Poner Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Poner”, meaning “to put”, is an essential Spanish irregular verb that plays an important role in everyday communication in Spanish.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already familiar with regular verb endings. Unfortunately, “poner” is an irregular verb, so it requires a little further study time. 

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and in this comprehensive Spanish verb conjugation guide, we’ll cover every ”poner” conjugation, including the present tense, subjunctive forms, and well all future and past tenses. 

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	pongo
you	tú	pones
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	pone
we	nosotros,nosotras	ponemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	ponéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	ponen

When We Use The Present Tense

In Spanish, the present tense is used to describe current actions, ongoing actions, or habitual behaviors. 

When we conjugate ”poner” for the first person singular, we use “pongo”. The rest of the tense adopts the regular pattern, as you’ll see in the “poner” conjugation chart above.

An example of “poner” in the present first person singular is as follows: “Siempre pongo la ropa en el armario.” (I always put the clothes in the wardrobe).

I have provided further examples of “poner” in the present tense with translations in the section below. 

Top Tip: Now that you’ve learned “pongo”, you’ll find it easier to remember “propongo”, from the verb “proponer” (to propose).

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Poner” in the Present Tense

1. Yo pongo la comida en el plato. (I put the food on the plate.)
2. Tú pones la ropa en el armario. (You put the clothes in the wardrobe.)
3. Él/ella pone los libros en la estantería. (He puts the books on the shelf.)
4. Nosotros ponemos la mesa para la cena. (We set the table for dinner.)
5. Vosotros ponéis la música durante la fiesta. (You guys play the music during the party.)
6. Ellos/ellas ponen atención en clase. (They pay attention in class.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	puse
you	tú	pusiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	puso
we	nosotros, nosotras	pusimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	pusisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	pusieron

When We Use The Preterite Tense

The preterite tense in Spanish is typically used to describe specific actions or events that occurred in the past and are viewed as completed.

For example, “Yo puse la mesa anoche.” (I set the table last night.) 

If we wanted to describe an ongoing past action, we wouldn’t use the preterite tense. Instead, we’d use the imperfect tense, which we’ll go through shortly. 

For now, just look at the examples below of “poner” in the preterite tense. 

Examples of the Verb”Poner” in the Preterite Tense

1. Yo puse la llave en la cerradura. (I put the key in the lock.)
2. Tú pusiste las flores en el jarrón. (You put the flowers in the vase.)
3. Él/ella puso la mesa para la cena. (He set the table for dinner.)
4. Nosotros pusimos la música durante la fiesta. (We played the music during the party.)
5. Vosotros pusisteis los regalos debajo del árbol. (You guys placed the gifts under the tree.)
6. Ellos/ellas pusieron las cartas en el buzón. (They put the letters in the mailbox.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	ponía
you	tú	ponías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	ponía
we	nosotros, nosotras	poníamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	poníais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	ponían

When We Use The Imperfect Tense

I’ve just taken you through “poner” in the preterite tense, which differs from the imperfect tense.

In Spanish, we use the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions, states of being, or background information in the past. 

It sets the scene (hence its regular use in literature), or describes what was happening without focusing on a specific endpoint. 

Don’t worry if this sounds confusing. Just think of it as a past action that is often followed by something else.

For instance, “Ponia el coche en el garaje cuando tu padre volvió a casa” (I was puting the car in the garage when your father returned home.)

The literal translation is “poner” conjugated in the imperfect tense is “was putting” and “used to put”. 

The examples below should help you to understand this. 

Examples of “Poner” in the Imperfect Tense

1. Yo ponía la mesa todos los días. (I used to set the table every day.)
2. Tú ponías los libros en el estante cada tarde. (You used to put the books on the shelf every afternoon.)
3. Él/ella ponía la ropa en el armario antes de salir. (He/She used to put the clothes in the wardrobe before leaving.)
4. Nosotros poníamos la música durante las reuniones familiares. (We used to play the music during family gatherings.)
5. Vosotros poníais los platos en el lavavajillas después de cenar. (You guys used to put the dishes in the dishwasher after dinner.)
6. Ellos/ellas ponían atención en clase cada día. (They used to pay attention in class every day.)

