Ubicar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb ubicar means to locate, to place, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Ubicar means to locate or to place, and it is used for locating a shop in the centre, a hotel on the map, an error in a report and placing a family in a quiet neighbourhood. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. Like every Spanish verb, ubicar 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 ubico la tienda en el centro, and in the preterite you say ubiqué el error en el informe. 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: ubicar
- English: to locate, to place
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: ubicando
- Past participle: ubicado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ubicado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ubicar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is ubiqué and the subjunctive is ubique. In Latin America ubicarse also means to find your bearings.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for ubicar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ubico |
| tú | ubicas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubica |
| nosotros/as | ubicamos |
| vosotros/as | ubicáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubican |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ubiqué |
| tú | ubicaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubicó |
| nosotros/as | ubicamos |
| vosotros/as | ubicasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubicaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ubicaba |
| tú | ubicabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubicaba |
| nosotros/as | ubicábamos |
| vosotros/as | ubicabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubicaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ubicaré |
| tú | ubicarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubicará |
| nosotros/as | ubicaremos |
| vosotros/as | ubicaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubicarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ubicaría |
| tú | ubicarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubicaría |
| nosotros/as | ubicaríamos |
| vosotros/as | ubicaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubicarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he ubicado |
| tú | has ubicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha ubicado |
| nosotros/as | hemos ubicado |
| vosotros/as | habéis ubicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han ubicado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había ubicado |
| tú | habías ubicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había ubicado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos ubicado |
| vosotros/as | habíais ubicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían ubicado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré ubicado |
| tú | habrás ubicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá ubicado |
| nosotros/as | habremos ubicado |
| vosotros/as | habréis ubicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán ubicado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría ubicado |
| tú | habrías ubicado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría ubicado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos ubicado |
| vosotros/as | habríais ubicado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían ubicado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ubique |
| tú | ubiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubique |
| nosotros/as | ubiquemos |
| vosotros/as | ubiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubiquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ubicara |
| tú | ubicaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubicara |
| nosotros/as | ubicáramos |
| vosotros/as | ubicarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubicaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ubica |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubique |
| nosotros/as | ubiquemos |
| vosotros/as | ubicad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubiquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ubiques |
| él/ella/Ud. | ubique |
| nosotros/as | ubiquemos |
| vosotros/as | ubiquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ubiquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | ubicando | with estar for the progressive: estoy ubicando |
| Past participle | ubicado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he ubicado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For ubicar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Ubico la tienda en el centro. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change in the first person: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is ubiqué. For ubicar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, ubiqué el hotel en el mapa. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 ubicar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, ubicaba el error en el informe. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 ubicar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, ubicaré a su familia en un barrio tranquilo. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 ubicar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Ubicaría la tienda en el centro si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 ubicar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he ubicado el hotel en el mapa. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 ubicar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había ubicado el error en el informe antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 ubicar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré ubicado a su familia en un barrio tranquilo. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 ubicar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría ubicado la tienda en el centro con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For ubicar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él ubique el hotel en el mapa. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms 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 ubicar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él ubicara el error en el informe, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For ubicar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Ubica a su familia en un barrio tranquilo! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For ubicar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No ubiques la tienda en el centro. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with ubicar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Ubico la tienda en el centro. — I locate the shop in the centre.
- Ubica el hotel en el mapa. — He/she locates the hotel on the map.
- Ayer, ubiqué el error en el informe. — Yesterday, I located the error in the report.
- Antes, nosotros ubicábamos a su familia en un barrio tranquilo. — Before, we used to locate his family in a quiet neighbourhood.
- Mañana, tú ubicarás la tienda en el centro. — Tomorrow, you will locate the shop in the centre.
- Yo ubicaría el hotel en el mapa si tuviera más tiempo. — I would locate the hotel on the map if I had more time.
- Él ha ubicado el error en el informe. — He has located the error in the report.
- Espero que él ubique a su familia en un barrio tranquilo. — I hope he locates his family in a quiet neighbourhood.
- Yo ya había ubicado la tienda en el centro antes de salir. — I had already located the shop in the centre before leaving.
- Ellos ubicaban el hotel en el mapa cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to locate the hotel on the map when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo ubica la tienda en el centro. — Right: Yo ubico la tienda en el centro. — The person matters: ubica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ubico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo ubicé el hotel en el mapa. — Right: Yo ubiqué el hotel en el mapa. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is ubiqué, not ubicé. ubicar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating ubicar and colocar as identical in every context. — Right: Ubicar means to locate, to place, while colocar means to place, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: ubicar fits sentences such as Ubico la tienda en el centro, while colocar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy ubicado el hotel en el mapa. — Right: Yo he ubicado el hotel en el mapa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he ubicado, has ubicado, ha ubicado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo ubiqué el error en el informe todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo ubicaba el error en el informe todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (ubicaba), not the preterite. The preterite (ubiqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on ubicar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la tienda en el centro. (present tense) A. ubico B. ubicas C. ubica D. ubicamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el hotel en el mapa. (preterite) A. ubiqué B. ubicaste C. ubicaron D. ubicó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el error en el informe. (imperfect) A. ubicabas B. ubicaban C. ubicábamos D. ubicaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a su familia en un barrio tranquilo. (future) A. ubicaremos B. ubicarás C. ubicaré D. ubicará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la tienda en el centro si pudiera. (conditional) A. ubicaría B. ubicarías C. ubicarían D. ubico
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el hotel en el mapa. (present subjunctive) A. ubiques B. ubiquemos C. ubico D. ubique
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el error en el informe, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. ubicáramos B. ubico C. ubicara D. ubicaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su familia en un barrio tranquilo. (present perfect) A. han ubicado B. hemos ubicado C. he ubicado D. has ubicado
Complete the command: ¡___ la tienda en el centro! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. ubica B. ubique C. ubiquemos D. ubicad
Which is the gerund of ubicar, used with estar for the progressive? A. ubicado B. ubico C. ubiqué D. ubicando
Answer key
- ubico — The first-person present of ubicar is ubico. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- ubicó — The third-person preterite of ubicar is ubicó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- ubicábamos — The nosotros imperfect of ubicar is ubicábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- ubicarás — The second-person future of ubicar is ubicarás.
- ubicaría — The first-person conditional of ubicar is ubicaría, the form for what would happen.
- ubique — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of ubicar is ubique.
- ubicara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of ubicar is ubicara.
- hemos ubicado — The nosotros present perfect of ubicar is hemos ubicado: hemos + ubicado.
- ubica — The affirmative tú imperative of ubicar is ubica.
- ubicando — The gerund of ubicar is ubicando: estoy ubicando. The participle ubicado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does ubicar mean in English?
Ubicar means to locate, to place. It is used in everyday situations such as Ubico la tienda en el centro. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is ubicar regular or irregular?
Ubicar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including ubico in the present and ubiqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between ubicar and colocar?
Ubicar means to locate, to place, while colocar means to place, the close verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use ubicar when you mean to locate, to place, as in Ubico la tienda en el centro, and use colocar for to place, the close verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I locate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo ubiqué el hotel en el mapa. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo ubicaba el error en el informe. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he ubicado el hotel en el mapa.
How do I practise ubicar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the ubicar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Ubicar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for ubicar.
- Ubicar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for ubicar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Fabricar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with ubicar.
- Implicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with ubicar.
- Complicar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with ubicar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.