ubicar Preterite Conjugation
ubicar — to locate
The preterite of ubicar has a spelling change in the 'yo' form (ubiqué), but is otherwise regular.
ubicar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about the specific moment you found something or the moment a building was placed/constructed in a specific spot.
Notes on ubicar in the Preterite
The 'yo' form changes 'c' to 'qu' (ubiqué) to maintain the hard 'k' sound. All other forms (ubicaste, ubicó, etc.) are regular.
Example Sentences
Ayer ubiqué la farmacia que buscábamos.
Yesterday I located the pharmacy we were looking for.
yo
¿Ubicaste el hotel sin problemas?
Did you find the hotel without any problems?
tú
Ubicaron la estatua en la plaza principal.
They placed the statue in the main square.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'ubicé' for the yo form.
Correct: ubiqué
Why: In Spanish, 'cé' would sound like 's' or 'th'. To keep the hard 'k' sound of the infinitive, you must use 'qué'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ubico
The present tense of ubicar is regular: ubico, ubicas, ubica, ubicamos, ubicáis, ubican.
Imperfect
yo: ubicaba
The imperfect of ubicar is fully regular: ubicaba, ubicabas, ubicaba, ubicábamos, ubicabais, ubicaban.
Future
yo: ubicaré
The future of ubicar is regular: ubicaré, ubicarás, ubicará, ubicaremos, ubicaréis, ubicarán.
Conditional
yo: ubicaría
The conditional of ubicar is regular: ubicaría, ubicarías, ubicaría, ubicaríamos, ubicaríais, ubicarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ubique
The present subjunctive of ubicar uses 'qu' in all forms: ubique, ubiques, ubique, ubiquemos, ubiquéis, ubiquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ubicara
The imperfect subjunctive of ubicar is regular: ubicara, ubicaras, ubicara, ubicáramos, ubicarais, ubicaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ubica
The imperative of ubicar uses 'ubica' for tú and 'ubique/n' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no ubiques
The negative imperative of ubicar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no ubiques, no ubique, no ubiquemos, no ubiquen.