Volver Conjugation | How to Conjugate Volver in Spanish

Volver means “to return” or “to come back.” You will learn its present-family stem change, its irregular past participle, and the common construction used when the verb expresses doing an action again.

Volver conjugation at a glance

Volver is the approved infinitive for this lesson. Its primary English meaning is to return / to come back.

• Infinitive: volver — to return / to come back.
• Verb type: Irregular.
• Linguistic pattern: Volver is an -ER stem-changing verb with an irregular past participle. Stressed present-family forms use o → ue, as in vuelvo — I return and vuelva — that I / he / she / you (formal) return, while nosotros and vosotros keep o in volvemos — we return and volváis — that you (plural, informal) return. The gerund is volviendo — returning, and the participle is vuelto — returned.

Volver gerund, past participle, and infinitive

These non-finite forms build progressive and compound constructions. The infinitive names the verb, the gerund presents an unfolding action or change, and the past participle combines with haber — the perfect auxiliary.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	volver	to return / to come back
Gerund	volviendo	returning / coming back
Past participle	vuelto	returned / come back
Compound infinitive	haber vuelto	to have returned / come back
Compound gerund	habiendo vuelto	having returned / come back

Volver meaning and essential uses

Volver most directly means to return / to come back. The examples below show the sentence frames that matter most for using this verb accurately.

• Mi hermano vuelve tarde los viernes. — My brother comes back late on Fridays.
• Ellos volvieron de vacaciones ayer. — They returned from vacation yesterday.
• Después de la pausa, volvió a trabajar. — After the break, he / she started working again.

Volver conjugation pattern

Volver is an -ER stem-changing verb with an irregular past participle. Stressed present-family forms use o → ue, as in vuelvo — I return and vuelva — that I / he / she / you (formal) return, while nosotros and vosotros keep o in volvemos — we return and volváis — that you (plural, informal) return. The gerund is volviendo — returning, and the participle is vuelto — returned.

Volver indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Volver present tense conjugation

Use the present indicative for current situations, routines, repeated actions, and general facts involving this verb. The Spanish term is presente de indicativo — present indicative.

Use o → ue in the stressed forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep o: vuelvo — I return, vuelves — you return, volvemos — we return, and volvéis — you (plural, informal) return.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	vuelvo	I return / come back
Tú — you, singular informal	vuelves	you return / come back
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	vuelve	he / she returns / comes back; you (formal) return / come back
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volvemos	we return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volvéis	you (plural, informal) return / come back
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	vuelven	they / you (plural) return / come back

• Vuelvo a casa a las seis. — I return home at six.

Volver preterite conjugation

Use the preterite for completed or bounded past events, viewed as finished rather than background or habit. The Spanish term is pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido — preterite.

Use the standard preterite endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	volví	I returned / came back
Tú — you, singular informal	volviste	you returned / came back
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	volvió	he / she / you (formal) returned / came back
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volvimos	we returned / came back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volvisteis	you (plural, informal) returned / came back
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	volvieron	they / you (plural) returned / came back

• Volvimos tarde anoche. — We came back late last night.

Volver imperfect conjugation

Use the imperfect for habitual, repeated, descriptive, or ongoing past situations without a completed boundary. The Spanish term is pretérito imperfecto — imperfect.

Use the standard imperfect endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	volvía	I used to return / come back
Tú — you, singular informal	volvías	you used to return / come back
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	volvía	he / she / you (formal) used to return / come back
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volvíamos	we used to return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volvíais	you (plural, informal) used to return / come back
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	volvían	they / you (plural) used to return / come back

• Antes volvía caminando del trabajo. — I used to return from work on foot.

Volver present progressive

Use the present progressive for an action or change in progress around the present moment. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish term is presente progresivo — present progressive.

Build the present progressive with estar — to be as an auxiliary — plus volviendo — returning / coming back.

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

• Estoy volviendo a casa ahora. — I am coming back home now.

Volver near future conjugation

Use the near future for plans or developments viewed as approaching or already intended. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish term is futuro próximo — near future.

Build the near future with ir a — to be going to — plus volver — return / come back.

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

• Voy a volver mañana. — I am going to come back tomorrow.

Volver future tense conjugation

Use the simple future for future events and, where context supports it, probability or conjecture. The Spanish term is futuro simple — simple future.

