Devolver Conjugation | How to Conjugate Devolver in Spanish

Devolver means “to return” or “to give back.” You will learn its o → ue present-family change, regular past and future stems, irregular participle devuelto, and common object patterns.

Devolver conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Devolver uses the stem change o → ue in stressed present-family forms such as devuelvo — “I return” — and devuelva — “that I / you formal / he / she return.” Its past participle devuelto — “returned / given back” — is irregular.

Devolver gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle devuelto remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	devolver	to return
Gerund	devolviendo	returning
Past participle	devuelto	returned

Devolver meaning and essential uses

Devolver — “to return / give back” — is commonly transitive. The direct object is the thing returned: Devuelvo el libro mañana. — “I return the book tomorrow.”

It also expresses restoring something to a previous state or returning a purchase: La noticia le devolvió la esperanza. — “The news gave him / her hope back.” Voy a devolver la camisa. — “I am going to return the shirt.”

Devolver irregular conjugation patterns

The stressed present forms use devuelv-: devuelvo, devuelves, devuelve, devuelven — “I return, you return, he/she returns, they return.” The nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras present forms keep devolv-.

The present subjunctive follows the same stress pattern: devuelva — “that I return” — but devolvamos — “that we return.” The preterite is regular for an -ER verb, while the participle is the irregular devuelto — “returned.”

Devolver indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Devolver present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current actions, habits, facts, and contextually near-future events. Stressed forms use devuelv-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras keep devolv-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devuelvo	I return
Tú — you, singular informal	devuelves	you return
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devuelve	he / she returns; you return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolvemos	we return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolvéis	you return (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devuelven	they return; you return (plural)

• Devuelvo los libros a la biblioteca. — I return the books to the library.

Devolver preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. It uses the verified -ER preterite family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devolví	I returned
Tú — you, singular informal	devolviste	you returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devolvió	he / she returned; you returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolvimos	we returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolvisteis	you returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devolvieron	they returned; you returned (plural)

• Ayer devolvimos el coche de alquiler. — Yesterday we returned the rental car.

Devolver imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. It uses the regular -ER imperfect endings.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devolvía	I used to return / was returning
Tú — you, singular informal	devolvías	you used to return / were returning
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devolvía	he / she used to return / was returning; you used to return / were returning (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolvíamos	we used to return / were returning
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolvíais	you used to return / were returning (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devolvían	they used to return / were returning; you used to return / were returning (plural)

• Antes devolvía las llamadas por la tarde. — I used to return calls in the afternoon.

Devolver present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus devolviendo — “returning.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy devolviendo	I am returning
Tú — you, singular informal	estás devolviendo	you are returning
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está devolviendo	he / she is returning; you are returning (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos devolviendo	we are returning
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis devolviendo	you are returning (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están devolviendo	they are returning; you are returning (plural)

• Estoy devolviendo los documentos originales. — I am returning the original documents.

Devolver near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and devolver.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a devolver	I am going to return
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a devolver	you are going to return
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a devolver	he / she is going to return; you are going to return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a devolver	we are going to return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a devolver	you are going to return (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a devolver	they are going to return; you are going to return (plural)

• Voy a devolver este producto mañana. — I am going to return this product tomorrow.

Devolver future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, when useful, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive; there is no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devolveré	I will return
Tú — you, singular informal	devolverás	you will return
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devolverá	he / she will return; you will return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolveremos	we will return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolveréis	you will return (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devolverán	they will return; you will return (plural)

• Te devolveré el dinero el viernes. — I will give you the money back on Friday.

Devolver conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The endings attach to the full infinitive; there is no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devolvería	I would return
Tú — you, singular informal	devolverías	you would return
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devolvería	he / she would return; you would return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolveríamos	we would return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolveríais	you would return (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devolverían	they would return; you would return (plural)

• Devolvería el paquete si estuviera dañado. — I would return the package if it were damaged.

Devolver present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle devuelto — “returned.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he devuelto	I have returned
Tú — you, singular informal	has devuelto	you have returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha devuelto	he / she has returned; you have returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos devuelto	we have returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis devuelto	you have returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han devuelto	they have returned; you have returned (plural)

• Ya he devuelto las llaves. — I have already returned the keys.

Devolver past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle devuelto — “returned.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había devuelto	I had returned
Tú — you, singular informal	habías devuelto	you had returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había devuelto	he / she had returned; you had returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos devuelto	we had returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais devuelto	you had returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían devuelto	they had returned; you had returned (plural)

• Habíamos devuelto todo antes del cierre. — We had returned everything before closing time.

Devolver future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle devuelto — “returned.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré devuelto	I will have returned
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás devuelto	you will have returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá devuelto	he / she will have returned; you will have returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos devuelto	we will have returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis devuelto	you will have returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán devuelto	they will have returned; you will have returned (plural)

• Para entonces habrán devuelto el equipo. — By then they will have returned the equipment.

