Codearse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

codearse means “to rub shoulders with” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Codearse means to rub shoulders with someone, to mix socially with important or famous people. It is a reflexive, informal verb used for social life and networking, and it is fully regular. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of codearse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the codearse present tense page.

codearse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo me codeo con los famosos en la fiesta. — “I rub shoulders with the celebrities at the party.”
  2. Él se codea con los directivos de la empresa. — “He rubs shoulders with the company directors.”
  3. Nosotros nos codeamos con la alta sociedad. — “We rub shoulders with high society.”
  4. Ellos se codean con los políticos en Madrid. — “They rub shoulders with the politicians in Madrid.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo me codeé con los directivos de la empresa. — “Yesterday, I rubbed shoulders with the company directors.”
  2. Antes, nosotros nos codeábamos con la alta sociedad. — “Before, we used to rub shoulders with high society.”
  3. Él se codeó con los políticos en Madrid. — “He rubbed shoulders with the politicians in Madrid.”
  4. Yo ya me había codeado con los famosos en la fiesta antes de salir. — “I had already rubbed shoulders with the celebrities at the party before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú te codearás con los famosos en la fiesta. — “Tomorrow, you will rub shoulders with the celebrities at the party.”
  2. Yo me codearía con los directivos de la empresa si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would rub shoulders with the company directors if I had more time.”
  3. Él se ha codeado con la alta sociedad. — “He has rubbed shoulders with high society.”
  4. Espero que él se codee con los políticos en Madrid. — “I hope he rubs shoulders with the politicians in Madrid.”

codearse in conversation

Two short dialogues that use codearse the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo me codeo con los famosos en la fiesta. — “I rub shoulders with the celebrities at the party.”
  • Bea: Él se codea con los directivos de la empresa. — “He rubs shoulders with the company directors.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo me codeé con los directivos de la empresa. — “Yesterday, I rubbed shoulders with the company directors.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú te codearás con los famosos en la fiesta. — “Tomorrow, you will rub shoulders with the celebrities at the party.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros nos codeamos con la alta sociedad. — “We rub shoulders with high society.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros nos codeábamos con la alta sociedad. — “Before, we used to rub shoulders with high society.”
  • Luis: Yo me codearía con los directivos de la empresa si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would rub shoulders with the company directors if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él se codee con los políticos en Madrid. — “I hope he rubs shoulders with the politicians in Madrid.”

A short scene with codearse

A short scene shows how codearse works across the day. In the morning: Me codeo con los famosos en la fiesta. In the afternoon: Se codea con los directivos de la empresa. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, me codeé con la alta sociedad. And tomorrow: Mañana, me codearé con los políticos en Madrid. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how codearse sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with codearse

The errors learners actually make with codearse, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo codeo con los famosos en la fiesta.

✓ Correct: Yo me codeo con los famosos en la fiesta.

Codearse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.

✗ Ayer yo codeo con los directivos de la empresa.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo codeé con los directivos de la empresa.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: codeo is happening now, while codeé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating codearse and relacionarse as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Codearse means to rub shoulders with, while relacionarse means to relate to people.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: codearse fits sentences such as Me codeo con los famosos en la fiesta, while relacionarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy codeado con los directivos de la empresa.

✓ Correct: Yo he codeado con los directivos de la empresa.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he codeado, has codeado, ha codeado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo codeé con la alta sociedad todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo codeaba con la alta sociedad todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (codeaba), not the preterite. The preterite (codeé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: codearse in use

Ten questions on codearse — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con los directivos de la empresa. — “He/she rubs shoulders with the company directors.”

  • a) se codea
  • b) me codeo
  • c) te codeas
  • d) nos codeamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ con la alta sociedad. — “Yesterday, I rubbed shoulders with high society.”

  • a) te codeaste
  • b) se codeó
  • c) se codearon
  • d) me codeé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ con los políticos en Madrid cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to rub shoulders with the politicians in Madrid when they were young.”

  • a) te codeabas
  • b) nos codeábamos
  • c) se codeaban
  • d) me codeaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ con los famosos en la fiesta. — “Tomorrow, we will rub shoulders with the celebrities at the party.”

  • a) se codearán
  • b) nos codearemos
  • c) me codearé
  • d) te codearás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con los directivos de la empresa si pudiera. — “He would rub shoulders with the company directors if he could.”

  • a) se codearía
  • b) me codearía
  • c) te codearías
  • d) nos codearíamos

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ con la alta sociedad. — “I have rubbed shoulders with high society.”

  • a) te has codeado
  • b) se ha codeado
  • c) se han codeado
  • d) me he codeado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ con los políticos en Madrid. — “I hope you rub shoulders with the politicians in Madrid.”

  • a) se codee
  • b) nos codeemos
  • c) te codees
  • d) me codee

8. Which is the past participle of codearse, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) codeé
  • b) codeado
  • c) codeando
  • d) codeo

9. What does codearse mean in English?

  • a) to rub shoulders with
  • b) to relate to people
  • c) to concentrate
  • d) to delay

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él codea con los directivos de la empresa.
  • b) Él codeo con los directivos de la empresa.
  • c) Nosotros codea con la alta sociedad.
  • d) Yo codea con los famosos en la fiesta.

Answer key

  1. a) se codea — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: se codea.

  2. d) me codeé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: me codeé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) se codeaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: se codeaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) nos codearemos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: nos codearemos.

  5. a) se codearía — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: se codearía.

  6. d) me he codeado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: me he codeado, haber + codeado.

  7. c) te codees — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is te codees.

  8. b) codeado — The past participle is codeado: he codeado, has codeado, ha codeado. The gerund codeando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to rub shoulders with — codearse means to rub shoulders with. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él codea con los directivos de la empresa. — Él codea con los directivos de la empresa. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use codearse in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Me codeo con los famosos en la fiesta and Se codea con los directivos de la empresa. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between codearse and relacionarse?

Codearse means “to rub shoulders with”, while relacionarse means “to relate to people”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use codearse when you mean “to rub shoulders with” and relacionarse when you mean “to relate to people”.

Which tense do I need most with codearse?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use codearse most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is codearse formal or informal?

Codearse is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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