Posponer Tareas: Cómo usar 'Put off'
put off para sonar súper natural al atrasar tareas o eventos, especialmente con los pronombres separables. ¡Es clave!
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'put off' to talk about delaying tasks or making someone lose interest in something.
- Use 'put off' + [noun/gerund] to mean postpone: 'I put off doing my taxes.'
- It is separable: 'Put the meeting off' or 'Put off the meeting' are both correct.
- Pronouns MUST go in the middle: 'Put it off,' never 'Put off it.'
Overview
put off es una de las herramientas más útiles y comunes en el inglés cotidiano. Para nosotros, los hispanohablantes, entender su funcionamiento es clave, ya que en español solemos usar verbos como posponer, aplazar o dejar para después. Mientras que en español estos verbos son directos y siguen reglas gramaticales estándar, en inglés,
put off es un phrasal verb, lo que significa que la combinación de un verbo (put) y una partícula (off) crea un significado que no siempre es obvio si traducimos palabra por palabra.I am postponing my study session, suena mucho más natural y fluido decir
I am putting off my study session.
posponer), el inglés es más analítico. El uso de put off nos permite sonar menos rígidos.put off, primero debemos desglosar qué es un phrasal verb. En español, nuestros verbos son casi siempre una sola palabra. En inglés, los phrasal verbs son unidades léxicas donde el significado cambia radicalmente.Put por sí solo significa poner, pero al añadirle off, el significado cambia a posponer o aplazar. Es como si el off empujara la acción hacia el futuro, alejándola del presente.posponer (verbo transitivo) es el equivalente formal. Sin embargo, en inglés, la estructura de put off es separable.posponer para meter un objeto en medio. En inglés, sí puedes decir put the meeting offo
put off the meeting. Esta flexibilidad es una característica típica de los phrasal verbs separables.
put off también puede significar desanimar o causar rechazo (por ejemplo, The smell put me off my food), pero hoy nos enfocaremos exclusivamente en su uso como sinónimo de postpone. Es vital entender que, al igual que en español usamos el infinitivo después de
posponer (ej. posponer terminar el trabajo), en inglés, después de
put off siempre debemos usar el gerundio (-ing), porque off actúa como una preposición que requiere que el siguiente verbo funcione como sustantivo.put off + gerundio.put off depende totalmente de qué tipo de objeto estamos usando. Aquí tienes la guía definitiva para no equivocarte nunca:put off + sustantivo | put off the meeting | Se puede decir de ambas formas |put + sustantivo + off | put the meeting off | Es más común separar si el objeto es corto |put + pronombre + off | put it off | OBLIGATORIO separar con pronombres |put off + gerundio | put off studying | Siempre usar la forma -ing |put off it. Siempre debe ser put it off. Imagina que el pronombre es un imán que siempre quiere estar pegado al verbo put.put off en situaciones donde la acción es voluntaria o necesaria.- 1Tareas pendientes: Es el uso más común. Si tienes que limpiar la casa pero prefieres ver Netflix, dirías:
I’m putting off cleaning my apartment
. Es esa sensación de procrastinación que todos conocemos. - 2Citas y reuniones: Si tienes un café con alguien pero surge un imprevisto, puedes decir:
Can we put off our coffee until tomorrow?
. Suena mucho más natural que usarpostpone, que puede sonar un poco frío o muy formal. - 3Decisiones: A veces, las empresas o grupos de amigos necesitan más tiempo.
