Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| ponerse de pie | /poneɾse de pje/ (from spelling rules) |
| enhestarse | /enestaɾse/ (from spelling rules) |
The phrase ponerse de pie describes the specific physical act of moving from a sitting position to a standing position.
Which one should you use?
While ponerse de pie specifically describes the physical act of moving from sitting to standing, the term levantarse is a more common and general way to say "to get up," whether from a chair or from bed.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal situations, when addressing a single person politely, you can use Levántese. If you are addressing a group of people formally, use Pónganse de pie, which is common in instructional or educational settings. For informal situations with a single person you know well, you can use Levántate or Párate. The term enhestarse is highly formal or literary and is rarely used in everyday speech to mean simply standing up from a chair.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because ponerse de pie uses the reflexive verb ponerse, the reflexive pronoun must change to match the subject, such as me pongo de pie, te pones de pie or se pone de pie.
Did you know?
- In some regions, using the verb pararse to mean 'to stand up' is perfectly normal, but in many parts of Latin America, pararse can also mean 'to stop' or 'to park'.
- In Spanish, the word pie is used in several idioms to describe stability, such as mantenerse en pie, which can mean both physically standing and remaining resolute during a crisis.
- While ponerse de pie refers to the act of standing, the word pie also functions as a semantic loan from English to describe the unit of measurement known as a 'foot'.
Examples in context
- Amy hizo un esfuerzo por ponerse de pie.Amy made an effort to stand up.This sentence shows the use of ponerse de pie to describe a physical effort.Tatoeba #720175 by darinmex, translation #65376 by CN
- En la siguiente presentación, por favor, todos levántense cuando el presidente entre en la sala.In the following presentation, please stand up when the president enters the room.
- Los alumnos se levantan cuando suena el timbre.The students stand up when the bell rings.
- Levántate y ven a bailar con nosotros.Stand up and come dance with us.
- No seas perezoso, párate y muévete un poco.Don't be lazy, stand up and move around a bit.
- Él tuvo que ponerse de pie para saludar.He had to stand up to say hello.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stand up” translations and entries ponerse de pie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, pie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
