Doing things "again" with volver a
Fixing up a classic car means doing a lot of the same tasks over and over. You clean a part, realize it is still rusty, and have to clean it again.
| rusty | oxidado |
In English, we usually put the word "again" at the end of the sentence. In Spanish, the most natural way to express the repetition of an action is by using the verb volver (to return), followed by the preposition a, and an infinitive.
volver + a + infinitive
Conjugate volver to match the subject and tense, leaving the main action verb in the infinitive:
| The mechanic fixes the car's rusty brake again. | El mecánico vuelve a arreglar el freno oxidado del carro. |
| I opened the hood and assembled the engine again. | Abrí el capó y volví a armar el motor. |
| The car didn't start, so I will check the brakes again. | El carro no arrancó, entonces volveré a revisar los frenos. |
Remember that volver is a stem-changing verb (o to ue) in the present tense, but not in the preterite or future tenses.
If you are using another structure that requires an infinitive—like tener que (to have to) or querer (to want to)—then volver stays in its infinitive form, and the main action verb is also in the infinitive:
| I had to install the rusty part again. | Tuve que volver a instalar la pieza oxidada. |
| Nobody wants to fix that tire again. | Nadie quiere volver a arreglar esa llanta. |