Future Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	pondré
you	tú	pondrás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	pondrá
we	nosotros,nosotras	pondremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	pondréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	pondrán

When We Use The Future Tense

The future tense in Spanish is used to express actions or events that will occur at a later time. It’s employed to discuss future plans, intentions, or predictions.

For instance, “Creo que mañana pondré las llaves sobre la mesa” (I think tomorrow I will put the keys on the table).

The literal translation in English is “I will put”.

Here, I’ve taken the useful phrase “creo que” – “creo” the first person form of the present “creer” conjugation.

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Poner” in the Future Tense

1. Yo pondré la comida en el refrigerador. (I will put the food in the refrigerator.)
2. Tú pondrás las flores en el jarrón. (You will put the flowers in the vase.)
3. Él/ella pondrá la mesa para la cena. (He/She will set the table for dinner.)
4. Nosotros pondremos las sillas en el jardín. (We will put the chairs in the garden.)
5. Vosotros pondréis la ropa en el armario. (You guys will put the clothes in the wardrobe.)
6. Ellos/ellas pondrán los regalos debajo del árbol de Navidad. (They will put the gifts under the Christmas tree.)

Conditional Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	pondría
you	tú	pondrías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	pondría
we	nosotros,nosotras	pondríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	pondríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	pondrían

When We Use The Conditional Tense

The conditional tense in Spanish is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions or hypothetical situations.

It’s often used to convey politeness, requests, or speculation about future events.

The key word to remember here is “would”. The translation of “poner” in the conditional tense when conjugated is “would put”.

For ease, I have written more examples for you below so that you can learn the conditional tense of “poner” in context. 

Examples of “Poner” in the Conditional Tense

1. Yo pondría la mesa si tuviera tiempo. (I would set the table if I had time.)
2. Tú pondrías las flores en el jarrón si tuvieras algunas. (You would put the flowers in the vase if you had some.)
3. Él/ella pondría la mesa para la cena si estuviera en casa. (He/She would set the table for dinner if he/she were home.)
4. Nosotros pondríamos más sillas si hubiera más invitados. (We would put more chairs if there were more guests.)
5. Vosotros pondríais la ropa en el armario si estuviera ordenado. (You guys would put the clothes in the wardrobe if it were tidy.)
6. Ellos/ellas pondrían los regalos debajo del árbol si los tuvieran. (They would put the gifts under the tree if they had them.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	puesto
you	tú	has	puesto
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	puesto
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	puesto
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	puesto
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	puesto

When We Use The Perfect Tense

The preterite perfect tense in Spanish, also referred to on this site as the perfect tense, is used to talk about actions that have been completed in the recent past or have relevance to the present moment.

It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “haber” (to have) in the present tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

For “poner” (to put), the past participle is “puesto.”

So, we have “hemos puesto la ropa en la lavadora.” (We have put the clothes in the washing machine.)

This is a great Spanish verb to learn and will make your life so much easier when you’ve learned it. 

Examples of “Poner” in the Preterite Perfect

1. Yo he puesto las llaves sobre la mesa. (I have put the keys on the table.)
2. Tú has puesto los libros en la estantería. (You have put the books on the shelf.)
3. Él/ella ha puesto la mesa para la cena. (He/She has set the table for dinner.)
4. Nosotros hemos puesto la música durante la fiesta. (We have played the music during the party.)
5. Vosotros habéis puesto los regalos debajo del árbol. (You guys have put the gifts under the tree.)
6. Ellos/ellas han puesto las flores en el florero. (They have put the flowers in the vase.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	puesto
you	tú	habías	puesto
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	puesto
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	puesto
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	puesto
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	puesto

 

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense in Spanish, known as the “Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto,” is used to express actions that had already occurred before another past action or point in time.

The key word here is “had”. In English, we’d say “I had put”.

In order to form the pluperfect tense, you conjugate the auxiliary verb “haber” (to have) in the imperfect tense and follow it with the past participle of the main verb.

