aquí. — I want you to put the keys here.

Poner imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Past subjunctive uses pusier-; the main table shows the -ra series, with -se forms also accepted.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pusiera	that I put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	pusieras	that you put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pusiera	that he / she put / placed / set; that you put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pusiéramos	that we put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pusierais	that you put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pusieran	that they put / placed / set; that you put / placed / set (plural)

• Preferían que pusiéramos las sillas en círculo. — They preferred that we arrange the chairs in a circle.
• Era mejor que pusieses la fecha en la primera página. — It was better for you to put the date on the first page.

Poner future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms use pusier-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pusiere	if / when I should put / place / set
Tú — you, singular informal	pusieres	if / when you should put / place / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pusiere	if / when he / she should put / place / set; if / when you should put / place / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pusiéremos	if / when we should put / place / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pusiereis	if / when you should put / place / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pusieren	if / when they should put / place / set; if / when you should put / place / set (plural)

• Quien pusiere información falsa deberá corregirla. — Whoever should put false information must correct it.

Poner present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya puesto	that I have put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas puesto	that you have put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya puesto	that he / she has put / placed / set; that you have put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos puesto	that we have put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis puesto	that you have put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan puesto	that they have put / placed / set; that you have put / placed / set (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas puesto la mesa. — I am glad that you set the table.

Poner past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera puesto	that I had put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras puesto	that you had put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera puesto	that he / she had put / placed / set; that you had put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos puesto	that we had put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais puesto	that you had put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran puesto	that they had put / placed / set; that you had put / placed / set (plural)

• Si hubiera puesto una alarma, no habría llegado tarde. — If I had set an alarm, I would not have arrived late.
• Si hubieses puesto el archivo en esa carpeta, lo habríamos encontrado. — If you had put the file in that folder, we would have found it.

Poner future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant puesto.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere puesto	if / when I should have put / placed / set
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres puesto	if / when you should have put / placed / set
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere puesto	if / when he / she should have put / placed / set; if / when you should have put / placed / set (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos puesto	if / when we should have put / placed / set
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis puesto	if / when you should have put / placed / set (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren puesto	if / when they should have put / placed / set; if / when you should have put / placed / set (plural)

• Si hubieren puesto condiciones adicionales, deberán comunicarlas. — If they should have imposed additional conditions, they must communicate them.

Poner imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Poner affirmative commands

Poner has irregular affirmative tú pon; the remaining command set is ponga, pongamos, poned, pongan.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	pon	put
Usted — you, singular formal	ponga	put (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	pongamos	let’s put
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	poned	put (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	pongan	put (plural)

• Pon las llaves aquí. — Put the keys here.

Poner negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no pongas	do not put
Usted — you, singular formal	no ponga	do not put (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no pongamos	let’s not put
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no pongáis	do not put (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no pongan	do not put (plural)

• No pongas la caja delante de la puerta. — Do not put the box in front of the door.

Common constructions with Poner

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• poner algo en / sobre + place. — to put something in / on a place.
• poner la mesa. — to set the table.
• poner música / la radio / la televisión. — to put on music / turn on the radio or television.
• poner un nombre / una fecha / una nota. — to give a name or write/set a date or note.
• poner en duda / peligro / marcha. — high-frequency fixed constructions: question, endanger, set in motion.

Example sentences with Poner

These examples reinforce useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• Pon el libro sobre la mesa. — Put the book on the table.
• Voy a poner música. — I am going to put on some music.
• ¿Qué pone aquí? — What does it say here?
• Espero que pongas la fecha correcta. — I hope you put the correct date.
• Han puesto nuevas condiciones. — They have imposed new conditions.
• Pon una alarma para mañana. — Set an alarm for tomorrow.

Regional and usage notes for Poner

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms where vos is used.

• Vos ponés las llaves aquí. — You put the keys here. (voseo)
• Poné la mesa, por favor. — Set the table, please. (affirmative vos command)

Poner is highly irregular and highly productive. Memorize pongo / puse / pondr- / ponga / pusier- / puesto / pon, then organize its many meanings by construction.