Inklingo

How to Say "we put" in Spanish

English → Spanish

ponemos

poh-NEH-mohs/poˈnemos/

verbA1general
Use 'ponemos' when referring to the present action of placing something, such as setting the table or putting items in a specific location right now.
Two hands gently placing a small, red wooden block onto a high shelf, illustrating the action of physical placement.

Examples

Nosotros ponemos la mesa antes de cenar.

We set the table before having dinner.

¿Dónde ponemos las llaves? Siempre las perdemos.

Where do we put the keys? We always lose them.

Ponemos mucha atención a los detalles.

We pay a lot of attention to the details.

Irregular 'Yo' Form

The 'yo' form (I) of the present tense is highly irregular: 'yo pongo'. Remember this pattern, as many common verbs follow it.

The 'We' Form is Regular

Even though 'poner' is irregular, the 'nosotros' form ('ponemos') follows the standard pattern for -er verbs in the present tense.

pusimos

/poo-SEE-mos//puˈsimos/

verbA1general
Use 'pusimos' when referring to the past action of placing something, indicating that the act of putting items somewhere has already been completed.
Two figures collaborating to carefully place a small, brightly colored object, perhaps a toy block, onto a low, stable surface.

Examples

Nosotros pusimos las llaves en la mesa anoche.

We put the keys on the table last night.

¿Dónde pusimos el libro de español?

Where did we put the Spanish book?

Después del picnic, pusimos la basura en el contenedor.

After the picnic, we put the trash in the container.

Irregular Preterite Stem

The simple past form of 'poner' is highly irregular. Instead of using the 'pon-' stem, it changes completely to 'pus-'. This is a common pattern for many essential Spanish verbs.

Completed Action

'Pusimos' describes a single action we started and finished completely in the past, like placing an object down once.

Confusing Preterite and Imperfect

Mistake: “Usando 'poníamos' para decir 'we put (once)'”

Correction: Use 'pusimos' (preterite) for a specific, completed action. 'Poníamos' (imperfect) means 'we used to put' or 'we were putting'.

Present vs. Past Tense Confusion

The most common mistake is using the present tense ('ponemos') when the action already happened in the past. Always check if the action is happening now or if it was completed earlier to choose between 'ponemos' (present) and 'pusimos' (past).

Related Translations

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