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Spanish · Verb · #517 most common

colocar

to place
to put

Regular-ar ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Presente

Habitual actions, general truths, and what's happening now.

yocoloco
colocas
él/ellacoloca
nosotroscolocamos
vosotroscolocáis
ellos/ellascolocan

Coloco los libros en la estantería.

I place the books on the shelf.

Ella coloca la mesa para la cena.

She sets the table for dinner.

2.

Pretérito Indefinido

Completed actions at a specific point in the past.

yocolocé
colocaste
él/ellacolocó
nosotroscolocamos
vosotroscolocasteis
ellos/ellascolocaron

Colocamos las sillas en el jardín.

We placed the chairs in the garden.

Él colocó el cuadro en la pared.

He placed the painting on the wall.

3.

Imperfecto

Ongoing or repeated actions in the past, descriptions, and background context.

yocolocaba
colocabas
él/ellacolocaba
nosotroscolocábamos
vosotroscolocabais
ellos/ellascolocaban

Cuando era niño, colocaba mis juguetes en su lugar.

When I was a child, I used to place my toys in their place.

Ella siempre colocaba flores en la mesa.

She always placed flowers on the table.

4.

Futuro Simple

Future actions, predictions, and speculation about the present.

yocolocaré
colocarás
él/ellacolocará
nosotroscolocaremos
vosotroscolocaréis
ellos/ellascolocarán

Mañana colocaré el nuevo sofá en la sala.

Tomorrow I will place the new sofa in the living room.

Ellos colocarán las decoraciones para la fiesta.

They will place the decorations for the party.

5.

Condicional

Hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.

yocolocaría
colocarías
él/ellacolocaría
nosotroscolocaríamos
vosotroscolocaríais
ellos/ellascolocarían

Yo colocaría los documentos en el archivo si tuviera tiempo.

I would place the documents in the file if I had time.

Ella colocaría más plantas en su casa si pudiera.

She would place more plants in her house if she could.

6.

Subjuntivo Presente

Wishes, doubts, emotions, and subordinate clauses expressing uncertainty.

yocoloque
coloque
él/ellacoloque
nosotroscoloquemos
vosotroscoloquéis
ellos/ellascoloquen

Es importante que coloques los libros en su lugar.

It's important that you place the books in their place.

Quiero que ella coloque la comida en la mesa.

I want her to place the food on the table.

7.

Subjuntivo Imperfecto

Past subjunctive contexts, hypothetical si-clauses, and polite suggestions.

yocolocara
colocaras
él/ellacolocara
nosotroscolocáramos
vosotroscolocarais
ellos/ellascolocaran

Si yo colocara el cuadro, todos lo verían.

If I placed the painting, everyone would see it.

Si ellos colocaran las sillas, podríamos sentarnos.

If they placed the chairs, we could sit down.

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "colocar" regular or irregular in Spanish?
"colocar" is a regular -ar verb in Spanish. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
How do you conjugate "colocar" in the present tense?
In the Presente, "colocar" conjugates as: colocas, coloco, colocan, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "colocar" in Spanish?
In the Pretérito Indefinido, "colocar" conjugates as: colocaste, colocé, colocaron, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "colocar" in Spanish?
"colocar" (to place, to put) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish.