Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ubicación | /ubikaˈθjon/ /ubikaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| locación | /lokaˈθjon/ /lokaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| localización | /lokaliθaˈθjon/ /lokalisaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
All three forms are feminine nouns used to describe a place or position. When expressing your own location, you can use the verb estar to provide information about where you are, the verb quedar to say something stays or is located or the verb vivir to say where you live. To refine your description, you can use the adverb cerca for close or near, lejos for far and aquí for here. Prepositions like en (in), sobre (on/over) and por (around/through) are commonly used to specify a location.
Which one should you use?
The choice between these words depends on the specific context. Use ubicación for the general concept of a place's position or whereabouts. Use localización when referring to the process of finding something or the act of locating a specific point. In the technical context of film or photography, locación refers specifically to a filming location or a set.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ubicación is feminine and requires the feminine article la to say "the location" (la ubicación).
How do you pronounce it?
/ubikaˈθjon/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use locación to mean a general geographic location. In most Spanish-speaking countries, this is a false cognate. locación specifically refers to film sets or is a technical term for 'localization'.
Did you know?
- While ubicación is the standard word for 'location', the related verb ubicar can be used colloquially in some regions to mean 'to recognize' or 'to remember' who someone is.
- Although localización refers to finding a place, in the software and business world it is used to describe the process of adapting a product to a specific culture and language.
- The suffix -ción in words like ubicación and localización traces back to the Latin suffix -tiōnem, which is the ancestor of the English suffix '-tion'.
Examples in context
- Esta es la ubicación perfecta.This is the perfect location.This sentence demonstrates the use of ubicación to describe a perfect place.Tatoeba #1690786 by marcelostockle, translation #1690560 by Spamster
- Indíqueme su ubicación, por favor.Please tell me your location.This sentence shows how to ask someone to indicate their ubicación.Tatoeba #1806184 by marcelostockle, translation #268476 by CK
- Buscaré la ubicación de la ciudad en mi mapa.I'll look up the location of the town on my map.This sentence uses ubicación to refer to looking up a town's position on a map.Tatoeba #2908813 by teskmon, translation #277225 by CK
- Me encuentro en la oficinaI'm in the office
- Ando por la ciudadI'm around the city
- Me encuentro en la reunión en la oficina.I am in the meeting at the office.
- Estoy en casa de Juan.I'm at Juan's house.
- Ando por el barrio.I'm around the neighborhood.
- Estoy aquí en la playa disfrutando del sol.I'm here at the beach enjoying the sun.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are trying to find a restaurant.
- JavierNo encuentro la ubicación del restaurante.I cannot find the location of the restaurant.
- LucíaYo te envío la ubicación por mensaje.I will send you the location by message.
- JavierGracias, Lucía, ya la recibí.Thanks, Lucía, I already received it.
- LucíaPerfecto, nos vemos allí en diez minutos.Perfect, I'll see you there in ten minutes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “location” translations and entries ubicación, locación, localización, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries locación, localización, ubicación, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
