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A colorful storybook illustration of a happy child standing at the open front door of their cozy, brightly colored house, having just arrived home.

volví

vol-VEE

VerbA2irregular er
I returned?Physical movement back to a place
Also:I came back?General use,I went back?Focus on the motion away from the speaker

Quick Reference

infinitivevolver
gerundvolviendo
past Participlevuelto

📝 In Action

Ayer volví a casa muy tarde.

A1

Yesterday I returned home very late.

Volví a leer el libro porque es mi favorito.

A2

I read the book again because it's my favorite.

Cuando volví de las vacaciones, todo estaba diferente.

B1

When I came back from vacation, everything was different.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • regresé (I returned)
  • retorné (I returned)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • Volví a hacerlo – I did it again
  • Volví a mi país – I returned to my country

Idioms & Expressions

  • Volver a las andadas – To return to bad habits

💡 Grammar Points

The 'I' Past Tense

This word, 'volví', tells you that the action of returning happened completely in the past and is finished. It’s the 'I' form of the simple past tense for the verb 'volver'.

Using 'A'

When you return to a place, you almost always use the preposition 'a': 'Volví a la oficina' (I returned to the office).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using the wrong past tense

Mistake: "Using 'volvía' (I used to return) when describing a single, completed action."

Correction: 'Volví ayer' (I returned yesterday) is correct for a specific event. Use 'volvía' only for habits or background descriptions.

⭐ Usage Tips

Doing something 'Again'

The phrase 'Volver a + [infinitive]' is the standard way to say 'to do something again.' For example, 'Volví a comer pizza' means 'I ate pizza again.'

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedvuelve
yovuelvo
túvuelves
ellos/ellas/ustedesvuelven
nosotrosvolvemos
vosotrosvolvéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedvolvía
yovolvía
túvolvías
ellos/ellas/ustedesvolvían
nosotrosvolvíamos
vosotrosvolvíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedvolvió
yovolví
túvolviste
ellos/ellas/ustedesvolvieron
nosotrosvolvimos
vosotrosvolvisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedvuelva
yovuelva
túvuelvas
ellos/ellas/ustedesvuelvan
nosotrosvolvamos
vosotrosvolváis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedvolviera
yovolviera
túvolvieras
ellos/ellas/ustedesvolvieran
nosotrosvolviéramos
vosotrosvolvierais
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: volví

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'volví' to mean 'I returned to the place'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

volver(to return) - verb
la vuelta(the return/turn) - noun
devolver(to give back) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'volver' change to 'vuelvo' in the present tense but stays 'volví' in the past?

The verb 'volver' is tricky! It has a stem change (O turning into UE) only when the stress falls on the stem (like in 'vUElvo'). In the simple past tense ('volví'), the stress is on the ending, so the stem stays regular ('volv-').