SpanishConjugationImperfect

Poner (to put) · Imperfect

By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated May 22, 2026

Poner in the Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) is: yo ponía, tú ponías, él/ella/usted ponía, nosotros/as poníamos, vosotros/as poníais, ellos/ellas/ustedes ponían. The imperfect of poner is fully regular, following the standard -er -ía pattern. None of poner's irregularities (g-yo, pus- preterite, pondr- future) carry over here.

poner conjugation in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)
To Put	Poner
I used to put	yo ponía
you used to put	tú ponías
he/she used to put	él/ella/usted ponía
we used to put	nosotros/as poníamos
you used to put	vosotros/as poníais
they used to put	ellos/ellas/ustedes ponían

Examples

Poner (to put) in context

Sentences that use poner in the imperfect. Tap each to hear it.

Cada mañana ponía la radio para despertarme.

Every morning I used to turn on the radio to wake up.

Ponías azúcar en todo cuando eras pequeño.

You used to put sugar on everything when you were little.

Mi abuela ponía un mantel de encaje los domingos.

My grandmother used to put a lace tablecloth on Sundays.

Poníamos velas en el jardín por la noche.

We used to put candles in the garden at night.

Poníais la música muy alta antes.

You used to play the music very loud before.

Los niños ponían los juguetes por todas partes.

The children used to leave toys everywhere.

Tip

Working with the imperfect

The imperfect paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Era de noche" (it was nighttime), "tenía cinco años" (I was five years old), "iba al parque cuando me llamaste" (I was going to the park when you called me). Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect — ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other Spanish verb is regular here, which makes the imperfect one of the easiest tenses to learn.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate poner in the imperfect?

Poner is regular in the imperfect: yo ponía, tú ponías, él/ella/usted ponía, nosotros/as poníamos, vosotros/as poníais, ellos/ellas/ustedes ponían. The accent on 'í' is required in every form.

When do I use 'ponía' instead of 'puse'?

Use 'ponía' for habitual or ongoing past placement: 'Cada noche, ponía las llaves en la misma mesa' (Every night, I used to put the keys on the same table). Use 'puse' for one-time completed placement: 'Anoche puse las llaves en la mesa' (Last night I put the keys on the table). The contrast is habitual vs one-time.

Is poner's imperfect ever irregular?

No — poner's imperfect is fully regular, like every Spanish verb except ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). The imperfect endings (-aba for -ar, -ía for -er/-ir) are the most stable verb endings in Spanish and survived Latin → Spanish almost untouched for every verb.