Situar vs. situarse

Situar vs. situarse
 

what about the difference between situar and situarse?

Situar is a transitive verb, meaning to situate "something" "somewhere"
La diseñadora situó el edificio cerca de la plaza
The designer situated (placed) the building close to the plaza.

Situarse is pronominal
Los cantantes se situaron al fondo del escenario.
The singers positioned themselves at the back of the stage.

Hope this helps

The thing to remember here is one is not pronominal. If it isn't, the verb doesn't carry the idea that the subject is acting upon itself.

situar = to locate/site, to put/post/station

El capitán situó los soldados en la fuerte.
= The captain stationed the soldiers in the fort.

situarse = to place/locate/station oneself

Ella se situó entre dos soldados fuertes.
= She placed herself between two strong soldiers.

thank you both.
Un dia un hombre joven se situó en el centro de un poblado y proclamó que él poseía el corazón más hermoso de toda la comarca.
One day, a young man placed himself downtown and proclaimed that he possessed the most beautful heart in the whole region.
is my translation okay? placed himself sounds strange to me.

The translation is good.

Spanish uses pronominal verbs much more than English does. It's quite possible to leave out the pronoun in English, as in ... sat downtown ....

If you like the sound of the reflexive pronoun, you could say sat himself down or situated himself.

ok thank you! it is more clear now.

Bmartquis, your translation is exact, well done.