Situar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

situar means "to place, to locate" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Situar means to place or locate something: situar la casa en el mapa, situar el hotel cerca de la playa. It is used for places on a map and for problems in their context. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of situar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the situar present tense page.

situar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo sitúo la casa en el mapa — "I place the house on the map"
  2. Mi amigo sitúa el hotel cerca de la playa — "My friend places the hotel near the beach"
  3. Mañana, tú situarás el pueblo entre dos ríos — "Tomorrow, you will place the village between two rivers"
  4. Yo situaría el problema en su contexto si pudiera — "I would place the problem in its context if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo situé la casa en el mapa — "Yesterday, I placed the house on the map"
  2. Antes, nosotros situábamos el hotel cerca de la playa — "Before, we used to place the hotel near the beach"
  3. Él ha situado el pueblo entre dos ríos — "He has placed the village between two rivers"
  4. Yo ya había situado el problema en su contexto antes de salir — "I already had placed the problem in its context before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él sitúe la casa en el mapa — "I hope he places the house on the map"
  2. Si yo situara el hotel cerca de la playa, todo cambiaría — "If I placed the hotel near the beach, everything would change"
  3. Sitúa el pueblo entre dos ríos. — "Place the village between two rivers."
  4. Yo habría situado el problema en su contexto con más tiempo — "I would have placed the problem in its context with more time"

situar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use situar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo sitúo la casa en el mapa — "I place the house on the map"
  • Marcos: Él sitúa el hotel cerca de la playa — "He places the hotel near the beach"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo situé el pueblo entre dos ríos — "Yesterday, I placed the village between two rivers"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú situarás el problema en su contexto — "Tomorrow, you will place the problem in its context"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Sitúa a su amigo en la empresa. — "Place his friend in the company."
  • Lucía: Él ha situado la casa en el mapa — "He has placed the house on the map"
  • Marcos: Espero que él sitúe el hotel cerca de la playa — "I hope he places the hotel near the beach"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo situaba el pueblo entre dos ríos — "Before, I used to place the village between two rivers"

Common mistakes with situar

The errors learners actually make with situar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él sitúa el problema en su contexto

✓ Correct: Espero que él sitúe el problema en su contexto

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él sitúe el problema en su contexto — not the indicative Espero que él sitúa el problema en su contexto.

✗ *Ayer, yo sitúo a su amigo en la empresa

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo situé a su amigo en la empresa

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo situé a su amigo en la empresa.

✗ *De niño, yo situé la casa en el mapa todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo situaba la casa en el mapa todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo situaba la casa en el mapa todos los días.

✗ *Yo sitúo en el pueblo entre dos ríos.

✓ Correct: Yo sitúo el pueblo entre dos ríos.

situar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo sitúo el pueblo entre dos ríos.

✗ *Vosotros situais el hotel cerca de la playa.

✓ Correct: Vosotros situáis el hotel cerca de la playa.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: situáis, not situais.

Quiz: situar in use

Ten questions on situar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la casa en el mapa — "I place the house on the map" (present) A. sitúo B. sitúas C. sitúa D. situamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el hotel cerca de la playa — "Yesterday, I placed the hotel near the beach" (preterite) A. situé B. situaste C. situó D. situamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el pueblo entre dos ríos — "Before, we used to place the village between two rivers" (imperfect) A. situabas B. situabais C. situábamos D. situaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el problema en su contexto — "Tomorrow, you will place the problem in its context" (future) A. situaremos B. situarás C. situaré D. situará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su amigo en la empresa — "I would place his friend in the company" (conditional) A. situaríais B. situaría C. situarías D. situaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la casa en el mapa — "He has placed the house on the map" (present perfect) A. has situado B. hemos situado C. ha situado D. he situado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el hotel cerca de la playa — "I hope he places the hotel near the beach" (present subjunctive) A. situemos B. situéis C. sitúe D. sitúes

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el pueblo entre dos ríos. — "Place the village between two rivers." (affirmative imperative) A. situemos B. situad C. sitúa D. sitúe

  9. Which is the gerund of situar, used with estar for the progressive? A. sitúo B. situé C. situando D. situado

  10. What does situar mean in English? A. to place B. to locate C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. sitúo — The present form for yo is sitúo.
  2. situé — The preterite form for yo is situé.
  3. situábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is situábamos.
  4. situarás — The future form for tú is situarás.
  5. situaría — The conditional form for yo is situaría.
  6. ha situado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha situado.
  7. sitúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is sitúe.
  8. sitúa — The affirmative imperative form is sitúa.
  9. situando — The gerund of situar is situando: estoy situando. The participle situado is used with haber instead.
  10. to place — situar means to place.

Frequently asked questions

What does situar mean in English?

situar means to place, to locate. For example: Yo sitúo la casa en el mapa — "I place the house on the map". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with situar?

situar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is situar regular?

Yes. situar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise situar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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