Imponer

Imponer is a Spanish verb meaning to impose or to lay something upon others. It can refer to enforcing rules, obligations, taxes, or burdens, as well as to impress upon someone a belief, idea, or demand. In its reflexive form, imponerse can mean to assert oneself, prevail, or to impose one’s will on others.

Etymology: The verb comes from Latin imponere, formed by in- “upon” and ponere “to place.”

Conjugation: Imponer is an -er verb with regular endings in many tenses, but with an irregular yo form in the present indicative. Key forms include: present—impongo, impones, impone, imponemos, imponéis, imponen; preterite—impuse, impusiste, impuso, impusimos, impusisteis, impusieron; imperfect—imponía, imponías, imponía, imponíamos, imponíais, imponían; future—impondré, impondrás, impondrá, impondrán; conditional—impondría, impondrías, impondría, impondríamos, impondríais, impondrían. The present participle is imponiendo and the past participle impuesto.

Usage notes: The verb commonly governs a direct object to indicate what is being imposed (imponer una ley, un impuesto, condiciones, un deber). It is also used with a or en/ante to express the imposition on people or situations (imponer a alguien, imponerse a alguien; se impone la necesidad de actuar). The reflexive imponerse emphasizes asserting one’s will or dominance.

See also: imposición, impuesto, imponer (as a root concept in law, administration, and social dynamics).