In English, we often add the word "again" to the end of a sentence to express repetition. In Portuguese, you express doing an action again by using the verb voltar (to return) followed by the preposition a and the main action verb in its infinitive form (ending in -ar, -er, or -ir).
To use this structure, conjugate voltar to match the subject, while the action being repeated stays in the infinitive.
| Pronoun | Voltar (Present) |
|---|---|
| eu | volto |
| tu | voltas |
| ele/ela/você | volta |
| nós | voltamos |
| eles/elas/vocês | voltam |
| The patient has back pain again. | O paciente volta a ter dor nas costas. |
This structure works seamlessly with any verb, including estar and ser (to be):
| The treatment is long, but the knee is fine again. | O tratamento é longo, mas o joelho volta a estar bem. |
| Shoulder movement is normal again. | O movimento do ombro volta a ser normal. |
The Negative Form
To say that someone will not do something again, place não immediately before the conjugated form of voltar.
| My shoulder hurts a lot, so I will not swim again. | O ombro dói muito, por isso não volto a nadar. |
Using "voltar a" with other verbs
If you use the voltar a structure after another conjugated verb (like querer, to want), voltar remains in the infinitive.
| The patient wants to walk well again. | O paciente quer voltar a andar bem. |
After treatment, hopefully everything gets back to normal!
| After the treatment, life is normal again. | Depois do tratamento, a vida volta a ser normal. |