The committee decided to put off the decision
. Es una forma elegante de decir que no están listos para decidir todavía.
put off no significa cancelar. Si cancelas algo definitivamente, usas call off. Put off siempre implica que la acción todavía ocurrirá, solo que en un momento posterior.- 1El error del pronombre: Muchos estudiantes dicen
I will put off it
. Esto ocurre porque en español decimoslo pospondré(el objeto va antes del verbo). En inglés, el pronombre debe ir entre el verbo y la partícula. Recuerda:put it off. - 2El error del infinitivo: Decimos
posponer terminar, así que es natural intentar decirput off to finish
. Pero en inglés, después de una preposición (comooff), el verbo debe ir en gerundio:put off finishing. Es una regla gramatical fija. - 3Confusión con 'cancelar': Muchos usan
put offpara decir que algo se canceló por completo. Esto es un error. Si dicesI put off the party
, la gente pensará que la fiesta ocurrirá otro día, no que no habrá fiesta. Si quieres cancelarla, usacalled off.
put off de otros verbos similares. Mira esta tabla comparativa:put off | Aplazar | Informal / Casual | Sí |postpone | Posponer | Formal / Académico | No |delay | Retrasar | Neutral | No |call off | Cancelar | Informal | Sí |postpone y delay no son phrasal verbs, por lo que no se pueden separar. Put off es el único que nos permite esa flexibilidad gramatical que hace que el inglés suene tan dinámico.postpone para mantener un tono profesional.off funciona como una preposición. En inglés, después de cualquier preposición (at, in, on, off, of), el verbo que sigue debe llevar obligatoriamente la terminación -ing.the very important meeting with the new clients), es mejor no separarlo:
put off the very important meeting with the new clients. Si el objeto es corto, como
the meeting, suena mucho mejor separarlo: put the meeting off.
Conjugating 'Put Off'
| Tense | Subject | Verb Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Present Simple
|
I / You / We / They
|
put off
|
I put off the work.
|
|
Present Simple
|
He / She / It
|
puts off
|
She puts off the work.
|
|
Past Simple
|
All subjects
|
put off
|
He put off the work yesterday.
|
|
Present Continuous
|
I
|
am putting off
|
I am putting off the work.
|
|
Present Perfect
|
He / She / It
|
has put off
|
She has put off the work.
|
|
Future (Will)
|
All subjects
|
will put off
|
They will put off the work.
|
Pronoun Placement (The Sandwich Rule)
| Object Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Noun
|
Put off + [Noun]
|
Put off the meeting.
|
|
Noun
|
Put + [Noun] + off
|
Put the meeting off.
|
|
Pronoun
|
Put + [Pronoun] + off
|
Put it off.
|
|
Pronoun (Incorrect)
|
Put off + [Pronoun]
|
*Put off it (WRONG)
|
Meanings
To delay doing something until a later time or date, often because you do not want to do it.
Postpone
To move an event or task to a later time.
“Don't put off your homework until the last minute.”
“They decided to put the party off because of the rain.”
Deter/Disgust
To make someone dislike something or not want to do something.
“The smell of the restaurant really put me off.”
“His arrogant attitude puts off potential employers.”
Distract
To stop someone from concentrating on what they are doing.
“Please be quiet; you're putting me off my game.”
“The loud music put her off while she was trying to study.”
Reference Table
| Estructura | Significado | Ejemplo | Notas |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Put off + Sustantivo
|
Atrasar una tarea/evento
|
I put off my homework.
|
A menudo separable.
|
|
Put + Pronombre + off
|
Atrasar una tarea/evento
|
I put it off.
|
Siempre separable.
|
|
Put off + Gerundio
|
Atrasar una acción
|
She puts off studying.
|
Sigue el gerundio (forma -ing).
|
|
Put off + Expresión de tiempo
|
Especificar duración del atraso
|
Let's put it off until tomorrow.
|
Común con 'until', 'for a while'.
|
|
Put off (disuadir)
|
Causar aversión o disgusto
|
The smell put me off.
|
Significado diferente, depende del contexto.
|
|
Put off (pasivo)
|
Ser disuadido/repelido
|
I was put off by the rude service.
|
Usualmente en voz pasiva.
|
Espectro de formalidad
We shall postpone the meeting until a later date. (Workplace)
We need to put off the meeting. (Workplace)
Let's put the meeting off for now. (Workplace)
Let's push it back. (Workplace)
Las muchas facetas de 'Put Off'
Estructura
- Put + Sustantivo + Off I put my work off.
