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imponer

to impose

verb eem-poh-NEHR Less Common
People & Society Government

Origin: From Latin imponere.

Also means

to command respect

Usage Note

Imponer is an irregular verb conjugated like poner (yo impongo, pretérito impuse). It means to impose a rule, tax, or punishment (imponer una multa) and also, reflexively, imponerse meaning to assert oneself, to prevail, or to inspire awe (me impone respeto = 'it commands my respect'). In Latin America imponerse can also mean to get used to something.

Examples

"El gobierno impuso nuevas restricciones."

Natural Translation

The government imposed new restrictions.

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