Poner Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

poner — to put — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Poner means to put and to place, and it stretches into set phrases: poner la mesa (to set the table), poner atención, ponerse (to put on clothes, to become), poner una película. It is a go-verb (pongo) with the irregular preterite puse, the future stem pondr- and the participle puesto. On this page you will find poner in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with poner

In the present tense

  • “Yo pongo la mesa cada noche.” — “I set the table every evening.”
  • “Ella pone música mientras cocina.” — “She puts music on while she cooks.”
  • “Nosotros ponemos las maletas en el coche.” — “We put the suitcases in the car.”
  • “Ellos ponen atención en clase.” — “They pay attention in class.”
  • “¿Tú pones la ropa en el armario?” — “Do you put the clothes in the wardrobe?”
  • “Vosotros ponéis el libro sobre la mesa.” — “You put the book on the table.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo puse las llaves en el bolso.” — “Yesterday I put the keys in my bag.”
  • “Ella puso una película interesante.” — “She put on an interesting film.”
  • “Nosotros pusimos el despertador a las seis.” — “We set the alarm for six.”
  • “Ellos pusieron la mesa para diez personas.” — “They set the table for ten people.”
  • “¿Tú pusiste sal en la sopa?” — “Did you put salt in the soup?”
  • “El profesor puso un examen sorpresa.” — “The teacher set a surprise exam.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo ponía la mesa en la cocina.” — “As a child, I used to put the table in the kitchen.”
  • “Mañana, yo pondré la mesa en la cocina.” — “Tomorrow, I will put the table in the kitchen.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo pondría la mesa en la cocina.” — “If I could, I would put the table in the kitchen.”
  • “Yo he puesto la mesa en la cocina.” — “I have put the table in the kitchen.”

Poner in context

Cada día, yo pongo la mesa en la cocina. Mi amigo también pone la mesa en la cocina cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo pongo la mesa de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de poner es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo puse la mesa en la cocina. Mi amigo puso la mesa en la cocina también, y por la noche yo puse la mesa otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de poner aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with poner

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo pono la mesa.

Right: Yo pongo la mesa.

The yo form is pongo — poner is a go-verb, not pono.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Ayer yo poní las llaves.

Right: Ayer yo pongo las llaves.

The preterite is puse, from the irregular pus- stem, never poní.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Treating poner as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present pongo, preterite puse.

poner is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: poner in everyday use

Ten questions on poner across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of poner in the present tense?

  • A) pongo
  • B) pones
  • C) pone
  • D) ponemos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is pongo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of poner in the present tense?

  • A) pongo
  • B) pones
  • C) ponemos
  • D) pone

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is pone.

3. What is the yo form of poner in the preterite?

  • A) puso
  • B) pusimos
  • C) puse
  • D) pusiste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is puse.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of poner in the preterite?

  • A) puso
  • B) pusieron
  • C) puse
  • D) pusiste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is pusieron.

5. What is the yo form of poner in the imperfect?

  • A) ponía
  • B) ponías
  • C) ponía
  • D) poníamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is ponía.

6. What is the tú form of poner in the future?

  • A) pondré
  • B) pondrá
  • C) pondremos
  • D) pondrás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is pondrás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of poner in the conditional?

  • A) pondrías
  • B) pondríamos
  • C) pondría
  • D) pondría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is pondría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of poner in the present perfect?

  • A) ha puesto
  • B) hemos puesto
  • C) he puesto
  • D) has puesto

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos puesto.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ la mesa cada noche.” (I set the table every evening.)

  • A) pongo
  • B) pones
  • C) pone
  • D) ponemos

Answer: A — The sentence needs pongo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo pongo la mesa.
  • B) Yo pono la mesa.

Answer: A — The yo form is pongo — poner is a go-verb, not pono.

Frequently asked questions

What does poner mean?

poner means “to put” in English. Poner means to put and to place, and it stretches into set phrases: poner la mesa (to set the table), poner atención, ponerse (to put on clothes, to become), poner una película. It is a go-verb (pongo) with the irregular preterite puse, the future stem pondr- and the participle puesto.

Is poner regular?

No. poner is an irregular -er verb (irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use poner in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — puse, pusiste, puso — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — ponía, ponías, ponía — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to poner as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise poner?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Poner Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for poner to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo pongo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo puse…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo pondré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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