< Continued from page 1
In addition to having a wide variety of meanings on its own, poner is part of various phrases and idioms whose meanings aren't always obvious. Here are some of the common ones:
Poner bien (a una persona) (to have a high opinion of someone) — Como era el más inteligente de los tres, me ponían bien. Because I was the smartest of the three, they thought highly of me.

Poner en claro (to make clear) — Con su permiso, pondré en claro el concepto de inflación.


With your permission I'll make the concept of inflation clear.

Poner en marcha (to start) — Luego, puse el coche en marcha. Later, I started the car.

Poner en juego (to put in danger) — La guerra pone en juego el futuro de la ONU. The war puts the future of the U.N. in danger.

Poner en riesgo (to put at risk) — El mal tiempo puso en riesgo el helicóptero en el que viajaba el presidente. The bad weather put the helicopter that the president traveled in at risk.

Poner huevo (to lay an egg) — Tengo dos canarias hembra que no ponen huevos. I have two female canaries that don't lay eggs.

Poner pegas (to object) — Nunca ponía pegas a nada. Todo lo parecía bien. I never objected to anything. Everything seemed fine.

Poner por encima (to prefer) — Ponían el negocio por encima de todo. They made business their highest priority.

Ponerse colorado or ponerse rojo (to be embarrassed or ashamed, to blush, to turn red) — Era muy tímido. Si alguien me decía algo me ponía rojo y sudaba. I was very shy. If someone told me something I would blush and sweat.

Ponerse de pie (to stand up) — Se puso de pie y golpeó el escritorio con el puño. He stood up and pounded the desk with his fist.

Ponerse de rodillas (to kneel, to fall to one's knees) — El jardinero se puso de rodillas, implorando el perdón de su imprudencia. The gardener fell to his knees, begging forgiveness for his carelessness.