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"Put" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "poner", and "set up" is a transitive verb phrase which is often translated as "establecer". Learn more about the difference between "put" and "set up" below.
put(
poot
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
1. (to place)
a. poner
I'm going to put a flower vase on the entry table.Voy a poner un florero en la mesa de la entrada.
b. colocar
Will you put the star on the Christmas tree, please?¿Colocarás la estrella en el árbol de Navidad, por favor?
c. meter
You can put the pizza in the oven when it gets to 425 degrees.Puedes meter la pizza en el horno cuando esté a 425 grados.
e. asomar
Is it raining outside? - I don't know. Put your head out the door and see for yourself.¿Está lloviendo afuera? - No lo sé. Asoma la cabeza por la puerta y mira por ti mismo.
f. dejar
I have some flowers for you. - Thanks. Just put them in the vase, please.Te tengo unas flores. - Gracias. Déjamelas en el florero, por favor.
g. guardar
I put the passports and money in the hotel safe.Guardé los pasaportes y el dinero en la caja fuerte del hotel.
h. introducir (formal)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
After you've had a good look at the artifact, put it back in the case, please.Después de examinar bien el artefacto, introdúzcalo de nuevo en su caja, por favor.
a. poner
Let's surprise Alex with a cake. That'll put him in a good mood.Sorprendamos a Alex con un pastel. Eso lo pondrá de buen humor.
a. poner
We need to put everyone to work in order to have the place ready in time.Tenemos que ponerlos todos a trabajar si vamos a preparar el lugar a tiempo.
b. causar
I'd rather not put you through any trouble with this, but if you could help, I'd really appreciate it.Prefiero no causarte molestia con esto, pero si pudieras ayudar, te lo agradecería.
4. (to express)
a. decir
I wouldn't put it that way exactly. I think it's more a case of his lack of maturity.No diría eso precisamente. Más bien pienso que se trata de su falta de madurez.
b. expresar
How did I do with my speech? - I think you put it very well.¿Cómo me fue con el discurso? - Creo que lo expresaste muy bien.
c. traducir (from one language to another)
I'm not sure how to put this in Spanish.No sé cómo traducir esto al español.
5. (to invest)
a. invertir
He is putting a lot of money into his new project.Está invirtiendo mucho dinero en su nuevo proyecto.
a. calcular
They put the profits for the next quarter at more than a million dollars.Se calcula que los beneficios del próximo trimestre serán más de un millón de dólares.
b. decir
I'd put Carlos at about 65 since I heard he retired a few years ago.Diría que Carlos tiene unos 65 años ya que escuché que se jubiló hace unos años.
c. estimar
I'd put the total spent on infrastructure at around a half a million pesos.Estimaría que el total que se ha gastado en la infraestructura está alrededor de medio millón de pesos.
7. (to rank)
8. (sports)
a. lanzar
It is amazing to watch an athlete put a shot over 15 meters.Es asombroso mirar a un deportista lanzar un peso más de 15 metros.
9. (to write)
a. poner
Put your name on your paper and hand it in now please.Pon tu nombre en el papel, y entrégalo ahora por favor.
10. (to contribute)
a. contribuir con
Can you put something in for the office party?¿Puedes contribuir con algo para la fiesta de la oficina?
11. (to present)
a. exponer
Our lawyer wants to put the case before a jury.Nuestro abogado quiere exponer el caso ante un jurado.
b. presentar
The public will get to put their questions and complaints to the board this Thursday.El público podrá presentar sus preguntas y quejas a la mesa este jueves.
c. hacer
Now is your chance to put your questions to the mayor.Ahora es tu oportunidad para hacerle preguntas al alcalde.
d. someter
You have five minutes to put your proposal before the members.Tienes cinco minutos para someter tu propuesta a los socios.
12. (to bet)
a. apostar
I put $20 on American Pharaoh in the second race.Aposté $20 en American Pharoah en la segunda carrera.
13. (to assign)
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
When are you going to get married? - It’s hard to put an exact date on it.¿Cuándo te vas a casar? - Es difícil establecer una fecha exacta.
You can't put a price on an honest and reliable friend.Un amigo honesto y fiable no tiene precio.
a. añadir
The shipping charges put seven dollars on top of the total cost.Los cargos del envío añaden otros siete dólares encima del costo total.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
15. (nautical)
set up(
sehd
uhp
)A transitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and requires a direct object (e.g., take out the trash.).
1. (to create)
a. establecer
They set up their first pharmacy in Mexico City in 1903.Establecieron su primera farmacia en la Ciudad de México en 1903.
b. fundar
She set up the first dance school in the city.Ella fundó la primera escuela de danza de la ciudad.
c. constituir (a committee or cooperative)
The residents set up a condominium association.Los residentes del condominio constituyeron una asociación de propietarios.
d. crear
Before you can use the website, you have to set up an account.Antes de poder usar el sitio, tienes que crear una cuenta.
b. erigir
A monument was set up in honor of his victory.Se erigió un monumento en homenaje a su victoria.
c. levantar
He brought the statue from Italy and set it up in his garden.Trajo la estatua de Italia y la levantó en su jardín.
d. armar
They took the parts out of the box and got to work setting up the bookcase.Sacaron las piezas de la caja y se pusieron a trabajar para armar la estantería.
3. (computing)
a. configurar
I was looking for tips on how to set up a wireless network at home.Buscaba consejos sobre cómo configurar una red inalámbrica en la casa.
a. organizar
He offered to set up a meeting with his boss.Se ofreció a organizar una reunión con su jefe.
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
His father set him up in business.Su padre le puso un negocio.
When I inherit that money, I'll be set up for life.Cuando herede ese dinero, tendré el porvenir asegurado.
6. (colloquial) (to frame)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
7. (to cause)
a. provocar
When the energy is released, it sets up a chain reaction.Cuando se desata la energía, esto provoca una reacción en cadena.
An intransitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and does not require a direct object (e.g., Everybody please stand up.).
a. establecerse
Miguel thought of setting up as a barber.Miguel pensaba establecerse como peluquero.
a. prepararse
We'll give you a few minutes to set up, then we can start the presentation.Te daremos unos cuantos minutos para prepararte, luego podemos empezar la presentación.
b. alistarse (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
When we arrived, the band hadn't finished setting up.Cuando llegamos, la banda no había terminado de alistarse.