Add the future endings directly to volver — return / come back.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	volveré	I will return / come back
Tú — you, singular informal	volverás	you will return / come back
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	volverá	he / she / you (formal) will return / come back
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volveremos	we will return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volveréis	you (plural, informal) will return / come back
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	volverán	they / you (plural) will return / come back

• Volveré la semana que viene. — I will return next week.

Volver conditional conjugation

Use the conditional for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or future-in-the-past meanings. The Spanish term is condicional simple — simple conditional.

Add the conditional endings directly to volver — return / come back.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	volvería	I would return / come back
Tú — you, singular informal	volverías	you would return / come back
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	volvería	he / she / you (formal) would return / come back
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volveríamos	we would return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volveríais	you (plural, informal) would return / come back
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	volverían	they / you (plural) would return / come back

• Volvería antes si pudiera. — I would come back earlier if I could.

Volver present perfect conjugation

Use the present perfect for past actions connected to the present. Its distribution varies across Spanish-speaking regions. The Spanish term is pretérito perfecto compuesto — present perfect.

Combine the present forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with vuelto — returned / come back. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• He vuelto a Madrid varias veces. — I have returned to Madrid several times.

Volver past perfect conjugation

Use the past perfect for an action completed before another past reference point. The Spanish term is pretérito pluscuamperfecto — past perfect / pluperfect.

Combine the imperfect forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with vuelto — returned / come back. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• Ya habíamos vuelto cuando empezó a llover. — We had already returned when it started to rain.

Volver future perfect conjugation

Use the future perfect for an action expected to be completed before a future reference point. The Spanish term is futuro perfecto — future perfect.

Combine the future forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with vuelto — returned / come back. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• Para entonces, habrán vuelto del viaje. — By then, they will have returned from the trip.

Volver conditional perfect conjugation

Use the conditional perfect for a hypothetical past result or an outcome that would have occurred under different circumstances. The Spanish term is condicional perfecto — conditional perfect.

Combine the conditional forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with vuelto — returned / come back. The participle remains invariant with haber.

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

• Habría vuelto antes con otro tren. — I would have returned earlier on another train.

Volver subjunctive conjugations

Volver present subjunctive conjugation

Use the present subjunctive in subordinate clauses triggered by wishes, influence, emotion, evaluation, doubt, necessity, possibility, or similar environments. The Spanish term is presente de subjuntivo — present subjunctive.

Use o → ue in stressed present-subjunctive forms but keep o in nosotros and vosotros: vuelva — that I / he / she / you (formal) return, volvamos — that we return, and volváis — that you (plural, informal) return.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	vuelva	that I return / come back
Tú — you, singular informal	vuelvas	that you return / come back
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	vuelva	that he / she / you (formal) return / come back
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volvamos	that we return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volváis	that you (plural, informal) return / come back
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	vuelvan	that they / you (plural) return / come back

• Espero que vuelvas pronto. — I hope you come back soon.

Volver imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the imperfect subjunctive in past or hypothetical subordinate contexts, including reported wishes, requests, evaluations, and conditions. The Spanish term is imperfecto de subjuntivo — imperfect subjunctive.

The main table uses the accepted -ra series, built from the third-person plural preterite stem. The accepted -se series is shown after the main examples.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	volviera	that I returned / came back / were to return / come back
Tú — you, singular informal	volvieras	that you returned / came back / were to return / come back
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	volviera	that he / she / you (formal) returned / came back / were to return / come back
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volviéramos	that we returned / came back / were to return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volvierais	that you (plural, informal) returned / came back / were to return / come back
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	volvieran	that they / you (plural) returned / came back / were to return / come back

• Quería que volvieras antes. — I wanted you to come back earlier.

The -se series is also accepted in many contexts; do not substitute it mechanically where a construction has a documented preference or restriction.

• volviese — that I returned / came back / were to return / come back
• volvieses — that you returned / came back / were to return / come back
• volviese — that he / she / you (formal) returned / came back / were to return / come back
• volviésemos — that we returned / came back / were to return / come back
• volvieseis — that you (plural, informal) returned / came back / were to return / come back
• volviesen — that they / you (plural) returned / came back / were to return / come back

Volver future subjunctive conjugation

Use the future subjunctive only as a reference form for rare modern uses, especially formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical language. The Spanish term is futuro de subjuntivo — future subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

This reference paradigm comes from the same past-stem family used by the imperfect subjunctive. It is rare in modern everyday Spanish and survives mainly in formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical contexts.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	volviere	that I should return / come back (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	volvieres	that you should return / come back (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	volviere	that he / she / you (formal) should return / come back (rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	volviéremos	that we should return / come back (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volviereis	that you (plural, informal) should return / come back (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	volvieren	that they / you (plural) should return / come back (rare/formal)

• Si el solicitante volviere al país, deberá comunicarlo. — If the applicant should return to the country, they must report it.

