volverse Preterite Conjugation
volverse — to become
The preterite of volverse is regular in its endings but requires the reflexive pronoun to indicate a sudden change.
volverse Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when a change of state happened at a specific moment in the past, like someone suddenly becoming aggressive or a situation turning sour instantly.
Notes on volverse in the Preterite
Volverse is regular in the preterite. It follows the standard -er verb endings (í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron).
Example Sentences
Se volvió millonario de la noche a la mañana.
He became a millionaire overnight.
él/ella/usted
Me volví muy exigente con el trabajo.
I became very demanding with work.
yo
Nos volvimos mejores amigos después del viaje.
We became best friends after the trip.
nosotros
Se volvieron locos cuando ganaron la lotería.
They went crazy when they won the lottery.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the past participle 'vuelto' as the preterite form.
Correct: Use 'se volvió' instead of 'se vuelto'.
Why: Vuelto is only for compound tenses like the present perfect.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me vuelvo
The present tense of volverse features an O to UE stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: me volvía
The imperfect of volverse is regular (volvía) and describes gradual changes or how someone used to be.
Future
yo: me volveré
The future of volverse is regular, formed by adding endings to the infinitive: volveré, volverás...
Conditional
yo: me volvería
The conditional of volverse is regular and expresses what 'would' happen under certain conditions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: me vuelva
The present subjunctive of volverse maintains the O to UE stem change in most forms: me vuelva, te vuelvas...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me volviera
The imperfect subjunctive of volverse is based on the preterite stem 'volvier-'.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: vuélvete
The affirmative imperative of volverse uses the stem-changed 'vuelve' for tú and attaches pronouns to the end.
Negative Imperative
yo: no te vuelvas
The negative imperative of volverse uses the present subjunctive forms preceded by 'no' and the pronoun.