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coloca

ko-LO-kah/koˈloka/

places, puts

Also: arranges
VerbA1regular ar
A hand placing a single colorful flower into a glass vase on a wooden table.
gerundcolocando
past Participlecolocado
infinitivecolocar

📝 In Action

Ella coloca las flores en el jarrón.

A1

She places the flowers in the vase.

Él coloca los libros por orden alfabético.

A2

He puts the books in alphabetical order.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • pone (puts)
  • ubica (locates/places)

Antonyms

  • quita (removes)
  • desordena (messes up)

Common Collocations

  • coloca la mesa – set the table
  • coloca en su sitio – put back in its place

finds a job for

Also: invests
VerbB1regular ar
A person in a chef's uniform being welcomed into a bright kitchen by another chef.

📝 In Action

La agencia coloca a muchos graduados en grandes empresas.

B1

The agency finds jobs for many graduates in big companies.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • emplea (employs)

Common Collocations

  • colocar capital – to invest capital

gets high

Also: gives a buzz
VerbC1regular arslang
Spain
A person sitting on a fluffy cloud in a bright blue sky, looking relaxed and happy.

📝 In Action

Esa bebida coloca bastante.

C1

That drink gives you quite a buzz.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescolocaran
yocolocara
túcolocaras
vosotroscolocarais
nosotroscolocáramos
él/ella/ustedcolocara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescoloquen
yocoloque
túcoloques
vosotroscoloquéis
nosotroscoloquemos
él/ella/ustedcoloque

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedescolocaron
yocoloqué
túcolocaste
vosotroscolocasteis
nosotroscolocamos
él/ella/ustedcolocó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescolocaban
yocolocaba
túcolocabas
vosotroscolocabais
nosotroscolocábamos
él/ella/ustedcolocaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescolocan
yocoloco
túcolocas
vosotroscolocáis
nosotroscolocamos
él/ella/ustedcoloca
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "coloca" in Spanish:

arranges→gets high→invests→places→puts→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: coloca

Question 1 of 2

If you are giving a command to a friend to 'Put the plate here!', which word do you use?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
colocación(placement/arrangement) — Noun
descolocar(to displace/unsettle) — Verb
colocado(placed/set) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'collocare', which combines 'com' (together) and 'locare' (to place). It literally means 'to place things together in order'.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: collocateFrench: colloquer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'coloca' always mean 'to put'?

Mostly, yes! It specifically suggests putting something in a designated or correct spot. While 'pon' (from poner) is a general word for 'put', 'coloca' is for when you care about the arrangement.

Is 'coloca' formal?

It is slightly more formal and precise than 'pone', but it is used by everyone in daily life.