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Conjugation Chart

“Devolver” (to return (something)) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Devolver”

The preterite of devolver is used to express when someone returned something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I returned the book to the library yesterday” – “Devolví el libro a la biblioteca ayer.”

This is a regular -er verb in the preterite tense. Despite being a compound verb starting with ‘de-‘, it follows the standard conjugation pattern for -er verbs.

How to Use Devolver in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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

To return/give back: Used for specific instances of returning items, for example Devolví el libro a la biblioteca (I returned the book to the library), or Devolvieron el dinero (They returned the money).

To reimburse/refund: Refers to returning money or payments, for example La tienda me devolvió el pago (The store refunded my payment).

Real Life Examples of Devolver in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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

¿Cuándo devolviste el dinero prestado? (When did you return the borrowed money?)

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

Devolvimos los regalos que no nos gustaron. (We returned the gifts we didn’t like.)

Ellos devolvieron las llaves del apartamento. (They returned the apartment keys.)

¿Por qué no me devolviste la llamada? (Why didn’t you return my call?)

El banco devolvió el cheque por falta de fondos. (The bank returned the check due to insufficient funds.)

Devolvimos el carro alquilado a tiempo. (We returned the rental car on time.)

María devolvió la camisa que compró. (Maria returned the shirt she bought.)

Les devolvieron todos sus documentos. (They returned all their documents to them.)

Le devolví su paraguas esta mañana. (I returned their umbrella this morning.)

Devolviste el favor cuando más lo necesitaba. (You returned the favor when I needed it most.)

El mesero nos devolvió el cambio correcto. (The waiter returned the correct change to us.)

Devolvieron la mercancía defectuosa. (They returned the defective merchandise.)

Devolví la llamada tan pronto como pude. (I returned the call as soon as I could.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Devolver (to return (something)) in the Preterite (Past) 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.