😌 Emotional states and ponerse in Spanish In Spanish, we often use the verb ponerse to talk about changes in emotional or physical state. ponerse nervioso/a ponerse triste ponerse contento/a ponerse rojo/a 🔁 Why does ponerse use se? Ponerse is a reflexive verb because the change of state happens to the subject. 👉 The person does not act on something else, 👉 the person changes internally. 🔹 Compare: Poner = to place something 👉 Pongo el libro en la mesa. Ponerse = to become / to get (a state) 👉 Me pongo nervioso antes de hablar. The se shows that the subject receives the effect of the action. 🧠 Easy explanation Think of ponerse as: “to put oneself into a new state” That’s why we say: me pongo te pones se pone 🔹 More examples Me puse triste con la noticia. Se puso muy contenta al verlo. Nos ponemos nerviosos en los exámenes. ⚠️ Common learner mistake ❌ Yo pongo nervioso antes del examen. ✅ Me pongo nervioso antes del examen. 🎯 Key idea Use ponerse + adjective to talk about temporary emotional or physical changes.