Meter Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb meter means to put in, to insert, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full meter conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo meto el libro en la mochila. — "I put the book in my rucksack."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for meter, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

The meter present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for meter. The gerund is metiendo and the past participle is metido.

Person Form
yo meto
tú metes
él/ella/Ud. mete
nosotros/as metemos
vosotros/as metéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. meten

The gerund metiendo is used with estar for the progressive (estoy metiendo, I am putting), and the past participle metido is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he metido, I have put).

How the present tense of meter is formed

Start with the infinitive meter. Take off the -er ending and you are left with the stem met-. Then add the present endings for -er verbs: -o (yo), -es (tú), -e (él/ella/Ud.), -emos (nosotros/as), -éis (vosotros/as) and -en (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

meter is regular in the present: every form is exactly the stem plus the ending above, with no stem change and no spelling change. If you know the stem and the six endings, you can build the whole tense without memorising anything extra.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: metéis. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: meto on its own means both "I put" and "I am putting" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of meter

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about putting things inside something: a book in a rucksack, clothes in a wardrobe, keys in a pocket.

  • Yo meto el libro en la mochila. — "I put the book in my rucksack."
  • Tú metes la ropa en el armario. — "you put the clothes in the wardrobe."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about putting money in the bank or everything in a box when you move house.

  • Él mete las llaves en el bolsillo. — "he/she puts the keys in my pocket."
  • Nosotros metemos el dinero en el banco. — "we put the money in the bank."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about getting involved in something, the figurative use: meterse en un lío.

  • Vosotros metéis todo en una caja. — "you (all) put everything in a box."
  • Ellos meten la mano en el bolsillo. — "they put my hand in my pocket."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

  • Él mete las llaves en el bolsillo. — "he/she puts the keys in my pocket."
  • Nosotros metemos el dinero en el banco. — "we put the money in the bank."

Meter present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

  • Present (habit): Yo meto el libro en la mochila. — "I put the book in my rucksack."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy metiendo el libro en la mochila. — "I am putting the book in my rucksack."

  • Present (habit): Tú metes la ropa en el armario. — "you put the clothes in the wardrobe."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás metiendo la ropa en el armario. — "you are putting the clothes in the wardrobe."

  • Present (habit): Él mete las llaves en el bolsillo. — "he/she puts the keys in my pocket."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está metiendo las llaves en el bolsillo. — "he/she is putting the keys in my pocket."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say meto every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy metiendo, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of meter in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

  1. Meto el libro en la mochila. — "I put the book in my rucksack."
  2. Mi hermana mete la ropa en el armario. — "My sister puts the clothes in the wardrobe."
  3. Ayer metí las llaves en el bolsillo. — "Yesterday I put the keys in my pocket."
  4. De niña, metía todo en una caja cuando jugaba. — "As a girl, I used to put everything in a box when I played."
  5. Mañana meteré el dinero en el banco. — "Tomorrow I will put the money in the bank."
  6. Si tuviera una caja más grande, metería todo en una caja. — "If I had a bigger box, I would put everything in a box."
  7. Él mete todo en una caja. — "he/she puts everything in a box."
  8. Nosotros metemos la mano en el bolsillo. — "we put my hand in my pocket."

Common mistakes with meter in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo mete el libro en la mochila.

Wrong: Yo mete el libro en la mochila.

Right: Yo meto el libro en la mochila.

Meter is an -er verb, so the yo present ends in -o: meto. Mete is the él/ella form.

2. Ayer yo meto las llaves en el bolsillo.

Wrong: Ayer yo meto las llaves en el bolsillo.

Right: Ayer yo metí las llaves en el bolsillo.

A finished action yesterday needs the preterite: metí. Meto is the present tense.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo meto el libro en la mochila.

Right: Ayer yo metí el libro en la mochila.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: metí. The present meto describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros meteis el libro en la mochila.

Right: Vosotros metéis el libro en la mochila.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: metéis. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on meter in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

  1. Yo ___ el libro en la mochila
    • a) meto
    • b) metes
    • c) mete
    • d) metemos
  2. Tú ___ la ropa en el armario
    • a) meto
    • b) mete
    • c) metemos
    • d) metes
  3. Él ___ las llaves en el bolsillo
    • a) metes
    • b) metemos
    • c) mete
    • d) meto
  4. Nosotros ___ el dinero en el banco
    • a) mete
    • b) metemos
    • c) meto
    • d) metes
  5. Vosotros ___ todo en una caja
    • a) metéis
    • b) meto
    • c) metes
    • d) mete
  6. Ellos ___ la mano en el bolsillo
    • a) meto
    • b) metes
    • c) mete
    • d) meten
  7. Yo ___ el libro en la mochila
    • a) mete
    • b) metemos
    • c) meto
    • d) metes
  8. Tú ___ la ropa en el armario
    • a) metemos
    • b) metes
    • c) meto
    • d) mete

Answers

  1. a) meto — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) metes — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) mete — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) metemos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) metéis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) meten — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) meto — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) metes — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about meter in the present

Is meter regular?

Yes, meter is a regular -er verb: meto, metes, mete, metemos, metéis, meten.

What is the difference between meter and poner?

They overlap. Meter stresses putting something inside: meto el libro en la mochila. Poner is the general verb for putting: pongo el libro en la mesa. With en + a container, meter is the natural choice.

Is meter regular in the present?

Yes. meter is regular in the present: the six forms are the stem met- plus the regular endings, with no stem change. The only thing to watch is the written accent on the stressed endings, for example meto.

What are the gerund and the past participle of meter?

The gerund is metiendo, used with estar for the progressive (estoy metiendo), and the past participle is metido, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he metido).

How to remember meter

Four small habits will fix meter in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: meto, metes, mete, metemos, metéis, meten. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (meto), one about yesterday with the preterite (metí), and one about tomorrow with the future (meteré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from sacar: Meter is putting something in; sacar is taking it out. Metes el libro en la mochila y lo sacas cuando llegas a clase. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund metiendo and the past participle metido. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy metiendo) and the present perfect (he metido), which covers most everyday conversation.

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