The Imperfect Tense of Ponerse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Me ponía nervioso antes de los exámenes. (I used to get nervous before exams.)

Ponerse is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the regular pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Ponerse (to put on) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of ponerse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To put on (clothes): Por ejemplo, me ponía mi abrigo antes de salir. (I would put on my coat before going out.)

To start (doing something): Por ejemplo, se ponía a estudiar todas las noches. (He would start studying every night.)

To become (a state or condition): Por ejemplo, el cielo se ponía gris cuando iba a llover. (The sky would become gray when it was going to rain.)

To get (sick, angry, etc.): Por ejemplo, me ponía enferma cada vez que comía mariscos. (I would get sick every time I ate seafood.)

To start (an emotion or state of mind): Por ejemplo, se ponía nervioso antes de los exámenes. (He would get nervous before exams.)

To go (to a place) (colloquial): Por ejemplo, nos poníamos en el parque a jugar. (We would go to the park to play.)

To put on airs (rude): Por ejemplo, siempre se ponía muy creída cuando hablaba de su trabajo. (She would always put on airs when talking about her job.)

Examples

Examples of Ponerse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me ponía nervioso antes de las presentaciones. (I used to get nervous before presentations.)

Ella se ponía el sombrero cuando salía al sol. (She would put on her hat when going out in the sun.)

Nosotros nos poníamos de mal humor cuando hacía mucho calor. (We would get in a bad mood when it was very hot.)

El cielo se ponía de colores increíbles durante el atardecer. (The sky would turn incredible colors during the sunset.)

Mis amigos se ponían la ropa más elegante para salir de fiesta. (My friends would put on their most elegant clothes to go out partying.)

Cuando me ponía enfermo, mi mamá me preparaba una sopa de pollo. (When I would get sick, my mom would make me chicken soup.)

La ciudad se ponía muy animada durante las fiestas patrias. (The city would become very lively during the national holidays.)

Ellos se ponían de mal genio cuando alguien llegaba tarde. (They would get in a bad mood when someone was late.)

Yo me ponía las pilas cuando tenía un examen importante. (I would get my act together when I had an important exam.)

La abuela se ponía nostálgica cuando hablaba de su juventud. (Grandma would get nostalgic when talking about her youth.)

Los niños se ponían inquietos después de estar sentados por mucho tiempo. (The kids would get restless after sitting for a long time.)

Él se ponía de mal humor cuando perdía en los videojuegos. (He would get in a bad mood when he lost at video games.)

Nosotros nos poníamos en forma para el verano. (We would get in shape for the summer.)

La gente se ponía eufórica cuando su equipo anotaba un gol. (People would get euphoric when their team scored a goal.)

Ellas se ponían al día con las noticias todas las mañanas. (They would catch up on the news every morning.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Ponerse (to put on) in the Imperfect Tense 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.