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 conjugation follows a unique pattern that must be memorized.

Conjugations

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

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

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

To start or begin: For example, Pongan manos a la obra. (Get to work, literally “put hands to the task”.)

To add or include: For example, Ponle más sal a la comida. (Add more salt to the food.)

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

To dress or put on clothing: For example, Pónte los zapatos. (Put your shoes on.)

To write or put in writing: For example, Pon tu nombre aquí. (Write your name here.)

To assign or give a name: For example, Ponle un apodo cariñoso. (Give it/him/her an affectionate nickname.)

To make or cause (colloquial): For example, ¡Ponme atención! (Pay attention to me!)

To have sex (vulgar): For example, ¡Ponme duro! (An extremely vulgar way to proposition someone for sex.)

Examples

Examples of Poner in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Pon los platos en la mesa! (Set the plates on the table!)

Vamos a poner las maletas en el auto antes de irnos. (Let’s put the suitcases in the car before we leave.)

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

Mamá, pon la mesa para la cena. (Mom, set the table for dinner.)

En la reunión, pongan sus ideas sobre la mesa. (At the meeting, put your ideas on the table.)

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

Antes de salir, pongamos las llaves y los celulares en sus lugares. (Before leaving, let’s put the keys and phones in their places.)

¡Pongan las manos arriba! ¡Es un atraco! (Put your hands up! This is a robbery!)

Para el picnic, pon las bebidas en la hielera. (For the picnic, put the drinks in the cooler.)

Cuando termines de comer, pon tu plato en el fregadero. (When you’re done eating, put your plate in the sink.)

En el gimnasio, pongamos más peso en las barras. (At the gym, let’s put more weight on the bars.)

¡Pongan un poco de orden en este cuarto! (Put some order in this room!)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.