As it turns out PONER doesn't just mean "to put" but also five or six more different things. Here is a summary.
1.Poner means 'to put' which is the most common. This is your verb which you can treat like any other verb.
Yo pongo mis libros en mi mochila - i put my books in my backpack
Mis amigos ponen sus cosas en la mesa My friends put their stuff on the table
Donde pongo esto? where do I put this?
2. Poner means "that something makes you or someone sick, feel bad about certain part of your body.
La lechuga me pone mal del estomago
La carne hace que mi pie se ponga rojo, hinchado
El agua de la maquina me pone mal de la cabeza
El olor me pone mal, me dan mareos - the smell makes me feel bad, dizzy
3. Poner means "to give an assignment or to have someone do something, get myself to do something
Te voy a poner a lavar los platos - I'll have you wash the dishes
Vamos a ponernos a preparar el desayuno - Let's prepare breakfast
Pon a tu hijo a hacer su tarea - get your son to do his homework
Cuando no hay nada que hacer me pongo a leer un libro
Ponte a estudiar muchacho - get studying boy
4. Poner means "to give as in to give it a name, a price, something on
Ponle un nombre al perrito - give the doggie a name
A juan le pusieron un apodo - Juan was given a nickname
Le pusieron el precio de 40 pesos - They gave it a price of 50 pesos
Al gatito le ponen un adorno - They put an adornment on the cat
Le ponemos mucho interes - we give lots of emphasis on
5. Poner means "to set as in set the table, also to set up or set off
Pon la mesa - set the table
Ayudame a poner la mesa - help me set the table
Yo pongo la alarma a las 5am - I set the alarm for 5am
Yo pongo mis pagos en automatico - i set my bills on automatic
La gallina pone huevos todos los dias a las 6am
El carro se pone en marcha - the car sets off
La operacion se puso en marcha ayer
6. Poner means "to invest, to contribute, to chip in
Ponle dinero a la canasta - put money in the basket
La familia Martinez le va a poner dinero al negocio
7. Poner means "to put it on
Pontela bien - put it on right
Ponle el gorro al bebe - put the hat on the baby
Le pondremos adornos al arbol? Should we decorate the tree?
Ponle salsa a tus tacos - add salsa to your tacos
Yo le pongo salsa y cilantro a mis tacos - i add salsa and cilantro to my tacos
Ella le puso queso a su burrito she added cheese to her burrito
So here concludes a summary of the most common uses of Poner. I know there are more but I think these will get you started. If there are questions or comments please send them my way.
1.Poner means 'to put' which is the most common. This is your verb which you can treat like any other verb.
Yo pongo mis libros en mi mochila - i put my books in my backpack
Mis amigos ponen sus cosas en la mesa My friends put their stuff on the table
Donde pongo esto? where do I put this?
2. Poner means "that something makes you or someone sick, feel bad about certain part of your body.
La lechuga me pone mal del estomago
La carne hace que mi pie se ponga rojo, hinchado
El agua de la maquina me pone mal de la cabeza
El olor me pone mal, me dan mareos - the smell makes me feel bad, dizzy
3. Poner means "to give an assignment or to have someone do something, get myself to do something
Te voy a poner a lavar los platos - I'll have you wash the dishes
Vamos a ponernos a preparar el desayuno - Let's prepare breakfast
Pon a tu hijo a hacer su tarea - get your son to do his homework
Cuando no hay nada que hacer me pongo a leer un libro
Ponte a estudiar muchacho - get studying boy
4. Poner means "to give as in to give it a name, a price, something on
Ponle un nombre al perrito - give the doggie a name
A juan le pusieron un apodo - Juan was given a nickname
Le pusieron el precio de 40 pesos - They gave it a price of 50 pesos
Al gatito le ponen un adorno - They put an adornment on the cat
Le ponemos mucho interes - we give lots of emphasis on
5. Poner means "to set as in set the table, also to set up or set off
Pon la mesa - set the table
Ayudame a poner la mesa - help me set the table
Yo pongo la alarma a las 5am - I set the alarm for 5am
Yo pongo mis pagos en automatico - i set my bills on automatic
La gallina pone huevos todos los dias a las 6am
El carro se pone en marcha - the car sets off
La operacion se puso en marcha ayer
6. Poner means "to invest, to contribute, to chip in
Ponle dinero a la canasta - put money in the basket
La familia Martinez le va a poner dinero al negocio
7. Poner means "to put it on
Pontela bien - put it on right
Ponle el gorro al bebe - put the hat on the baby
Le pondremos adornos al arbol? Should we decorate the tree?
Ponle salsa a tus tacos - add salsa to your tacos
Yo le pongo salsa y cilantro a mis tacos - i add salsa and cilantro to my tacos
Ella le puso queso a su burrito she added cheese to her burrito
So here concludes a summary of the most common uses of Poner. I know there are more but I think these will get you started. If there are questions or comments please send them my way.
