The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Poner is used to give direct orders or instructions, for example: Pon la mesa. (Set the table.)

Poner is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugations do not follow the standard patterns of regular verbs. You’ll need to memorize its unique set of conjugations for this tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Poner (to put) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Poner generally means “to put” or “to place”, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To put or place something: for example, Pon el libro sobre la mesa. (Put the book on the table.)

To start or turn on: for example, Pon la televisión. (Turn on the TV.)

To add an ingredient: for example, Pon sal a la comida. (Add salt to the food.)

To write or inscribe: for example, Pon tu nombre aquí. (Write your name here.)

To make or cause (figuratively): for example, Pon atención. (Pay attention.)

Slang: To have sex: for example, ¡Vamos a poner! (Let’s have sex!)

Examples

Examples of Poner in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Pon el libro en la mesa! (Put the book on the table!)

Por favor, ponga su equipaje en la báscula. (Please place your luggage on the scale.)

¡Pongamos las manos a la obra! (Let’s get to work!)

Amigos, poned atención a las instrucciones. (Friends, pay attention to the instructions.)

Señores, pongan sus teléfonos en modo silencio. (Ladies and gentlemen, please put your phones on silent mode.)

¡Pon un poco más de esfuerzo en tus estudios! (Put a little more effort into your studies!)

Por favor, ponga su firma aquí. (Please sign here.)

¡Pongamos la mesa para la cena! (Let’s set the table for dinner!)

Equipo, poned toda su energía en el partido de hoy. (Team, give it your all in today’s game.)

Compañeros, pongan sus ideas en común. (Colleagues, share your ideas.)

¡Pon un poco de salsa picante en tus tacos! (Add some spicy salsa to your tacos!)

Por favor, ponga su dirección en el formulario. (Please enter your address on the form.)

¡Pongamos un poco de música para animar la fiesta! (Let’s put on some music to liven up the party!)

Familia, poned la mesa mientras preparo la comida. (Family, set the table while I prepare the food.)

Estudiantes, pongan atención a esta lección importante. (Students, pay attention to this important lesson.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Poner (to put) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.