Sounds familiar, right? If you’ve learned the perfect tense already, then the pluperfect tense will be easy for you. 

I have written some examples below for you to see “poner” in the pluperfect text in context. 

Examples of “Poner” in the Pluperfect 

1. Yo había puesto las llaves sobre la mesa antes de salir. (I had put the keys on the table before leaving.)
2. Tú habías puesto los libros en la estantería cuando llegué. (You had put the books on the shelf when I arrived.)
3. Él/ella había puesto la mesa antes de que llegaran los invitados. (He/She had set the table before the guests arrived.)
4. Nosotros habíamos puesto la música antes de que empezara la fiesta. (We had played the music before the party started.)
5. Vosotros habíais puesto los regalos debajo del árbol antes de que llegaran los niños. (You guys had put the gifts under the tree before the children arrived.)
6. Ellos/as habían puesto las flores en el florero cuando entré a la habitación. (They had put the flowers in the vase when I entered the room.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	puesto
you	tú	habrás	puesto
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	puesto
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	puesto
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	puesto
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	puesto

When We Use The Future Perfect Tense

The Future Perfect tense in Spanish expresses actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future. 

It is often used to describe actions that will be finished before another future event or point in time.

In English, the translation of “poner” in the future perfect tense is “will have put”.

You should have learned the perfect tense and pluperfect tense already. 

If you have, learning this tense will be easy for you. 

Just conjugate the auxiliary verb “haber” (to have) in the future tense and follow it with the past participle of the main verb. 

Of course, we know already that this is “puesto”.

Examples of “Poner” in the Future Perfect 

1. Yo habré puesto las llaves sobre la mesa cuando llegues. (I will have put the keys on the table by the time you arrive.)
2. Tú habrás puesto los libros en la estantería para mañana. (You will have put the books on the shelf by tomorrow.)
3. Él/ella habrá puesto la mesa antes de que empiece la cena. (He/She will have set the table before dinner starts.)
4. Nosotros habremos puesto la música para cuando lleguen los invitados. (We will have played the music by the time the guests arrive.)
5. Vosotros habréis puesto los regalos debajo del árbol antes de Navidad. (You guys will have put the gifts under the tree before Christmas.)
6. Ellos/ellas habrán puesto las flores en el florero cuando regreses. (They will have put the flowers in the vase by the time you come back.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	puesto
you	tú	habrías	puesto
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	puesto
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	puesto
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	puesto
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	puesto

When We Use The Conditional Perfect Tense

We use the conditional perfect tense to express actions that would have occurred under certain conditions in the past.

For instance, with the Spanish verb ”poner”, we have: “Yo habría puesto las llaves sobre la mesa si me las hubieras pedido” (I would have put the keys on the table if you had asked me for them).

So, the translation is “would have put”. As you know already, you need to conjugate the auxiliary verb “haber”, then follow it with the past participle of “poner” – “puesto”.

Examples of “Poner” in the Conditional Perfect 

1. Yo habría puesto la comida en la mesa si hubiera tenido tiempo. (I would have put the food on the table if I had had time.)
2. Tú habrías puesto los libros en el estante si te lo hubieran pedido. (You would have put the books on the shelf if they had asked you.)
3. Él/ella habría puesto la mesa para la cena si hubiera sabido que vendríamos. (He/She would have set the table for dinner if he/she had known we were coming.)
4. Nosotros/as habríamos puesto la música si hubiéramos tenido un equipo adecuado. (We would have played the music if we had had a suitable device.)
5. Vosotros/as habríais puesto los platos en el lavavajillas si no estuviera estropeado. (You guys would have put the dishes in the dishwasher if it weren’t broken.)
6. Ellos/as habrían puesto atención si les hubieran interesado las clases. (They would have paid attention if they had been interested in the classes.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	ponga
you	tú	pongas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ponga
we	nosotros,nosotras	pongamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	pongáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	pongan

When We Use The Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive in Spanish is used to express desires, doubts, uncertainty, wishes, recommendations, or suggestions.

