Ponerse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb ponerse means to put on — it also means to become, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Ponerse is an irregular -er, reflexive verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. It is irregular in the present indicative, preterite, future, conditional and more, so the tables below are worth studying carefully. Ponerse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, me pongo la chaqueta means "I put on my jacket". Without the pronoun, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of ponerse in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo me pongo la chaqueta — "I put on my jacket" — and in the preterite you say Yo me puse los zapatos — "I put on my shoes". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: ponerse
  • English: to put on, to become
  • Verb type: irregular -er, reflexive verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: poniendo
  • Past participle: puesto
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + puesto)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ponerse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Ponerse is reflexive: me pongo, te pones. Without the pronoun, poner means something else — it acts on someone or something else, not on yourself.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for ponerse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Gerund: poniendo · Past participle: puesto

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pongo
tú te pones
él/ella/Ud. se pone
nosotros/as nos ponemos
vosotros/as os ponéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se ponen

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me puse
tú te pusiste
él/ella/Ud. se puso
nosotros/as nos pusimos
vosotros/as os pusisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pusieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me ponía
tú te ponías
él/ella/Ud. se ponía
nosotros/as nos poníamos
vosotros/as os poníais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se ponían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pondré
tú te pondrás
él/ella/Ud. se pondrá
nosotros/as nos pondremos
vosotros/as os pondréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pondrán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pondría
tú te pondrías
él/ella/Ud. se pondría
nosotros/as nos pondríamos
vosotros/as os pondríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pondrían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he puesto
tú te has puesto
él/ella/Ud. se ha puesto
nosotros/as nos hemos puesto
vosotros/as os habéis puesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han puesto

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había puesto
tú te habías puesto
él/ella/Ud. se había puesto
nosotros/as nos habíamos puesto
vosotros/as os habíais puesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían puesto

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré puesto
tú te habrás puesto
él/ella/Ud. se habrá puesto
nosotros/as nos habremos puesto
vosotros/as os habréis puesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán puesto

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría puesto
tú te habrías puesto
él/ella/Ud. se habría puesto
nosotros/as nos habríamos puesto
vosotros/as os habríais puesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían puesto

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me ponga
tú te pongas
él/ella/Ud. se ponga
nosotros/as nos pongamos
vosotros/as os pongáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pongan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pusiera
tú te pusieras
él/ella/Ud. se pusiera
nosotros/as nos pusiéramos
vosotros/as os pusierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pusieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te pon
él/ella/Ud. se ponga
nosotros/as nos pongamos
vosotros/as os poned
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pongan

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te pongas
él/ella/Ud. se ponga
nosotros/as nos pongamos
vosotros/as os pongáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pongan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund poniendo with estar for the progressive: estoy poniendo (or me estoy poniendo for this reflexive verb)
Past participle puesto with haber for the perfect tenses: he puesto

