puse
preterite, finished action
The simple past of "I put" is puse, from the verb poner. It describes a single finished action, like Puse las llaves en la mesa. It is also called ponía and he puesto.
Meaning: I put, past tense of poner (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| puse | preterite, finished action |
| ponía | imperfect, habitual or ongoing |
| he puesto | present perfect, recent past |
Use puse for something you did once and finished. Use ponía for something you used to do or were doing. Use he puesto when the action connects to the present.
Which one should you use?
Puse is irregular and has no accent. The forms pongo (I put) and pondré (I will put) cover the present and the future.
How do you pronounce it?
Puse sounds like "POO-seh", with two syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The regular-looking form poní is wrong. The correct form is puse.
Did you know?
- Poner has an irregular past stem pus-, and puse shares that pattern with supe from saber and quise from querer.
Examples in context
- Puse el libro en la mesa.I put the book on the table.
- Antes siempre ponía la leche en la nevera.I always used to put the milk in the fridge.
- Ya he puesto la mesa.I have already set the table.
Example conversation
Clara asks her brother Tomás where the keys went.
- Clara¿Dónde están mis llaves?Where are my keys?
- TomásLas puse en el cajón.I put them in the drawer.
- ClaraAh, gracias. Ahora las veo.Ah, thanks. Now I see them.
