The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Volver is used to give direct orders or instructions for someone to return or go back, for example Vuelve a casa antes de las 8. (Come back home before 8.)

This verb follows the o to ue stem-changing conjugation pattern, where the ‘o’ in the stem changes to ‘ue’ in certain conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Volver (to return) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Volver generally means “to return” or “to go back”, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To return: The most common meaning is to command someone to come back or return to a place, for example, Vuelve a casa antes de las 10 p.m. (Return home before 10 p.m.)

To repeat: It can also mean to command someone to do something again, for example, Vuelve a intentarlo (Try it again).

To turn around: In some contexts, it means to command someone to turn around or face the opposite direction, for example, ¡Vuelve! Hay peligro por delante (Turn around! There’s danger ahead).

To recover: Volver can mean to command someone to regain consciousness or recover from an illness or injury, for example, Vuelve en ti, todo va a estar bien (Come back to us, everything will be alright).

To transform: In a figurative sense, it can mean to command someone to change or transform into something else, for example, Vuelve a ser la persona que eras antes (Become the person you were before).

To return (an object): It can also mean to command someone to give something back or return an object, for example, Vuelve el libro a la biblioteca (Return the book to the library).

To resume: In some contexts, it means to command someone to resume an activity or continue doing something, for example, Vuelve a trabajar, ya has descansado suficiente (Go back to work, you’ve rested enough).

Examples

Examples of Volver in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Vuelve a casa antes de las 10! (Come back home before 10!)

Por favor, vuelva a la sala de espera. (Please return to the waiting room.)

Después de las vacaciones, volvamos a nuestras rutinas. (After the holidays, let’s get back to our routines.)

¡Volved al trabajo, ya descansaron suficiente! (Get back to work, you’ve rested enough!)

Señores, vuelvan a sus asientos por favor. (Gentlemen, please return to your seats.)

Amigo, vuelve cuando quieras, aquí siempre serás bienvenido. (Friend, come back whenever you want, you’ll always be welcome here.)

Después de este descanso, volvamos con más energía. (After this break, let’s get back to it with more energy.)

Si se siente mal, vuelva a casa a descansar. (If you’re feeling unwell, go back home to rest.)

¡Volved por esa calle, nos perdimos! (Go back down that street, we got lost!)

Cuando terminen de jugar, vuelvan antes del anochecer. (When you’re done playing, come back before nightfall.)

Si no te gusta la película, vuelve a cambiarla. (If you don’t like the movie, go ahead and change it.)

Después de las reparaciones, vuelva a revisar el auto. (After the repairs, come back to check on the car.)

¡Volvamos a intentarlo mañana con más ganas! (Let’s try again tomorrow with more enthusiasm!)

Cuando hayas terminado, vuelve a la oficina. (When you’re done, come back to the office.)

Si tienen dudas, vuelvan a preguntarme sin pena. (If you have any doubts, feel free to ask me again.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Volver (to return) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.