Situar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb situar means to place, to locate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, situar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo sitúo la casa en el mapa — "I place the house on the map". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: situar
  • English: to place, to locate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: situando
  • Past participle: situado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + situado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for situar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for situar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | sitúo | | tú | sitúas | | él/ella/Ud. | sitúa | | nosotros/as | situamos | | vosotros/as | situáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | sitúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | situé | | tú | situaste | | él/ella/Ud. | situó | | nosotros/as | situamos | | vosotros/as | situasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | situaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | situaba | | tú | situabas | | él/ella/Ud. | situaba | | nosotros/as | situábamos | | vosotros/as | situabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | situaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | situaré | | tú | situarás | | él/ella/Ud. | situará | | nosotros/as | situaremos | | vosotros/as | situaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | situarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | situaría | | tú | situarías | | él/ella/Ud. | situaría | | nosotros/as | situaríamos | | vosotros/as | situaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | situarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he situado | | tú | has situado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha situado | | nosotros/as | hemos situado | | vosotros/as | habéis situado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han situado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había situado | | tú | habías situado | | él/ella/Ud. | había situado | | nosotros/as | habíamos situado | | vosotros/as | habíais situado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían situado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré situado | | tú | habrás situado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá situado | | nosotros/as | habremos situado | | vosotros/as | habréis situado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán situado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría situado | | tú | habrías situado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría situado | | nosotros/as | habríamos situado | | vosotros/as | habríais situado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían situado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | sitúe | | tú | sitúes | | él/ella/Ud. | sitúe | | nosotros/as | situemos | | vosotros/as | situéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | sitúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | situara | | tú | situaras | | él/ella/Ud. | situara | | nosotros/as | situáramos | | vosotros/as | situarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | situaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | sitúa | | él/ella/Ud. | sitúe | | nosotros/as | situemos | | vosotros/as | situad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | sitúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | sitúes | | él/ella/Ud. | sitúe | | nosotros/as | situemos | | vosotros/as | situéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | sitúen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund situando with estar for the progressive: está situando
Past participle situado with haber for the perfect tenses: he situado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sitúo la casa en el mapa — "I place the house on the map".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo situé el hotel cerca de la playa — "Yesterday, I placed the hotel near the beach".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo situaba el pueblo entre dos ríos — "As a child, I used to place the village between two rivers".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo situaré el problema en su contexto — "Tomorrow, I will place the problem in its context".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo situaría la casa en el mapa si pudiera — "I would place the house on the map if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he situado el hotel cerca de la playa — "Today, I have placed the hotel near the beach".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había situado el pueblo entre dos ríos antes de salir — "I already had placed the village between two rivers before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré situado el problema en su contexto — "By tomorrow, I will have placed the problem in its context".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría situado la casa en el mapa con más tiempo — "I would have placed the house on the map with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él sitúe el hotel cerca de la playa — "I hope he places the hotel near the beach".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo situara el pueblo entre dos ríos, todo cambiaría — "If I placed the village between two rivers, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Sitúa el problema en su contexto. — "Place the problem in its context.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For situar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No sitúes la casa en el mapa. — "Do not place the house on the map.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with situar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo situé el pueblo entre dos ríos — "Yesterday, I placed the village between two rivers"
  4. Antes, nosotros situábamos el problema en su contexto — "Before, we used to place the problem in its context"
  5. Mañana, tú situarás a su amigo en la empresa — "Tomorrow, you will place his friend in the company"
  6. Yo situaría la casa en el mapa si tuviera más tiempo — "I would place the house on the map if I had more time"
  7. Él ha situado el hotel cerca de la playa — "He has placed the hotel near the beach"
  8. Espero que él sitúe el pueblo entre dos ríos — "I hope he places the village between two rivers"
  9. Yo ya había situado el problema en su contexto antes de salir — "I already had placed the problem in its context before leaving"
  10. Ellos situaban a su amigo en la empresa cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to place his friend in the company when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él sitúa el hotel cerca de la playa — Right: Espero que él sitúe el hotel cerca de la playa — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él sitúe el hotel cerca de la playa — not the indicative Espero que él sitúa el hotel cerca de la playa.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo sitúo el pueblo entre dos ríos — Right: Ayer, yo situé el pueblo entre dos ríos — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo situé el pueblo entre dos ríos.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo situé el problema en su contexto todos los días — Right: De niño, yo situaba el problema en su contexto todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo situaba el problema en su contexto todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo sitúo en la casa en el mapa. — Right: Yo sitúo la casa en el mapa. — situar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo sitúo la casa en el mapa.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros situais a su amigo en la empresa. — Right: Vosotros situáis a su amigo en la empresa. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: situáis, not situais.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on situar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ el hotel cerca de la playa — "He placed the hotel near the beach" (preterite) A. situaste B. situamos C. situó D. situé

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el problema en su contexto — "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: Espero que él ______ la casa en el mapa — "I hope he places the house on the map" (present subjunctive) A. sitúe B. sitúes C. situemos D. situéis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el hotel cerca de la playa, todo cambiaría — "If I placed the hotel near the beach, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. situáramos B. situarais C. situara D. situaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el pueblo entre dos ríos — "We have placed the village between two rivers" (present perfect) A. ha situado B. hemos situado C. he situado D. has situado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el problema en su contexto. — "Do not place the problem in its context." (negative imperative) A. situéis B. sitúes C. sitúe D. situemos

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

Answer key

  1. sitúo — The present form for yo is sitúo.
  2. situó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is situó.
  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. sitúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is sitúe.
  7. situara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is situara.
  8. hemos situado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos situado.
  9. sitúes — The negative imperative form is sitúes.
  10. situando — The gerund of situar is situando: estoy situando. The participle situado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does situar mean in English?

situar means to place, to locate. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as situáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of situar?

The gerund is situando and the past participle is situado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I place" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo situé el hotel cerca de la playa — "Yesterday, I placed the hotel near the beach". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo situaba el pueblo entre dos ríos — "As a child, I used to place the village between two rivers". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he situado el hotel cerca de la playa — "Today, I have placed the hotel near the beach".

What is the difference between situar and ubicar?

Ubicar is the near-synonym for locating something, common in Latin America. Situar is the standard verb in Spain for placing something on a map. 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.

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