In order to form the present subjunctive, we take the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb (yo form), removing the “-go” ending, and adding the appropriate subjunctive endings. 

For “poner”, we remove “-o” to get the stem “pong-” and then add the subjunctive endings: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.

The result is shown in the “poner” conjugation examples below.

Take note that the present subjunctive is used in dependent clauses after certain verbs, expressions, or conjunctions that convey these notions of uncertainty or subjectivity.

It is a fundamental part of the Spanish language and something you will need to learn in order to have high level conversations with fluency.

Examples of the Present Subjunctive “Poner” Conjugation

1. Es importante que yo ponga las llaves en su lugar. (It’s important that I put the keys in their place.)
2. Te sugiero que tú pongas atención en clase. (I suggest that you pay attention in class.)
3. Espero que él/ella ponga la mesa antes de que lleguen los invitados. (I hope he sets the table before the guests arrive.)
4. Quiero que nosotros pongamos la música durante la fiesta. (I want us to play the music during the party.)
5. Recomiendo que vosotros pongáis los platos en el lavaplatos. (I recommend that you guys put the dishes in the dishwasher.)
6. Es necesario que ellos/ellas pongan las flores en agua pronto. (It’s necessary that they put the flowers in water soon.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	pusiera, pusiese
you	tú	pusieras, pusieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	pusiera, pusiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	pusiéramos, pusiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	pusierais, pusieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	pusieran, pusiesen

We Use The Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive tense in Spanish for “poner” is a key part of the language and a conjugation form you will need to learn to achieve top marks in any Spanish written or oral exam. 

Just like all subjunctive forms, the imperfect subjunctive expresses hypothetical situations, desires, or wishes – this time in the past. 

It often appears in subordinate clauses following certain triggers such as verbs of influence, emotion, or doubt.

For example, “Si yo pusiera las llaves en su sitio, no las perdería” (If I were to put the keys in their place, I wouldn’t lose them).

Note: “Perdería” is an example of a “perder” conjugation in the  first person conditional form.

I have provided sentence examples of “poner” in the imperfect subjunctive below so that you can see each conjugated form. 

Examples of the Imperfect Subjunctive “Poner” Conjugation

1. Si yo pusiera más atención, entendería mejor la lección. (If I paid more attention, I would understand the lesson better.)
2. Él/ella prefería que ella pusiera las cartas en el buzón antes de irse. (He preferred that she put the letters in the mailbox before leaving.)
3. Nosotros sugeríamos que pusiéramos los documentos en orden. (We suggested that we put the documents in order.)
4. Si vosotros pusieseis más esfuerzo, alcanzaríais vuestros objetivos. (If you guys put more effort, you would reach your goals.)
5. Era importante que ellos/ellas pusieran los libros en orden antes de salir. (It was important that they put the books in order before leaving.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡pon!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡ponga!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡pongamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡poned!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡pongan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Spanish is used to give direct commands or instructions in a positive manner.

In English, an example would be “Put that light out!” 

Some further examples are below. 

Examples of The Affirmative Imperative “Poner” Conjugation

• ¡Pon la mesa! (Set the table!)
• ¡Ponga las llaves en su lugar! (Put the keys in their place!)
• ¡Pongamos la música para animar la fiesta! (Let’s play music to liven up the party!)
• ¡Poned los libros en la estantería! (Put the books on the shelf!)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no pongas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no ponga!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no pongamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no pongáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no pongan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

As the name of this form suggests, the negative imperative is used to give direct commands or instructions in a negative manner.

It’s really easy to use the negative imperative in Spanish. Just add “no” before the statement and adopt the subjunctive form of the present tense. 

Check out the examples below to see how to do this.

Examples of The Negative Imperative “Poner” Conjugation

• No pongas la mesa. (Don’t set the table.)
• No ponga las llaves en la mesa. (Don’t put the keys on the table.)
• No pongamos la música tan alta. (Let’s not play the music so loud.)
• No pongáis los platos en el lavavajillas. (Don’t put the dishes in the dishwasher.)
• No pongan atención a ese rumor. (Don’t pay attention to that rumor.)

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