The preterite of volver is used to express when someone returned at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I returned from vacation last week” – “Volví de vacaciones la semana pasada.”
This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Despite being a stem-changing verb in the present tense, it follows regular patterns in the preterite.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Volver (to return) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | volví |
| Tú | volviste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | volvió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | volvimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | volvisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | volvieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Volver (to return) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Volver in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of volver expresses completed actions of returning.
To return: Indicates coming back to a place, for example Volví a casa tarde (I returned home late), or Volvieron del viaje ayer (They returned from the trip yesterday).
To do again: Used with ‘a’ to indicate repeating an action, for example Volvió a llamar (She called again).
Examples
Examples of Volver in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Volví a casa después de medianoche. (I returned home after midnight.)
¿Cuándo volviste de tu viaje? (When did you return from your trip?)
Ella volvió al trabajo después de su descanso. (She returned to work after her break.)
Volvimos a vernos después de muchos años. (We saw each other again after many years.)
Los pájaros volvieron en primavera. (The birds returned in spring.)
¿Por qué no volviste a llamar? (Why didn’t you call back?)
Volví a empezar desde cero. (I started over from scratch.)
El equipo volvió a ganar el campeonato. (The team won the championship again.)
Volvimos a la normalidad después de la pandemia. (We returned to normal after the pandemic.)
Los estudiantes volvieron a clase en septiembre. (The students returned to class in September.)
Volví a encontrar las llaves perdidas. (I found the lost keys again.)
¿A qué hora volviste anoche? (What time did you return last night?)
El sol volvió a brillar después de la tormenta. (The sun shone again after the storm.)
Volvimos a intentarlo una vez más. (We tried it again one more time.)
Nunca volvieron a verse después de ese día. (They never saw each other again after that day.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Volver (to return) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo volví | I returned |
| Tú volviste | You returned |
| Él / Ella / Usted volvió | He / She / You (formal) returned |
| Nosotros / Nosotras volvimos | We returned |
| Vosotros / Vosotras volvisteis | You all returned |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes volvieron | They / You all (formal) returned |
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.