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A hand placing a bright red apple onto a simple wooden table.

pusiera

poo-SYEH-rah

verbB1irregular er
put / placed?used in 'what if' scenarios or past wishes
Also:set?referring to a table or a mood,turned on?referring to music or an appliance

Quick Reference

gerundponiendo
past Participlepuesto
infinitiveponer

📝 In Action

Si yo pusiera la mesa, ¿tú lavarías los platos?

B1

If I set the table, would you wash the dishes?

Ella quería que yo pusiera la música más baja.

B1

She wanted me to turn the music down.

Si él se pusiera ese abrigo, tendría menos frío.

B2

If he put on that coat, he would be less cold.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • Si yo pusiera... – If I were to put...
  • Me pidió que pusiera – They asked me to put

Idioms & Expressions

💡 Grammar Points

The 'If' Trigger

Use 'pusiera' after 'si' (if) when you are imagining a situation that isn't currently true, like 'If I put the money in the bank (but I haven't)...'

Past Requests

When someone asked or wanted you to do something in the past, the action they wanted you to do often takes this 'pusiera' form.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Don't say 'Poniera'

Mistake: "Yo poniera la mesa."

Correction: Yo pusiera la mesa. The verb 'poner' is irregular and changes its stem to 'pus-' in this form.

⭐ Usage Tips

The '-ra' vs '-se' choice

You might see 'pusiese' in books, which means the exact same thing. However, 'pusiera' is much more common in everyday speech.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespusieran
yopusiera
túpusieras
vosotrospusierais
nosotrospusiéramos
él/ella/ustedpusiera

present

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

indicative

preterite

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

imperfect

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

present

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

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: pusiera

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'pusiera' to express a hypothetical situation?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

poner(to put) - verb
puesto(placed / position) - noun
anteponer(to put before) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'pusiera' the same as 'pusiese'?

Yes! Both are the 'imperfect subjunctive' form. 'Pusiera' is used almost everywhere in Latin America and is the preferred choice in spoken Spanish in Spain.

Can 'pusiera' mean both 'I put' and 'He/She put'?

Yes, it is identical for the 1st person (yo) and the 3rd person (él/ella/usted). Context usually makes it clear who you are talking about.