The preterite of devolver is used to express a specific instance of returning something in the past. For example, you might say “I returned the book to the library yesterday,” indicating a completed action of giving something back.

This is a regular -er verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘devolv-‘ without any changes.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Devolver (to return (something)) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The Preterite of devolver indicates completed actions of returning or giving back in the past.

To return/give back: Returning items, for example Devolvió el libro a la biblioteca (She returned the book to the library).

To refund: Money return, for example La tienda me devolvió el dinero (The store refunded my money).

To throw up: Colloquial usage, for example El paciente devolvió la medicina (The patient threw up the medicine).

Examples

Examples of Devolver in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Devolví el libro a la biblioteca. (I returned the book to the library.)

Ella devolvió el vestido a la tienda. (She returned the dress to the store.)

¿Devolviste el dinero prestado? (Did you return the borrowed money?)

Devolvimos los regalos duplicados. (We returned the duplicate gifts.)

Los clientes devolvieron los productos defectuosos. (The customers returned the defective products.)

Mi hermano devolvió las llaves del auto. (My brother returned the car keys.)

Devolví la llamada inmediatamente. (I returned the call immediately.)

¿Por qué no devolviste mis mensajes? (Why didn’t you return my messages?)

El banco devolvió el cheque sin fondos. (The bank returned the bounced check.)

Devolvimos el paquete al remitente. (We returned the package to the sender.)

Los estudiantes devolvieron los exámenes firmados. (The students returned the signed tests.)

Devolví el favor que me hiciste. (I returned the favor you did for me.)

La tienda devolvió el importe completo. (The store returned the full amount.)

Devolvimos la película alquilada. (We returned the rented movie.)

Los invitados devolvieron las sillas prestadas. (The guests returned the borrowed chairs.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Devolver (to return (something)) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.