pusiste

Pusiste is the second-person singular form of the verb poner in the Spanish simple past tense (pretérito indefinido). It translates to “you put” or “you placed” in English and is used to describe completed actions in the past where the subject is “you” (tú).

Form and usage notes: Poner is an irregular verb in the pretérito indefinido, with the stem changing to pus- in all but the first-person singular form. The full conjugation for the pretérito indefinido is: puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron. Pusiste is therefore used when the subject performed the action of putting or placing something. It can take a direct object, as in “¿Qué pusiste en la mesa?” (What did you put on the table?).

Reflexive use: When describing putting on clothing or accessories, the verb can be reflexive, as in ponerse. In the second person singular, this becomes “te pusiste” (you put on). In this form, the reflexive pronoun is required: “¿Qué te pusiste para la cita?” (What did you put on for the appointment?).

Examples:

- ¿Qué pusiste en la mesa para la cena?

- Ayer pusiste la llave en el cajón.

- No sé por qué pusiste tantas fotos en la agenda.

Relation to other forms: Pusiste is part of the same paradigm as puse, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron. It contrasts with the imperfect tense (ponía, ponías), which describes ongoing or habitual past actions, and with the future tense (pondré, pondrás).

See also: Poner, conjugation of Spanish verbs, pretérito indefinido.