Spanish has a beautifully economical way of expressing repetition: instead of saying otra vez (again) or de nuevo (anew) as a separate adverb, you can fold the meaning right into the verb. Volver a + infinitivo literally means "to return to doing," and functionally translates as "to do again." Vuelve a llamarme (call me again), volví a leerlo (I read it again), ¿volvéis a Madrid este verano? (are you (all) going back to Madrid this summer?).
For an A2 learner, this is one of the highest-leverage periphrases to add: it appears constantly in everyday Spain, lets you sound more natural than the textbook otra vez, and forces a useful confrontation with the verb volver itself, which carries an essential accent that English speakers love to drop.
The structure
| Subject | volver (present) |
| Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | vuelvo | vuelvo a llamar | I'm calling again / I'll call again |
| tú | vuelves | vuelves a llamar | you call again |
| él / ella / usted | vuelve | vuelve a llamar | he/she/you (formal) calls again |
| nosotros / nosotras | volvemos | volvemos a llamar | we call again |
| vosotros / vosotras | volvéis | volvéis a llamar | you (all) call again |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | vuelven | vuelven a llamar | they / you (formal plural) call again |
Volver is a classic o → ue stem-changing verb: the diphthong appears in all singular forms and in the third person plural, but not in nosotros or vosotros. The infinitive keeps o.
Vuelvo a llamarte en cinco minutos, estoy aparcando.
I'll call you back in five minutes, I'm parking.
Volvió a equivocarse con la fecha.
She got the date wrong again.
¿Volvéis a Madrid el año que viene?
Are you (all) going back to Madrid next year?
Notice the last example. Volver by itself (without a + infinitive) is just the ordinary verb "to return / to go back." When a + infinitive follows, the periphrasis kicks in and the meaning becomes "to do again." Both senses are alive in everyday Spanish; the structure decides which one is meant.
The accent on volvió is obligatory
The single most common spelling mistake learners make with this verb is dropping the accent on the third person singular preterite: volvió, not volvio. In Spanish, every -er and -ir verb in the preterite carries an obligatory written accent on the third person singular ending -ió. Skipping it is not a typo — it changes how the word is pronounced and, in writing, it is simply wrong.
Same goes for the first person singular preterite: volví, not volvi. The accent marks the stressed final vowel.
| Subject | Preterite of volver |
|---|---|
| yo | volví |
| tú | volviste |
| él / ella / usted | volvió |
| nosotros / nosotras | volvimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | volvisteis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | volvieron |
Volví a verlo ayer en el supermercado, qué casualidad.
I bumped into him again yesterday at the supermarket, what a coincidence.
Volvió a llover por la noche y no pudimos cenar fuera.
It rained again at night and we couldn't eat outside.
Why Spanish prefers this construction
English speakers translating their thoughts into Spanish usually default to adverbs: otra vez or de nuevo added to the end of the sentence. Both are correct, but native speakers tend to integrate the repetition into the verb with volver a. The two patterns coexist:
| With volver a | With otra vez | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Volví a leer el libro. | Leí el libro otra vez. | I read the book again. |
| No quiero volver a verlo. | No quiero verlo otra vez. | I don't want to see him again. |
| Vuelve a empezar. | Empieza otra vez. | Start over. |
The volver a version often sounds slightly more elegant and is preferred in writing and formal speech. In rapid spoken Spanish, both are equally common.
Si vuelves a llegar tarde, te quedas sin postre.
If you're late again, you don't get dessert.
Me encantaría volver a vivir en Sevilla algún día.
I'd love to live in Seville again someday.
Position of pronouns
When the infinitive in the periphrasis takes a clitic pronoun (object pronouns like lo, la, le, me, te), there are two equally valid positions: attached to the infinitive, or fronted before the conjugated verb.
Voy a volver a leerlo.
I'm going to read it again. (pronoun on infinitive)
Lo voy a volver a leer.
I'm going to read it again. (pronoun fronted)
Both are correct and natural. With multiple stacked periphrases (ir a + volver a + verb), Spaniards often front the pronoun to the very beginning of the chain — it sounds smoother.
Te lo vuelvo a explicar, pero presta atención esta vez.
I'll explain it to you again, but pay attention this time.
Volver a vs. devolver: false friends in Spanish
A quick disambiguation. Volver (to return, to come/go back) is intransitive — you don't volver something, you volver to a place. Devolver is the transitive version: to return an item, to give something back.
Vuelvo a casa a las siete.
I'm coming back home at seven. (intransitive volver)
Tengo que devolver estos libros a la biblioteca.
I have to return these books to the library. (transitive devolver)
Vuelvo a leer el libro.
I'm reading the book again. (periphrasis volver a)
Three sentences, three different verbs. The grammar is signaling something different in each one.
Common collocations
These chunks come up everywhere in real Spain.
- volver a empezar (to start over)
- volver a ver(se) (to see each other again)
- volver a hacer (to do it again)
- volver a leer (to reread)
- volver a llamar (to call back / call again)
- no volver a + inf. (to never X again — a strong promise or threat)
Te juro que no volveré a hacerlo.
I swear I'll never do it again.
¡Cuánto tiempo sin volver a verte!
It's been so long since we last saw each other!
Negated: no volver a — strong "never again"
The negated periphrasis no volver a + infinitivo is the standard Spanish way of saying "never to do X again." It is more emphatic than no + verb + nunca más and feels less stilted than jamás.
Después de aquella cena, no volví a hablar con él.
After that dinner, I never spoke to him again.
Prometo no volver a llegar tarde.
I promise not to be late again.
Common Mistakes
❌ Vuelvo llamar mañana.
Incorrect — missing the preposition a between vuelvo and the infinitive.
✅ Vuelvo a llamar mañana.
I'll call again tomorrow.
❌ Volvio a llover por la tarde.
Incorrect — the third person preterite requires a written accent: volvió.
✅ Volvió a llover por la tarde.
It rained again in the afternoon.
❌ Volvi a leerlo anoche.
Incorrect — the first person preterite requires a written accent: volví.
✅ Volví a leerlo anoche.
I read it again last night.
❌ Volvo a casa.
Incorrect — volver is o → ue stem-changing: vuelvo, not volvo.
✅ Vuelvo a casa.
I'm going back home.
❌ Vuelvo a leyendo el libro.
Incorrect — volver a takes an infinitive, not a gerund.
✅ Vuelvo a leer el libro.
I'm reading the book again.
Key takeaways
- Volver a + infinitivo means "to do (something) again" — the integrated, elegant alternative to otra vez or de nuevo.
- The preposition is a, mandatory. The verb after it is always an infinitive.
- Volver is o → ue stem-changing: vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve, volvemos, volvéis, vuelven.
- The preterite first and third persons singular carry written accents: volví, volvió. Missing them is a real error, not a typo.
- No volver a + inf. is the standard way to say "never again to do X."
- Volver alone = to return; devolver = to give back (transitive); volver a + inf. = to do again. Don't mix them up.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
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