colocarse

Colocarse is a Spanish pronominal verb formed from colocar, meaning to place or put, with the reflexive suffix -se. In standard use, colocarse indicates positioning or positioning oneself, and it also appears in idiomatic expressions referring to obtaining or occupying a position.

The principal senses of colocarse are: to position oneself physically, or to situate oneself in a place or line of sight. For example, uno se coloca delante de la cámara or el atleta se colocó en la línea de meta. A second common sense is to obtain a job or position, often expressed as colocarse en una empresa, colocarse como profesor, etc. It can also mean to arrange oneself in a social or professional niche.

Regional variation and related terms: colocarse is often used interchangeably with other verbs of placement like situarse or colocarse en un puesto; the non-reflexive colocar means to place something or someone else. In some dialects, colocarse can appear in slang with a meaning related to drug use or getting high, though this usage is informal and regionally limited.

Conjugation notes: colocarse follows the patterns of regular -car verbs when conjugated with the reflexive pronoun. Present tense forms include me coloco, te colocas, se coloca, nos colocamos, os colocáis, se colocan; the preterite adds the usual -qué form in the first person singular (me coloqué, te colocaste, etc.).

See also: colocar, colocación, situarse.