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SpanishConjugationSubjunctive

Poner (to put) · Subjunctive

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Poner in the Spanish present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo) is: yo ponga, tú pongas, él/ella/usted ponga, nosotros/as pongamos, vosotros/as pongáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes pongan. The present subjunctive of poner uses the stem 'pong-' (from the indicative yo 'pongo'). It appears after triggers of doubt, emotion, will, or in commands ('pon la mesa' / '¡no pongas eso ahí!').

poner conjugation in the Present Subjunctive (Presente de subjuntivo)
To PutPoner
I put
yo ponga
you put
tú pongas
he/she put
él/ella/usted ponga
we put
nosotros/as pongamos
you put
vosotros/as pongáis
they put
ellos/ellas/ustedes pongan
Examples

Poner (to put) in context

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

Mi madre quiere que ponga orden en mi habitación.

My mother wants me to tidy up my room.

Quiero que pongas atención a esto.

I want you to pay attention to this.

Es importante que ponga todo en su sitio.

It is important that he/she put everything in its place.

Quieren que pongamos las decoraciones.

They want us to put up the decorations.

Espero que pongáis todo en orden.

I hope you put everything in order.

Dudo que pongan la mesa antes de las ocho.

I doubt they will set the table before eight.

Tip

Working with the subjunctive

The subjunctive isn't a tense — it's a mood. It signals that the speaker views the action as uncertain, desired, or evaluated rather than asserted as fact. Triggers come in four families: WEIRDO (Wishes, Emotion, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojalá) is the standard mnemonic. When you see "que" after one of these triggers, the verb that follows is almost always subjunctive. The irregular subjunctive stem comes from the yo form of the present indicative — learn "hago" and you know "haga" is the subjunctive stem.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate poner in the present subjunctive?
The present subjunctive of poner is: yo ponga, tú pongas, él/ella/usted ponga, nosotros/as pongamos, vosotros/as pongáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes pongan. The stem 'pong-' comes from the indicative yo form 'pongo'.
When do I need to use the subjunctive of poner?
Use it after triggers of doubt, emotion, will, or impersonal expressions: 'Quiero que pongas la mesa' (I want you to set the table), 'Es importante que pongan atención' (It's important they pay attention). Negative commands also use the subjunctive: '¡No pongas eso ahí!' (Don't put that there!). The affirmative tú command 'pon' is irregular — pon la mesa (set the table).
Why is the affirmative tú command 'pon' and not 'pone'?
Several high-frequency Spanish verbs have shortened affirmative tú commands: poner → pon, tener → ten, salir → sal, venir → ven, decir → di, hacer → haz, ser → sé, ir → ve. The pattern reflects everyday spoken efficiency — these verbs are used so often in commands that the long form 'pone' or 'sale' would feel clumsy. Most other verbs use the él/ella/usted form for the affirmative tú command (habla, come, escribe).
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More tenses of Poner (To Put)

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