Devolver conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle devuelto — “returned.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría devuelto	I would have returned
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías devuelto	you would have returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría devuelto	he / she would have returned; you would have returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos devuelto	we would have returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais devuelto	you would have returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían devuelto	they would have returned; you would have returned (plural)

• Habría devuelto el libro antes, pero estaba de viaje. — I would have returned the book earlier, but I was traveling.

Devolver subjunctive conjugations

Devolver present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Stressed forms use devuelv-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use devolv-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devuelva	that I return
Tú — you, singular informal	devuelvas	that you return
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devuelva	that he / she return; that you return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolvamos	that we return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolváis	that you return (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devuelvan	that they return; that you return (plural)

• Quiero que devuelvas la tarjeta hoy. — I want you to return the card today.

Devolver imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table; do not assume unrestricted interchangeability in every special construction. These forms are built from the third-person plural preterite family; the main table uses the -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devolviera	that I returned
Tú — you, singular informal	devolvieras	that you returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devolviera	that he / she returned; that you returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolviéramos	that we returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolvierais	that you returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devolvieran	that they returned; that you returned (plural)

• Esperaban que devolviéramos el depósito. — They expected us to return the deposit.
• Preferían que devolvieses el formulario firmado. — They preferred that you return the signed form.

Devolver future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms share the same historical stem family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	devolviere	if / when I should return
Tú — you, singular informal	devolvieres	if / when you should return
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	devolviere	if / when he / she should return; if / when you should return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	devolviéremos	if / when we should return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolviereis	if / when you should return (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	devolvieren	if / when they should return; if / when you should return (plural)

• Quien devolviere el material deberá firmar el registro. — Whoever should return the material must sign the register.

Devolver present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle devuelto — “returned.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya devuelto	that I have returned
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas devuelto	that you have returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya devuelto	that he / she has returned; that you have returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos devuelto	that we have returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis devuelto	that you have returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan devuelto	that they have returned; that you have returned (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas devuelto las llaves. — I am glad that you have returned the keys.

Devolver past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted alternative auxiliary in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle devuelto — “returned.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera devuelto	that I had returned
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras devuelto	that you had returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera devuelto	that he / she had returned; that you had returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos devuelto	that we had returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais devuelto	that you had returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran devuelto	that they had returned; that you had returned (plural)

• Si hubiéramos devuelto el coche antes, habríamos pagado menos. — If we had returned the car earlier, we would have paid less.
• Si hubieses devuelto el paquete, ya tendrías el reembolso. — If you had returned the package, you would already have the refund.

Devolver future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle devuelto — “returned.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere devuelto	if / when I should have returned
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres devuelto	if / when you should have returned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere devuelto	if / when he / she should have returned; if / when you should have returned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos devuelto	if / when we should have returned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis devuelto	if / when you should have returned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren devuelto	if / when they should have returned; if / when you should have returned (plural)

• Si hubieren devuelto los documentos, quedará constancia. — If they should have returned the documents, a record will remain.

Devolver imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. Spanish uses different morphological sources depending on person and polarity; the nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Devolver affirmative commands

Use affirmative commands for direct instructions. The table includes the five core addressee or exhortative rows.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	devuelve	return
Usted — you, singular formal	devuelva	return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	devolvamos	let’s return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	devolved	return (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	devuelvan	return (plural)

• Devuelve el libro mañana. — Return the book tomorrow.

Devolver negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the command form.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no devuelvas	do not return
Usted — you, singular formal	no devuelva	do not return (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no devolvamos	let’s not return
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no devolváis	do not return (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no devuelvan	do not return (plural)

• No devuelvas el producto sin el recibo. — Do not return the product without the receipt.

Common constructions with Devolver

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• devolver algo a alguien. — to give something back to someone.
• devolver algo a un lugar. — to return something to a place.
• devolver una compra. — to return a purchase.

Example sentences with Devolver

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• ¿Puedes devolverme el bolígrafo? — Can you give me the pen back?
• La tienda me devolvió el dinero. — The store refunded my money.
• Tenemos que devolver las llaves antes de las diez. — We have to return the keys before ten.
• Espero que me devuelvan la llamada. — I hope they return my call.
• Ya hemos devuelto todo el material. — We have already returned all the material.
• Devuelve cada cosa a su sitio. — Return each thing to its place.

Regional and usage notes for Devolver

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. In voseo regions, common present-indicative and affirmative-command forms can differ from the core tú forms.

• Vos devolvés el libro mañana. — You return the book tomorrow. (voseo)
• Devolvé las llaves en recepción. — Return the keys at reception. (affirmative vos command)

For devolver, remember two independent irregularities: the stressed present-family stem devuelv- and the participle devuelto — “returned.” The remaining major tense families use the predictable infinitive or preterite pattern.