Volver means to return, to come back, to go back — and, in one of the most useful constructions in Spanish, volver a + infinitive = to do something again. It carries two layers of irregularity that you have to learn together: a classic o → ue stem change in the present indicative, present subjunctive, and imperative (vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve…), and an irregular past participle vuelto that surfaces in every compound tense and the passive voice.
Both irregularities are shared with a family of related verbs (devolver, envolver, revolver, resolver, disolver), so learning volver well unlocks a whole cluster of useful vocabulary. And the volver a + infinitive construction has no clean English equivalent — it is one of the things you will notice peninsular speakers using constantly once you start listening for it.
The volver family — all share the same irregularities
| Verb | Participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| volver | vuelto | to return, to come back |
| devolver | devuelto | to give back, to return (something) |
| envolver | envuelto | to wrap (a gift, a parcel) |
| desenvolver | desenvuelto | to unwrap; (refl.) to handle oneself well |
| revolver | revuelto | to stir, to rummage through; (refl.) to toss and turn |
| resolver | resuelto | to solve, to resolve |
| disolver | disuelto | to dissolve |
| absolver | absuelto | to absolve, to acquit |
If you internalize vuelvo / vuelto, every verb in this list works the same way: devuelvo / devuelto, envuelvo / envuelto, resuelvo / resuelto.
Non-finite forms
| Form | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitivo | volver | to return |
| Infinitivo compuesto | haber vuelto | to have returned |
| Gerundio | volviendo | returning |
| Gerundio compuesto | habiendo vuelto | having returned |
| Participio | vuelto (irregular!) | returned |
The gerund volviendo is regular (no stem change). The participle is where the irregularity lives.
Indicative — simple tenses
Presente — o → ue (except nosotros / vosotros)
The stem o of vol- changes to ue in every form except nosotros and vosotros. This pattern — stress-dependent diphthongisation — is the signature of o→ue verbs.
| yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vuelvo | vuelves | vuelve | volvemos | volvéis | vuelven |
Vuelvo a casa sobre las ocho, ¿necesitas algo del super?
I'm coming home around eight — do you need anything from the supermarket?
¿A qué hora volvéis del viaje?
What time are you (all) getting back from the trip?
Mis padres ya no vuelven al pueblo en verano, hace demasiado calor.
My parents don't go back to the village in summer anymore — it's too hot.
Pretérito perfecto simple — fully regular
Stem changes do not happen in the -er preterite. The preterite is regular.
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| volví | volviste | volvió | volvimos | volvisteis | volvieron |
Volvió del concierto a las cuatro de la mañana hecha polvo.
She got back from the concert at four in the morning, completely wiped out.
This is a crucial point: students often try to carry the ue into the preterite (*vuelví) — wrong. Only the present-tense paradigms diphthongise.
Pretérito imperfecto — fully regular
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| volvía | volvías | volvía | volvíamos | volvíais | volvían |
Cuando éramos estudiantes, volvíamos a casa de los padres todas las navidades.
When we were students, we'd go back to our parents' for every Christmas.
Futuro simple — fully regular
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| volveré | volverás | volverá | volveremos | volveréis | volverán |
Volveré sobre las diez, no me esperes despierta.
I'll be back around ten — don't wait up.
Condicional — fully regular
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| volvería | volverías | volvería | volveríamos | volveríais | volverían |
Yo no volvería a ese restaurante ni regalado.
I wouldn't go back to that restaurant even if they paid me.
Indicative — compound tenses (always vuelto)
Every compound form pairs haber with the irregular participle vuelto.
Pretérito perfecto compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| he vuelto | has vuelto | ha vuelto | hemos vuelto | habéis vuelto | han vuelto |
He vuelto pronto del trabajo porque me dolía la cabeza.
I came home from work early because I had a headache.
In peninsular Spanish, he vuelto is the everyday form for anything completed today or in the immediate past — acabo de volver and he vuelto hace un rato both belong here.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| había vuelto | habías vuelto | había vuelto | habíamos vuelto | habíais vuelto | habían vuelto |
Cuando llegué, ya habían vuelto todos del paseo.
When I arrived, everyone had already come back from the walk.
Futuro compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habré vuelto | habrás vuelto | habrá vuelto | habremos vuelto | habréis vuelto | habrán vuelto |
Para las once habré vuelto, te lo prometo.
I'll be back by eleven, I promise.
Condicional compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habría vuelto | habrías vuelto | habría vuelto | habríamos vuelto | habríais vuelto | habrían vuelto |
Habría vuelto antes, pero perdí el último tren.
I'd have come back earlier, but I missed the last train.
Subjunctive — simple tenses
Presente de subjuntivo — o → ue (same pattern as the indicative)
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vuelva | vuelvas | vuelva | volvamos | volváis | vuelvan |
Note that nosotros volvamos and vosotros volváis keep the unstressed o, mirroring the present indicative.
Espero que vuelvas pronto, te echamos de menos.
I hope you come back soon — we miss you.
Cuando vuelva del viaje, te cuento todo.
When I get back from the trip, I'll tell you everything.
Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo — fully regular
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | volviera | volvieras | volviera | volviéramos | volvierais | volvieran |
| -se | volviese | volvieses | volviese | volviésemos | volvieseis | volviesen |
Si volviera atrás, no cambiaría casi nada.