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For ponerse, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me pongo los zapatos — "I put on my shoes". Learn the present indicative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The yo form is irregular: pongo. The other persons follow the regular pattern.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For ponerse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me puse una camisa nueva — "I put on a new shirt". Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The preterite uses the irregular stem pus-: puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For ponerse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me ponía la chaqueta — "I used to put on my jacket". Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For ponerse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me pondré los zapatos — "I will put on my shoes". Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The future stem is irregular: pondr replaces the infinitive as the base, so the forms are pondré, pondrás and pondrá.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For ponerse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me pondría una camisa nueva — "I would put on a new shirt". Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The future stem is irregular: pondr replaces the infinitive as the base, so the forms are pondría, pondrías and pondría.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. It connects the past with the present moment. For ponerse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me he puesto la chaqueta — "I have put on my jacket". Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: puesto, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses puesto after haber.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For ponerse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me había puesto los zapatos — "I had put on my shoes". Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: puesto, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses puesto after haber.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For ponerse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me habré puesto una camisa nueva — "I will have put on a new shirt". Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: puesto, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses puesto after haber.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. It looks back at a past that never happened. For ponerse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me habría puesto la chaqueta — "I would have put on my jacket". Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: puesto, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses puesto after haber.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For ponerse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se ponga los zapatos — "I hope he puts on my shoes". Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For ponerse, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo me pusiera una camisa nueva, todo cambiaría — "If I put on a new shirt, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For ponerse, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Que se ponga la chaqueta — "Let him put on my jacket". Learn the imperative (affirmative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The tú command is pon: the imperative has its own short form for tú, different from the present tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For ponerse, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No te pongas los zapatos — "Don't put on my shoes". Learn the imperative (negative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with ponerse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo me pongo una camisa nueva — "I put on a new shirt"
  2. Él se pone la chaqueta — "He puts on my jacket"
  3. Yo me puse los zapatos — "I put on my shoes"
  4. Yo me ponía una camisa nueva — "I used to put on a new shirt"
  5. Tú te pondrás la chaqueta — "You will put on my jacket"
  6. Yo me pondría los zapatos — "I would put on my shoes"
  7. Él se ha puesto una camisa nueva — "He has put on a new shirt"
  8. Espero que él se ponga la chaqueta — "I hope he puts on my jacket"
  9. Yo me había puesto los zapatos — "I had put on my shoes"
  10. Ellos se ponían una camisa nueva — "They used to put on a new shirt"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo pongo la chaqueta — Right: Yo me pongo la chaqueta — Ponerse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo me pongo — Right: Ayer, yo me puse — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to puse.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo me puse todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo me ponía — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (ponía), not the preterite. The preterite (puse) is for one finished action.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy puesto los zapatos. — Right: Yo me he puesto los zapatos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he puesto, has puesto, ha puesto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: Espero que él pone la chaqueta. — Right: Espero que él se ponga la chaqueta. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: ponga. The indicative pone is wrong here.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on ponerse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo me ___ la chaqueta. (present tense) A. pongo B. puse C. ponéis D. habías puesto

  2. Complete the sentence: Él se ___ la chaqueta. (preterite) A. habrás puesto B. puso C. pondría D. ponga

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros nos ___ la chaqueta. (imperfect) A. pusieron B. pusiera C. pusiéramos D. poníamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú te ___ la chaqueta. (future) A. pusiste B. puse C. has puesto D. pondrás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo me ___ la chaqueta. (conditional) A. pusiste B. poníamos C. pongo D. pondría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él se ___ la chaqueta. (present subjunctive) A. pone B. poned C. ponga D. pusierais

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo me ___ la chaqueta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. pusiera B. pusieras C. ponen D. pondríais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros nos ___ la chaqueta. (present perfect) A. ponéis B. he puesto C. pongan D. hemos puesto

  9. Complete the command: No te ___ la chaqueta. (negative imperative, tú) A. pongas B. ponga C. pongan D. pongamos

  10. Which is the gerund of ponerse, used with estar for the progressive? A. pongo B. puse C. poniendo D. pondré

Answer key

  1. me pongo — The yo present tense of ponerse is me pongo.
  2. se puso — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of ponerse is se puso.
  3. nos poníamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of ponerse is nos poníamos.
  4. te pondrás — The tú future of ponerse is te pondrás.
  5. me pondría — The yo conditional of ponerse is me pondría.
  6. se ponga — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of ponerse is se ponga.
  7. me pusiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of ponerse is me pusiera.
  8. nos hemos puesto — The nosotros/as present perfect of ponerse is nos hemos puesto.
  9. te pongas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te pongas.
  10. poniendo — The gerund of ponerse is poniendo: estoy poniendo. The participle puesto is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does ponerse mean in English?

Ponerse means to put on, to become. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo me pongo la chaqueta. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is ponerse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Ponerse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Yo me pongo la chaqueta and Él se pone los zapatos. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the gerund and the past participle of ponerse?

The gerund is poniendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy poniendo. The past participle is puesto, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he puesto.

How do I say “I put on” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo me puse los zapatos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo me ponía una camisa nueva. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo me he puesto la chaqueta.

How do I practise ponerse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the ponerse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links