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pones

POH-nehs/ˈpo.nes/

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

you put, you place

Also: 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 mesa – you set the table
  • pones atención – you pay attention

you turn on, you apply

Also: 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 radio – you turn on the radio
  • pones una excusa – you make up an excuse

Idioms & Expressions

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

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

present

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

indicative

preterite

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

imperfect

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

present

túpones
vosotrosponéis
nosotrosponemos
yopongo
él/ella/ustedpone
ellos/ellas/ustedesponen
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pones" in Spanish:

you apply→you impose→you set→

✏️ 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').