mételo
/metelo/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'stick it in' is translated into Spanish as mételo.
mételo is used when you want to tell someone to place an object inside the volume or interior of something else.
Which one should you use?
While mételo implies placing something inside a container or volume, ponlo is a more general way to say 'put it' and does not necessarily imply insertion.
How does it change in a sentence?
mételo is the informal singular imperative command form of the verb 'meter' with the object pronoun 'lo' attached. If the object being stuck is a feminine noun, such as la llave (the key), you must change the form to métela. When you want to specify the container, you must follow the command with the preposition 'en', for example, mételo en la caja (stick it in the box).
How do you pronounce it?
/metelo/
Did you know?
- The verb meter is used in the phrase meter la pata, which literally means to 'stick your paw in' but actually means to make a clumsy mistake.
- While mételo is a command, the phrase meterse en camisa de once brazos describes the act of getting into a complicated situation that is none of your business.
- In certain contexts, using meter can carry a strong sexual connotation similar to English slang, so you should be careful when giving commands in suggestive situations.
Examples in context
- Mete el lápiz en el estuche para que no se pierda.Stick the pencil in the case so it doesn't get lost.
- Si no cabe en la caja, mételo en la bolsa.If it doesn't fit in the box, stick it in the bag.
- El juguete es pequeño, mételo en el cajón.The toy is small, stick it in the drawer.
- No dejes el papel fuera, mételo en la papelera.Don't leave the paper out, stick it in the bin.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are organizing a storage box.
- MateoTengo este cable extra, ¿dónde va?I have this extra cable, where does it go?
- LucíaHay espacio en la caja, mételo ahí.There is space in the box, stick it in there.
- MateoEstá un poco apretado.It is a bit tight.
- LucíaNo importa, mételo fuerte.It doesn't matter, stick it in firmly.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
