Using the Spanish Verb Poner

Using the Spanish Verb Poner The Spanish verb poner is one of those verbs that can be difficult to translate. It has a wide variety of meanings - just as does the English verb put, which is perhaps the verbs most common translation into English. Originally, poner conveyed the idea of placing something somewhere. However, its meaning has expanded over the centuries to include abstract concepts such as the placement of ideas or concepts or bringing about various kinds of changes. It is often used in the reflexive form (ponerse). Keep in mind that poner is conjugated highly irregularly. Irregularities occur in both the stem and the endings. Key Takeaways: Poner Poner  is an irregular verb that most commonly means to put. Poner has multiple definitions. It generally conveys the idea of changing a location or status of something or someone, either literally or figuratively.Poner  can be used reflexively, such as when it means to get dressed. Meanings of Poner Following are some of the meanings of poner, along with sample sentences, that can be ascribed to poner. This list is not complete. Note that many of the English translations could have been made using put; in practice, you often can do the same. Alternative verbs have been used to convey the idea that poner has many meanings. Placing Objects or Arranging Siempre pone las llaves en el escritorio. (He always puts the keys on the desk.)Todos los dà ­as sale de su casa a las 8:30 de la maà ±ana y pone el telà ©fono celular en la consola de su auto. (Every day she leaves her house at 8:30 a.m. and places her cell phone on the console of her car.)Puso la mesa para la maà ±ana siguiente. (He set the table for the next morning.) Putting on Clothing Se pondr la camisa que ms le guste en ese momento. (He will put on the shirt he likes most at the time.)Al llegar a la piscina me puse las gafas. (When I arrived at the swimming pool I put on my goggles.) Investing or Contributing Money Si ponemos 1000 pesos, en un aà ±o recibimos 1030. (If we invest 1,000 pesos, in a year we will receive 1,030.)Puso tres dà ³lares en el juego de La Rueda de la Fortuna en el casino. She gambled $3 on the Wheel of Fortune game at the casino. Effecting Change Puso el coche en revà ©s. (He put the car in reverse.)Las elecciones pusieron fin a la revolucià ³n. (The elections put an end to the revolution.)La lesià ³n del hombro me ponà ­a en un aprieto. (My shoulder injury put me in a bind.)Si hay algo que la ponà ­a de mal humor era el verano, el calor. (If there is something that put her in a bad mood, it was the summer, the heat.)Pusieron la casa en venta cuando se mudaron a Los ngeles. (They put the house up for sale when they moved to Los Angeles.) Becoming Se puso muy triste. (He became very sad.)Akira se puso azul por momentos y casi devuelve lo que habà ­a comido en una semana. (Akira turned blue for a short time and almost threw up what she had eaten during the week.) Designating Sà ­, es verdad que le pusieron Pablo Pingà ¼ino. (Yes, its true they called him Pablo Pingà ¼ino.)El Departamento de Justicia puso dos millones de dà ³lares como precio por la cabeza de Benjamà ­n. (The Justice Department set $2 million as the price for Benjamins capture.) Showing or Displaying  ¿Quà © ponen esta noche en la tele? (What is on TV tonight? Literally, what are they showing on TV tonight?) ¿Tienes una gran foto?  ¡Ponla en tu sitio web! (Do you have a great photo? Show it on your website!) Phrases Using Poner In addition to having a wide variety of meanings on its own,  poner  is part of various phrases and idioms whose meanings arent always obvious. Here are some of the common ones: Poner bien a alguien  (to have a high opinion of someone)  -   Como era el ms inteligente de los tres, me ponà ­an bien.  (Because I was the smartest of the three, they thought highly of me.)Poner en claro  (to make clear)  -   Con su permiso, pondrà © en claro el concepto de inflacià ³n.  (With your permission Ill make the concept of inflation clear.)Poner en marcha  (to start)  - Luego, puse el coche en marcha.  (Later, I started the car.)Poner en juego  (to put in danger)  -   La guerra pone en juego el futuro de la ONU.  (The war puts the future of the U.N. in danger.)Poner en riesgo  (to put at risk)  -   El mal tiempo puso en riesgo el helicà ³ptero en el que viajaba el presidente.  (The bad weather put the helicopter that the president traveled in at risk.)Poner huevo  (to lay an egg)  -   Tengo dos canarias hembra que no ponen huevos.  (I have two female canaries that dont lay eggs.)Poner pegas  (to object)  -   Nunca p onà ­a pegas a nada. Todo lo parecà ­a bien.  (I never objected to anything. Everything seemed fine.) Poner por encima  (to prefer)  -   Ponà ­an el negocio por encima de todo.  (They made business their highest priority.)Ponerse colorado  or  ponerse rojo  (to be embarrassed or ashamed, to blush, to turn red)  -   Era muy tà ­mido. Si alguien me decà ­a algo me ponà ­a rojo y sudaba.  I was very shy. (If someone told me something I would blush and sweat.)Ponerse de pie  (to stand up)  -   Se puso de pie y golpeà ³ el escritorio con el puà ±o.  (He stood up and pounded the desk with his fist.)Ponerse de rodillas  (to kneel, to fall to ones knees)  -   El jardinero se puso de rodillas, implorando el perdà ³n de su imprudencia.  (The gardener fell to his knees, begging forgiveness for his carelessness.)