Volver present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the present perfect subjunctive for a completed action viewed through a present subjunctive trigger. The Spanish term is pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo — present perfect subjunctive.

Combine the present subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with vuelto — returned / come back.

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

• Me alegra que hayas vuelto. — I am glad that you have come back.

Volver past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the past perfect subjunctive for an action completed before another past or hypothetical reference point in a subjunctive context. The Spanish term is pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo — past perfect subjunctive.

Combine the -ra imperfect subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with vuelto — returned / come back. The hubiese series is also accepted and is shown below.

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

• Ojalá hubiéramos vuelto antes. — I wish we had returned earlier.

The hubiese series is an accepted alternative in many contexts.

• hubiese vuelto — that I had returned / come back
• hubieses vuelto — that you had returned / come back
• hubiese vuelto — that he / she / you (formal) had returned / come back
• hubiésemos vuelto — that we had returned / come back
• hubieseis vuelto — that you (plural, informal) had returned / come back
• hubiesen vuelto — that they / you (plural) had returned / come back

Volver future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the future perfect subjunctive as a rare reference form for an action completed before another future point in formal or historical-style contexts. The Spanish term is futuro perfecto de subjuntivo — future perfect subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Combine the future subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with vuelto — returned / come back. This system is rare in modern everyday Spanish.

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

• Si el solicitante hubiere vuelto al país, deberá declararlo. — If the applicant should have returned to the country, they must declare it.

Volver imperative and commands

Commands address other people directly. Spanish uses imperative forms and present-subjunctive forms according to person and polarity; there is no ordinary yo — I command row.

Volver affirmative commands

The informal singular command is vuelve — return. Formal and plural command forms use present-subjunctive morphology where applicable, so o → ue appears in stressed forms such as vuelva — return (formal) and vuelvan — return (plural).

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	vuelve	return / come back
Usted — you, singular formal	vuelva	return / come back (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	volvamos	let’s return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	volved	return / come back (plural informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	vuelvan	return / come back (plural)

• Vuelve antes de las diez. — Come back before ten.

Volver negative commands

Negative commands use present-subjunctive-based forms and have no ordinary yo — I command row.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no vuelvas	do not return / come back
Usted — you, singular formal	no vuelva	do not return / come back (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	no volvamos	let’s not return / come back
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no volváis	do not return / come back (plural informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no vuelvan	do not return / come back (plural)

• No vuelvas por ese camino. — Do not come back by that road.

Common constructions with Volver

Volver combines naturally with destinations, origins, and an infinitive. The pattern volver a + infinitive — to do something again is especially important.

• volver a casa — to return home
• Volvemos de Madrid mañana. — We return from Madrid tomorrow.
• Voy a volver a llamar esta tarde. — I am going to call again this afternoon.

Example sentences with Volver

These examples reinforce the target verb across several useful systems and contexts.

• Siempre vuelven antes de medianoche. — They always come back before midnight.
• El martes volví del aeropuerto en taxi. — On Tuesday I returned from the airport by taxi.
• Durante años, volvía a ese café cada invierno. — For years, I used to return to that café every winter.
• Ahora estamos volviendo por la carretera principal. — We are coming back on the main road now.
• La próxima semana voy a volver al gimnasio. — Next week I am going to return to the gym.
• Quizá vuelvan después de comer. — They may come back after lunch.
• Para entonces ya habremos vuelto de vacaciones. — By then, we will already have returned from vacation.
• No volváis sin llamar primero. — Do not come back without calling first.

Regional and usage notes for Volver

RAE records voseo forms such as vos volvés — you return and the affirmative command volvé — return. The core tables retain tú — you, singular informal and vosotros / vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain for project comparability.

Rare and reference forms of Volver

The future subjunctive and future perfect subjunctive above are already marked as rare in modern everyday Spanish. The preterite anterior is another formal or literary reference form and is uncommon in present-day conversation.

• Apenas hube vuelto a casa, empezó a llover. — As soon as I had returned home, it started to rain.

Use Volver by choosing the time frame first and then applying its verified stem, stress, participle, or pronoun pattern. Keep rare reference systems distinct from the forms used in ordinary modern conversation.