Inklingo

pones

POH-nehsˈpo.nes

pones means you put in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

you put, you placeAlso: you set

Verb (Conjugated Form)A1irregular (in the 'yo' form and future stem, but 'tú pones' is regular) er
A simplified illustration showing a person's hand carefully placing a small, red toy block onto a wooden shelf.
past Participlepuesto
infinitiveponer
gerundponiendo

📝 In Action

¿Dónde pones las gafas cuando lees?

A1

Where do you put your glasses when you read?

Tú siempre pones la sal en la mesa.

A1

You always put the salt on the table.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • pones la mesayou set the table
  • pones atenciónyou pay attention

you turn on, you applyAlso: you impose, you set

A close-up illustration of a finger pressing a button on the base of a simple, colorful desk lamp, causing the light to illuminate the area.

📝 In Action

¿Por qué pones esa película tan tarde?

A2

Why do you put on (start playing) that movie so late?

Siempre pones demasiado esfuerzo en tus proyectos.

B1

You always put too much effort into your projects.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • pones la radioyou turn on the radio
  • pones una excusayou make up an excuse

Idioms & Expressions

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yopusiera/pusiese
pusieras/pusieses
él/ella/ustedpusiera/pusiese
nosotrospusiéramos/pusiésemos
vosotrospusierais/pusieseis
ellos/ellas/ustedespusieran/pusiesen

Present Subjunctive

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

Indicative

Preterite

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

Imperfect

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

Present

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

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pones" in Spanish:

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pones

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'pones' in the sense of 'to set' or 'to cause'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
poner(to put (infinitive))Verb
puesto(placed, position)Noun / Adjective
la posición(position)Noun
la puesta(setting (e.g., of the sun))Noun
🎵 Rhymes
tienesvienesobtienes
📚 Etymology

'Poner' comes from the Latin verb *pōnere*, which meant 'to lay down' or 'to place'. Over time, it developed the wide range of meanings we see today, making it one of the most useful verbs in Spanish.

First recorded: Old Spanish (around 10th-12th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: porreFrench: pondre

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Frequently Asked Questions

If 'pones' is regular in the present tense, why is the verb 'poner' called irregular?

The verb 'poner' is considered irregular because its 'yo' form is 'pongo' (not 'pono'), and its past tense (preterite) and future/conditional stems change completely (e.g., 'puse' and 'pondré'). Even if the 'tú' form ('pones') follows the standard pattern, the verb as a whole is irregular.

How is 'pones' different from 'te pones'?

'Pones' means 'you put' or 'you place' something else (e.g., 'You put the book down'). 'Te pones' is the reflexive form, meaning 'you put on' (clothing) or 'you become' (a state of mind, e.g., 'you become sad').