- Put Off + Sustantivo I put off my work.
- Put + Pronombre + Off I put it off.
- Put Off + Gerundio I put off studying.
Contextos de uso
- Tareas y quehaceres Put off cleaning
- Reuniones y eventos Put off the party
- Decisiones Put off deciding
- Procrastinación Always putting things off
Errores comunes
- Put off it (X) Colocación incorrecta del pronombre
- Put off to do (X) Forma verbal incorrecta (debería ser -ing)
- Documentos formales Demasiado casual
Palabras similares
- Postpone Más formal
- Delay Neutral
- Defer Formal (decisiones)
Put Off vs. Postpone vs. Delay
Cuándo usar 'Put Off'
¿Quieres expresar que se atrasa una acción o evento?
¿El contexto es casual o semiformal (chat, texto, habla cotidiana)?
¿El objeto es un pronombre (it, them)?
¿El objeto es un sustantivo (the meeting, your homework)?
¿Un verbo sigue inmediatamente a 'put off'?
Cosas que comúnmente 'Put Off' (Atrasamos)
Tareas y quehaceres
- • cleaning the apartment
- • doing laundry
- • washing dishes
- • taking out the trash
Trabajo y estudio
- • writing an essay
- • studying for exams
- • replying to emails
- • starting a project
Citas y eventos
- • a doctor's appointment
- • a coffee date
- • the team meeting
- • a vacation
Decisiones
- • making a big decision
- • choosing a career path
- • deciding on a new phone
- • voting for a candidate
Ejemplos por nivel
I put off the meeting.
Don't put it off.
We put off the game.
Can we put off lunch?
He put the party off until Saturday.
I am putting off my homework.
She put off the doctor's visit.
They put it off for a week.
I keep putting off going to the gym.
The long lines put me off the museum.
Why do you always put off doing your chores?
We shouldn't put off making a decision.
The manager decided to put off the launch indefinitely.
I was put off by his constant complaining.
Stop whistling! You're putting me off my work.
They've put off the renovation until they have more funds.
The sheer complexity of the task put many people off.
He has a tendency to put off difficult conversations.
The sudden noise put the golfer off his swing.
I've put off replying to that email for far too long.
The government's prevarication has put off much-needed reform.
One shouldn't be put off by the initial hurdles of learning a language.
The prospect of failure often puts off even the most ambitious entrepreneurs.
He was put off his stroke by the unexpected question from the audience.
Fácil de confundir
Both involve stopping a planned event.
Both use the particle 'off'.
Both mean a delay.
Errores comunes
I put off it.
I put it off.
Put off to go.
Put off going.
I putted off.
I put off.
He put off the meeting until yesterday.
He put off the meeting until tomorrow.
I put off the meeting for tomorrow.
I put off the meeting until tomorrow.
The smell put off me.
The smell put me off.
I put off to call him.
I put off calling him.
I was put off from the price.
I was put off by the price.
Don't put off me.
Don't put me off.
I put off my homeworks.
I put off my homework.
He put off to have decided.
He put off making a decision.
The noise put me off of my work.
The noise put me off my work.
I put off it's completion.
I put off its completion.
Patrones de oraciones
I keep putting off ___.
Don't let the ___ put you off.
We had to put the ___ off until ___.
It really puts me off when ___.
Real World Usage
Hey, can we put off our coffee until 4?
I was put off by the lack of growth opportunities.
The ending of that movie really put me off the whole franchise.
We should put off the launch until the bugs are fixed.
Don't put off your check-up.
The crowd is trying to put the kicker off.
¡Pronombres al medio!
put it off, ¡nunca put off it! Es una regla de oro para los 'phrasal verbs' separables.Cuidado con lo formal
Gerundios después de 'Phrasal Verbs'
put off doing o put off studying, no put off do o put off study. ¡Esto aplica a muchos 'phrasal verbs', así que es un gran hábito!La nación de la procrastinación
Smart Tips
Switch to 'put off' to sound more like a native speaker.