If I could go back, I wouldn't change much.
Subjunctive — compound tenses (always vuelto)
Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| haya vuelto | hayas vuelto | haya vuelto | hayamos vuelto | hayáis vuelto | hayan vuelto |
Me extraña que no haya vuelto todavía, ya son las once.
It's strange he hasn't come back yet — it's already eleven.
Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | hubiera vuelto | hubieras vuelto | hubiera vuelto | hubiéramos vuelto | hubierais vuelto | hubieran vuelto |
| -se | hubiese vuelto | hubieses vuelto | hubiese vuelto | hubiésemos vuelto | hubieseis vuelto | hubiesen vuelto |
Si hubieras vuelto a tiempo, lo habrías visto.
If you'd come back in time, you'd have seen him.
Imperative
The tú imperative vuelve keeps the diphthong (it inherits from the present indicative vuelves). The vosotros form drops back to the unstressed o in volved.
| Form | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | vuelve | no vuelvas |
| usted | vuelva | no vuelva |
| nosotros | volvamos | no volvamos |
| vosotros | volved | no volváis |
| ustedes | vuelvan | no vuelvan |
Vuelve cuando quieras, esta es tu casa.
Come back whenever you like — this is your home.
No vuelvas tarde, que mañana madrugamos.
Don't come back late — we have to get up early tomorrow.
Volver a + infinitive = to do something again
This is the single most useful thing to learn about volver. Spanish has no high-frequency adverb equivalent to English again — otra vez and de nuevo exist, but the preferred construction is volver a + infinitive:
Vuelve a llamar más tarde, ahora no puede atenderte.
Call again later — he can't take your call right now.
He vuelto a leer ese libro y me ha gustado aún más.
I've read that book again, and I liked it even more.
Si vuelves a llegar tarde, no te espero.
If you're late again, I'm not waiting for you.
No volveré a confiar en él en mi vida.
I'll never trust him again as long as I live.
The construction is utterly idiomatic — peninsular speakers reach for it instinctively, where an English speaker might say "again." Train yourself to use volver a before otra vez.
Volverse — to turn around / to become
The reflexive volverse has two distinct senses:
- Physical turning around: Me volví y vi a mi hermano "I turned around and saw my brother."
- Change of state (often gradual or involuntary): Se ha vuelto muy callado últimamente "He's become very quiet lately."
Se ha vuelto un cascarrabias desde que se jubiló.
He's turned into a grump since he retired.
Me volví para verle y ya se había ido.
I turned around to look at him and he was already gone.
Compare with the related family of "to become" verbs: ponerse (temporary state), hacerse (gradual/effortful change), convertirse en (deliberate transformation), volverse (often involuntary or character-related). Each has its own logic — see the related "ser vs. estar" and "verbs of becoming" pages.
Peninsular collocations and idioms
| Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|
| volver a las andadas | to go back to one's old (bad) habits |
| volver loco a alguien | to drive someone crazy |
| volver la espalda a alguien | to turn one's back on someone |
| volver en sí | to come to, to regain consciousness |
| volver a la carga | to come back to the attack, to keep pushing |
| dar la vuelta (related noun) | to turn around, to take a stroll |
| de vuelta (related) | back, on the way back |
Su hijo ha vuelto a las andadas y otra vez no para en casa.
Her son's back to his old ways — he's never home again.
Este crío me vuelve loca con tantas preguntas.
This kid is driving me crazy with so many questions.
Common Mistakes
❌ Volvo a casa a las ocho.
The yo form in the present is vuelvo, with the o→ue stem change. Volvo does not exist.
✅ Vuelvo a casa a las ocho.
I get home at eight.
❌ He volvido del trabajo agotada.
The participle is irregular: vuelto, not volvido. This applies to every compound tense.
✅ He vuelto del trabajo agotada.
I've come back from work exhausted.
❌ Vuelví a verle la semana pasada.
No stem change in the preterite — only the present-tense paradigms diphthongise. The preterite is volví.
✅ Volví a verle la semana pasada.
I saw him again last week.
❌ Voy a hacer eso otra vez ya no.
Awkward and ungrammatical. To say 'I won't do that again,' Spanish reaches for no volver a + infinitive.
✅ No volveré a hacer eso.
I won't do that again.
❌ ¿Cuándo vuelvas?
The question-word ¿cuándo? in a direct question takes the indicative, not the subjunctive. Vuelves, not vuelvas.
✅ ¿Cuándo vuelves?
When are you coming back?
Key Takeaways
- Volver has two layers of irregularity: an o→ue stem change in present indicative, present subjunctive and imperative, and an irregular past participle vuelto in every compound tense.
- The preterite (volví, volviste…) and imperfect (volvía, volvías…) are fully regular — no stem change. Don't carry the ue outside the present-tense paradigms.
- Volver a + infinitive = "to do something again." This is the everyday peninsular way to say "again" — far more common than otra vez.
- The reflexive volverse means either "to turn around" or "to become" (often an involuntary character change).
- A whole family of verbs shares both irregularities: devolver/devuelto, envolver/envuelto, resolver/resuelto, disolver/disuelto, absolver/absuelto.
- Distinguish volver (return to a place), devolver (give back a thing), and volverse (turn around / become) — English "return" collapses all three.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
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