The preterite of regresar is used to express when someone returned at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I returned from vacation yesterday” – “Regresé de vacaciones ayer.”

This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It can be used with ‘a’ to indicate the destination or ‘de’ to indicate the point of departure.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Regresar (to return) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of regresar expresses completed actions of returning.

To return/come back: Used for specific instances of returning, for example Regresé a casa tarde (I returned home late), or Regresaron del viaje ayer (They returned from the trip yesterday).

To go back: Describes returning to a previous location or state, for example Regresamos a la oficina después del almuerzo (We went back to the office after lunch).

Examples

Examples of Regresar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Regresé a casa después de medianoche. (I returned home after midnight.)

¿A qué hora regresaste de la fiesta? (What time did you return from the party?)

El avión regresó con retraso. (The plane returned late.)

Regresamos del viaje ayer. (We returned from the trip yesterday.)

Los estudiantes regresaron de las vacaciones. (The students returned from vacation.)

¿Por qué regresaste tan pronto? (Why did you return so soon?)

Mi hermana regresó de Europa la semana pasada. (My sister returned from Europe last week.)

Regresamos al hotel antes de que lloviera. (We returned to the hotel before it rained.)

Ellos regresaron a su país natal. (They returned to their home country.)

Regresé al trabajo después de almorzar. (I returned to work after lunch.)

¿Cuándo regresaste de tus vacaciones? (When did you return from your vacation?)

El doctor regresó de la conferencia. (The doctor returned from the conference.)

Regresamos por el mismo camino. (We returned by the same path.)

Los pájaros regresaron en primavera. (The birds returned in spring.)

Regresé a mi ciudad natal después de diez años. (I returned to my hometown after ten years.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Regresar (to return) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.