¡Hola, amigos! In this post, we’ll look at two common uses of the verb ponerse, the reflexive form of poner. To learn about a third use, click here.
1. Ponerse + clothing
We use ponerse with an item of clothing to say “to put on.” Example:
Me pongo la chaqueta.
I put on my jacket.
2. Ponerse a + infinitive
We use ponerse a + infinitive to express the beginning of an action, often one that starts suddenly or unexpectedly. Examples:
Los niños se pusieron a reír.
The children started laughing.
Me puse a estudiar después de cenar.
I started studying after dinner.
What’s great is that ponerse has the same irregular forms as poner. The only difference is that ponerse is reflexive, so it requires a reflexive pronoun. For example, if yo pongo means “I put,” then yo me pongo literally means “I put myself.” However, reflexive structures in Spanish are not always translated literally into English. For example, Yo me pongo una camisa does not mean “I put myself a shirt.” It means “I put on a shirt.”
Now let’s look at three charts showing how to conjugate ponerse in Spanish. The forms are the same as those of poner, but they include reflexive pronouns such as me (“myself”).
Ponerse in the PRESENTE SIMPLE
In the Spanish simple present, ponerse is irregular only in the yo form, just like poner. Remember to use a reflexive pronoun with every subject.
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | Me pongo |
| Tú | Te pones |
| USTED Él Ella | Se pone |
| Nosotros NOSOTRAS | Nos ponemos |
| Ustedes Ellos Ellas | Se ponen |
| VOS | Te ponÉs |
| Vosotros VOSOTRAS | Os ponéis |
Ponerse in the pASADO SIMPLE
In the Spanish simple past, the stem changes to pus-, and the reflexive pronouns remain in place.
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | Me puse |
| Tú | Te pusiste |
| USTED Él Ella | Se puso |
| Nosotros NOSOTRAS | Nos pusimos |
| Ustedes Ellos Ellas | Se pusieron |
| VOS | Te pusiste |
| Vosotros VOSOTRAS | Os pusisteis |
Ponerse in the FUTURO SIMPLE
In the Spanish simple future, ponerse uses the irregular stem pondr-, followed by the regular future endings.
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | Me pondré |
| Tú | Te pondrás |
| Usted Él Ella | Se pondrá |
| Nosotros NOSOTRAS | Nos pondremos |
| Ustedes Ellos Ellas | Se pondrán |
| VOS | Te pondrás |
| Vosotros VOSOTRAS | Os pondréis |