Always put it in the middle. Think of it as a 'sandwich'.
Use 'put off' to describe the specific thing that caused the dislike.
Add -ing immediately. No exceptions!
Pronunciación
Linking
The 't' in 'put' often links to the 'o' in 'off', sounding like 'pu-toff'.
Flapped T
In American English, the 't' sounds like a quick 'd' because it is between vowels.
Phrasal Verb Stress
Put OFF (Stress is on 'off')
Standard phrasal verb stress pattern.
Memorízalo
Mnemotecnia
Put it OFF until the clock is OFF.
Asociación visual
Imagine a giant 'OFF' switch on a calendar. When you 'put' a task onto that switch, the date disappears and moves to next month.
Rhyme
Don't be a scoff, don't put it off!
Story
John had a big exam. He kept putting off studying. He put it off on Monday, he put it off on Tuesday. Finally, the exam was put off by the school because of snow!
Word Web
Desafío
Write down three things you are currently putting off using the 'Put off + -ing' structure.
Notas culturales
In Western business culture, 'putting off' a meeting is common but usually requires a valid reason to avoid appearing unprofessional.
The 'deter' sense ('That put me off my tea') is extremely common in the UK compared to some other dialects.
Students globally use 'put off' to describe procrastination, a shared cultural experience in education.
From the verb 'put' (Middle English 'putten') and the adverb 'off'. The sense of 'postpone' emerged in the late 14th century.
Inicios de conversación
What is one task you have been putting off lately?
Has a bad review ever put you off a movie?
Do you prefer to do hard tasks first or put them off?
What kind of behavior puts you off when meeting new people?
Temas para diario
Errores comunes
Test Yourself
I always ___ my chores until the last minute.
Find and fix the mistake:
Can we put off it until tomorrow?
Translate into English: 'I need to postpone that task until tomorrow.'
Answer starts with: ["I...
Score: /3
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercisesI've been putting off _______ (write) that report all week.
Choose the correct pronoun placement.
Find and fix the mistake:
We putted off the meeting.
We decided to postpone the wedding.
1. Postpone, 2. Deter, 3. Distract
'Put off' can only be used for time delays.
A: Are you coming to the gym? B: No, I'm ___ until tomorrow.
Select the correct list.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesShe decided to ___ her dentist appointment.
Choose the correct sentence:
We must put off the meeting, it's very important.
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Translate into English: 'The bad weather forced us to delay our picnic.'
Match the following phrases:
Don't ___ your dreams; start working on them today!
The constant noise put off me.
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Translate into English: 'The board decided to postpone the final vote.'
If you don't like the task, just ___ for now.
Which sentence is correct?
Score: /12
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
No, you should say 'put off until tomorrow' or 'put off to a later date'.
It is neutral. It's fine for work, but in a very formal legal document, 'postpone' is better.
'Put off' is usually an intentional choice. 'Delay' is often an external event (like a flight delay).
No, for clothes you use 'take off'.
Yes, when it has an object, you can put the object in the middle.
Yes, 'putting things off' is the phrasal verb way to say 'procrastinate'.
Yes, e.g., 'The meeting was put off.'
It's an idiom meaning something distracted you and broke your rhythm.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Posponer / Aplazar
Spanish doesn't have a direct 'phrasal' equivalent that changes meaning with a particle.
Remettre / Différer
French uses a prepositional structure rather than a particle verb.
Aufschieben / Verschieben
German word order in subordinate clauses is different from English.
延期する (Enki suru)
Japanese grammar is SOV, making the placement of 'off' very confusing for learners.
يؤجل (Yu'ajjil)
Arabic verbs conjugate heavily for person and gender, unlike the simple 'put'.
推迟 (Tuīchí)
Chinese has no verb conjugation or particles that function like English prepositions.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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