Elena has a PhD in linguistics from University of La Laguna (Spain). Currently, she teaches Spanish as a foreign language and creates teaching resources.
When was the last time you put on a suit or an elegant dress? When were you very happy to receive an unexpected visit? To talk about these situations in Spanish, despite being so different, we can use the verb ponerse (pronounced: poh-NEHR-seh).
Ponerse means 'to put on,' but it can also be used in plenty of expressions, such as ponerse contento (to become/be happy) or ponerse en contacto (to get in contact).
First, let's take a look at the most common uses and meanings of ponerse.
| Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| To put on | ponerse el abrigo | to put on a coat |
| To put oneself, move | ponerse a la derecha | to move to the right |
| To get in contact with | ponerse en contacto con | to get in contact with |
| To start doing something | ponerse a estudiar | to start studying |
| To become/be | ponerse contento/triste | to become/be happy/sad |
For the last two expressions, use the structures:
 |
Now you're ready to learn its conjugation.
We use the preterite to talk about finished actions in the past that normally happened once or momentarily. For example, if you want to say that yesterday you put on your favorite T-shirt or that your mom was delighted when you gave her the good news, use ponerse in the preterite.
Ponerse is irregular, and its preterite stem is quite different from the infinitive. In this tense, we need to use the stem pus-, to which we'll add the endings below.
Notice that ponerse is a reflexive verb, which means that we need to add the reflexive pronouns IN FRONT of every conjugated form. These pronouns are: me/te/se/nos/os/se.
| VERB: ponerse (poh-NEHR-seh) - to put on/start/be |
|---|
| Subject Pronoun |
Preterite Conjugation |
Pronunciation | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me puse | (meh POO-seh) | I put on/started/was |
| tú | te pusiste | (teh poo-SEES-teh) | you put on/started/were |
| él/ella usted |
se puso | (seh POO-soh) | he/she put on/started/was, you (formal) put on/started/were |
| nosotros/ nosotras |
nos pusimos | (nohs poo-SEE-mohs) | we put on/started/were |
| vosotros/ vosotras |
os pusisteis | (ohs poo-SEES-tays) | you all put on/started/were |
| ellos/ellas ustedes |
se pusieron | (seh poo-SYEH-rohn) | they put on/started/were, you all put on/started/were |
Note: Spaniards use the form vosotros/as when addressing a group of people in an informal situation and ustedes in formal contexts. In the rest of the Spanish-speaking countries, everyone uses the form ustedes in any setting.
Laura and Carla should have studied for their exam on Friday, but they've been busy with other things.
Laura: ¿Te pusiste a estudiar? (Did you start studying?)
Carla: Bueno, me puse a ayudar a mi hermano con los deberes y luego fuimos a visitar a mi abuela. (Well, I started helping my brother with his homework and then we went to visit my grandma.) Se puso muy contenta al vernos. (She was very happy to see us.)
Al llegar a casa, nos pusimos el pijama y vimos una película. (When we arrived home, we put on the pajamas and we watched a movie.) ¿Y tú? (And you?)
Laura: Mi hermana y yo nos pusimos a hacer galletas y otras cosas en casa. (My sister and I started baking cookies and doing other things at home.)
Carla: Así que tampoco se pusieron a estudiar. (So you (both) didn't start studying either.)
Laura: No, pero esta tarde empiezo. (No, but I'll start this evening.)
 |
We use the imperative to give affirmative orders or commands, but also to make suggestions.
In this case, we need two different stems. We'll use the irregular stem (pong-) for all subject pronouns, EXCEPT FOR tú and vosotros/as, which keep the regular stem (pon-).
Note: When a verb is reflexive, its imperative forms have the pronouns ATTACHED at the end, making a single word, and not in front, as in the rest of the tenses.
| VERB: ponerse (poh-NEHR-seh) - to put on/start/be |
|---|
| Subject Pronoun |
Imperative | Pronunciation | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| tú | ponte | (POHN-teh) | (you) put on/start/be |
| usted | póngase | (POHN-gah-SEH) | (you - formal) put on/start/be |
| nosotros/ nosotras |
pongámonos | (pohn-GAH-moh-nohs) | (we) let's put on/start/be |
| vosotros/ vosotras |
poneos | (poh-NEH-ohs) | (you all) put on/start/be |
| ustedes | pónganse | (POHN-gahn-SEH) | (you all) put on/start/be |
Laura is about to leave her house, and she hears her mom talking to her siblings.
She addresses Laura as well:
Her phone rings and Laura guesses it's someone from work because her mom says:
In the meanwhile, Laura's sister tells her brother:
 |
In this lesson, we have learned about the Spanish verb ponerse, which means 'to put on' or 'to move,' but it can be used in lots of expressions such as:
Now you knownow how to conjugate this verb in the preterite to talk about finished actions in the past.
You are also able to give affirmative commands and make suggestions with its imperative forms.
| VERB: ponerse (poh-NEHR-seh) - to put on/start/be |
|---|
| Subject Pronoun |
Preterite Conjugation |
Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me puse | --- |
| tú | te pusiste | ponte |
| él/ella usted |
se puso | --- póngase |
| nosotros/ nosotras |
nos pusimos | pongámonos |
| vosotros/ vosotras |
os pusisteis | poneos |
| ellos/ellas ustedes |
se pusieron | --- pónganse |
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