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Conjugation Chart of “Poner” (to put) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Poner”

The Imperfect Tense of poner is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo ponía la mesa todos los días. (I used to set the table every day.)

Poner is a regular -er verb, so its Imperfect Tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

How to Use Poner in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of poner is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To put or place something: For example, Yo ponía la mesa todos los días (I used to set the table every day).

To start or begin something: For example, Ella se ponía a estudiar después de la cena (She would start studying after dinner).

To put on or wear clothing: For example, Él se ponía su chaqueta antes de salir (He would put on his jacket before going out).

To set or establish something: For example, Ponían las reglas desde el principio (They would set the rules from the beginning).

To get or become (a state or condition): For example, Me ponía nervioso antes de los exámenes (I would get nervous before exams).

To go down or set (referring to the sun): For example, El sol se ponía detrás de las montañas (The sun would set behind the mountains).

Slang: To get drunk or high: For example, Los fines de semana nos poníamos hasta las mangas (On weekends, we would get completely wasted).

Real Life Examples of Poner in the Imperfect Tense

Yo ponía la mesa para la cena todas las noches. (I used to set the table for dinner every night.)

Cuando éramos niños, poníamos mucha atención a los cuentos de nuestra abuela. (When we were kids, we used to pay close attention to our grandmother’s stories.)

Ella ponía su corazón en cada plato que preparaba. (She used to put her heart into every dish she prepared.)

Mis amigos y yo poníamos la música a todo volumen y bailábamos sin parar. (My friends and I used to blast the music and dance nonstop.)

El equipo ponía todo su esfuerzo en cada partido. (The team used to give their all in every game.)

Tú ponías demasiado empeño en complacer a los demás. (You used to put too much effort into pleasing others.)

En la oficina, poníamos mucha energía en cumplir con los plazos. (At the office, we used to put a lot of energy into meeting deadlines.)

Antes, ponía mucha azúcar en mi café, pero ahora soy más consciente de mi salud. (Before, I used to put a lot of sugar in my coffee, but now I’m more health-conscious.)

Cuando era joven, ponía demasiada importancia en las apariencias. (When I was young, I used to put too much importance on appearances.)

En la universidad, poníamos mucho empeño en nuestros estudios. (In college, we used to put a lot of effort into our studies.)

Mi hermano ponía los ojos en blanco cada vez que le pedía un favor. (My brother used to roll his eyes every time I asked him for a favor.)

Cuando viajábamos, poníamos mucha atención a los detalles culturales. (When we traveled, we used to pay close attention to cultural details.)

Ella ponía toda su pasión en el baile. (She used to put all her passion into dancing.)

En las reuniones familiares, poníamos la mesa juntos y disfrutábamos de la compañía. (At family gatherings, we used to set the table together and enjoy each other’s company.)

Mis padres ponían mucho énfasis en la importancia de la educación. (My parents used to put a lot of emphasis on the importance of education.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Poner (to put) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.