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rodea

rro-DEH-ah/roˈðea/

“rodea” means “surrounds” in Spanish (physical positioning).

surrounds, goes around

Also: circles, encloses
VerbA2regular ar
A row of colorful flowers forming a complete circle around a small green tree.
gerundrodeando
past Participlerodeado
infinitiverodear

📝 In Action

El jardín rodea la casa antigua.

A2

The garden surrounds the old house.

Una valla de madera rodea el campo.

A2

A wooden fence goes around the field.

¡Rodea el edificio por la izquierda!

B1

Go around the building to the left!

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • circunda (encircles)
  • envuelve (wraps around)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • se rodea de – surrounds oneself with
  • lo que nos rodea – what surrounds us / our surroundings

Idioms & Expressions

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrodearan
yorodeara
túrodearas
vosotrosrodearais
nosotrosrodeáramos
él/ella/ustedrodeara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrodeen
yorodee
túrodees
vosotrosrodeéis
nosotrosrodeemos
él/ella/ustedrodee

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesrodearon
yorodeé
túrodeaste
vosotrosrodeasteis
nosotrosrodeamos
él/ella/ustedrodeó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrodeaban
yorodeaba
túrodeabas
vosotrosrodeabais
nosotrosrodeábamos
él/ella/ustedrodeaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrodean
yorodeo
túrodeas
vosotrosrodeáis
nosotrosrodeamos
él/ella/ustedrodea
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "rodea" in Spanish:

circles→encloses→goes around→surrounds→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: rodea

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence means 'The forest surrounds the lake'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
rodear(to surround) — Verb
rodeo(detour / cattle roundup) — Noun
alrededor(around) — Adverb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'rotare', which means to turn like a wheel (rota).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: rotateFrench: roder

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'rodea' the same as 'alrededor'?

Not exactly. 'Rodea' is an action (a verb meaning 'it surrounds'), while 'alrededor' is a location word (an adverb meaning 'around').

Can 'rodea' be used for people?

Yes! You can say 'Mucha gente lo rodea' to mean 'Many people are standing around him.'