volvía
bol-BEE-ah
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Ella volvía a casa todos los días a las cinco.
A2She used to return home every day at five o'clock.
Yo siempre volvía al mismo café para estudiar.
A2I always used to go back to the same café to study.
El perro volvía la cabeza cuando lo llamabas.
B1The dog was turning its head when you called it.
Antes de la enfermedad, usted volvía a ser el de antes.
B2Before the illness, you (formal) were returning to be your old self.
💡 Grammar Points
Two Subjects for One Form
In Spanish, 'volvía' can mean either 'I was returning' (yo) or 'He/She/It/You (formal) was returning.' You have to rely on the context or surrounding words to know who is doing the action.
Setting the Scene in the Past
'Volvía' is used to describe an action that was ongoing or continuous in the past, often setting the scene for a sudden, completed action (which uses the preterite tense).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Past Tenses
Mistake: "Using 'volví' (I returned, completed action) when describing a past habit: 'Cada noche, volví a casa tarde.'"
Correction: Use 'volvía' (I used to return): 'Cada noche, volvía a casa tarde.' The imperfect tense is for routines.
⭐ Usage Tips
Thinking of 'Used to'
If you can translate the sentence in English using 'used to' (e.g., 'I used to return'), you almost always need the imperfect tense form like 'volvía' in Spanish.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: volvía
Question 1 of 2
Which English phrase best captures the meaning of 'Yo volvía al trabajo en bicicleta'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'volvía' mean 'I was returning' or 'She was returning'?
It can mean both! 'Volvía' is the form for 'yo' (I) and 'él/ella/usted' (he/she/you formal). You must look at the context or the subject mentioned in the sentence to know who is doing the returning.
How is 'volvía' different from 'volvió'?
'Volvía' (imperfect tense) describes actions that were repeated or continuous in the past ('I used to return' or 'I was returning'). 'Volvió' (preterite tense) describes a single, finished action that happened at one point in the past ('I returned').