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ponerle

poh-NEHR-leh/poˈneɾle/

to put it on (him/her/it), to add (to it)

Also: to set (it for him/her)
A colorful illustration of a child carefully placing a bright red hat onto a plush teddy bear, symbolizing physical placement.
infinitiveponer
gerundponiendo
past Participlepuesto

📝 In Action

Tienes que ponerle más agua a la sopa.

A2

You have to add more water to the soup (to it).

¿Puedes ponerle la manta al bebé?

A2

Can you put the blanket on the baby (for him)?

Voy a ponerle música mientras limpio.

B1

I'm going to put on music (for myself) while I clean.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • ponerle azúcar – to add sugar (to it)
  • ponerle un parche – to put a patch on (it)

to name (him/her), to call (him/her)

Also: to baptize
A heartwarming illustration of a parent holding a newborn baby and presenting a plain wooden heart above the baby, symbolizing the act of giving the baby a name.

📝 In Action

Queremos ponerle un nombre original al nuevo perro.

B1

We want to give an original name to the new dog (to it).

Si fuera niña, ¿qué nombre ibas a ponerle?

B1

If it were a girl, what name were you going to give her?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • nombrar (to name)
  • bautizar (to baptize)

to put effort into it, to try hard

Also: to speed up
Verb (Infinitive + Pronoun)B2irregular erinformal
Mexico
A colorful illustration of a determined person pushing a massive, round boulder up a gentle slope, showing visible strain and great effort.

📝 In Action

Necesitas ponerle más atención a los detalles.

B2

You need to pay more attention to the details (to them).

¡Ponle! Ya casi terminamos el proyecto.

C1

Try harder/Speed up! We're almost done with the project.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • esforzarse (to make an effort)
  • aplicarse (to apply oneself)

Idioms & Expressions

  • ponerle ganas – to put enthusiasm/effort into something

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedpone
yopongo
túpones
ellos/ellas/ustedesponen
nosotrosponemos
vosotrosponéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedponía
yoponía
túponías
ellos/ellas/ustedesponían
nosotrosponíamos
vosotrosponíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedpuso
yopuse
túpusiste
ellos/ellas/ustedespusieron
nosotrospusimos
vosotrospusisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedponga
yoponga
túpongas
ellos/ellas/ustedespongan
nosotrospongamos
vosotrospongáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedpusiera
yopusiera
túpusieras
ellos/ellas/ustedespusieran
nosotrospusiéramos
vosotrospusierais
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "ponerle" in Spanish:

to baptize→to become→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: ponerle

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'ponerle' in the sense of 'to name'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
poner(to put, to place) — Verb
la posición(position, placement) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Poner comes directly from the Latin verb *ponere* meaning 'to put' or 'to place.' The attached pronoun 'le' comes from the Latin indirect object pronoun *illi* ('to him/her'). The combination is a common feature in Spanish grammar, joining the action and the recipient into one word.

First recorded: Old Spanish (c. 10th century)

Cognates (Related words)

French: poserItalian: porre

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the pronoun 'le' attached to the end of the verb 'poner'?

In Spanish, when a verb is in its base form (the infinitive, like 'poner'), or its '-ing' form (the gerund), the object pronouns ('le', 'lo', 'me', etc.) are always attached to the end, forming a single word. This makes the flow of speech smoother.

Does 'ponerle' always mean 'to him' or 'to her'?

Not always! While 'le' is the indirect object pronoun for singular people ('to him/her/you formal'), it is also commonly used to refer to things or concepts ('to it'). For example, 'Voy a ponerle aceite al motor' means 'I am going to put oil *in the motor* (to it).'