Introduction

Learning to conjugate retornar — “to return” — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use in real Spanish. Whether you are talking about what you do every day, what happened yesterday, or what you plan to do tomorrow, retornar is one of the verbs that carries those sentences, especially when the topic is home. On this page you will find the full conjugation of retornar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. retornar is a regular -ar verb; the gerund is retornando and the past participle is retornado, and both appear in the tables and examples below. For example: “Yo retorno a casa todos los días.” — “I return home.” Read the tables first, then the notes, and finish with the quiz to check what you have learned.

Quick facts
Infinitive retornar
English to return
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund retornando
Past participle retornado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: retornando · Past participle: retornado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo retorno
tú retornas
él/ella/Ud. retorna
nosotros/as retornamos
vosotros/as retornáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retornan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For retornar, the yo form is retorno, as in “Yo retorno a casa.” — “I return home.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo retorné
tú retornaste
él/ella/Ud. retornó
nosotros/as retornamos
vosotros/as retornasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retornaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For retornar, the yo form is retorné, as in “Yo retorné a casa.” — “I returned home.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo retornaba
tú retornabas
él/ella/Ud. retornaba
nosotros/as retornábamos
vosotros/as retornabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retornaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For retornar, the yo form is retornaba, as in “Yo retornaba a casa.” — “I used to return home.”

Future

Person Form
yo retornaré
tú retornarás
él/ella/Ud. retornará
nosotros/as retornaremos
vosotros/as retornaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retornarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For retornar, the yo form is retornaré, as in “Yo retornaré a casa.” — “I will return home.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo retornaría
tú retornarías
él/ella/Ud. retornaría
nosotros/as retornaríamos
vosotros/as retornaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retornarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For retornar, the yo form is retornaría, as in “Yo retornaría a casa.” — “I would return home.”

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he retornado
tú has retornado
él/ella/Ud. ha retornado
nosotros/as hemos retornado
vosotros/as habéis retornado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han retornado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For retornar, the yo form is he retornado, as in “Yo he retornado a casa.” — “I have returned home.”

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había retornado
tú habías retornado
él/ella/Ud. había retornado
nosotros/as habíamos retornado
vosotros/as habíais retornado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían retornado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For retornar, the yo form is había retornado, as in “Yo había retornado a casa.” — “I had returned home.”

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré retornado
tú habrás retornado
él/ella/Ud. habrá retornado
nosotros/as habremos retornado
vosotros/as habréis retornado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán retornado

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For retornar, the yo form is habré retornado, as in “Yo habré retornado a casa.” — “I will have returned home.”

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría retornado
tú habrías retornado
él/ella/Ud. habría retornado
nosotros/as habríamos retornado
vosotros/as habríais retornado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían retornado

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For retornar, the yo form is habría retornado, as in “Yo habría retornado a casa.” — “I would have returned home.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo retorne
tú retornes
él/ella/Ud. retorne
nosotros/as retornemos
vosotros/as retornéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retornen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For retornar, the yo form is retorne, as in “Espero que yo retorne a casa.” — “I hope that I return home.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo retornara
tú retornaras
él/ella/Ud. retornara
nosotros/as retornáramos
vosotros/as retornarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retornaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For retornar, the yo form is retornara, as in “Si yo retornara a casa, ...” — “If I returned home, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: retornara becomes retornase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú retorna
Ud. retorne
nosotros/as retornemos
vosotros/as retornad
Uds. retornen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú retornes
Ud. retorne
nosotros/as retornemos
vosotros/as retornéis
Uds. retornen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is retorna, as in “¡Retorna a casa” — “Return home” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no retornes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with retornar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with retornar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo retorno a casa cada día.” — “I return home.”
  2. “Él retorna a casa todos los días.” — “He returns home.”
  3. “Yo retorné a casa ayer.” — “I returned home.”
  4. “Él retornó a casa ayer.” — “He returned home.”
  5. “Yo retornaba a casa cuando era joven.” — “I used to return home.”
  6. “Nosotros retornaremos a casa mañana.” — “We will return home.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo retornaría a casa.” — “If I could, i would return home.”
  8. “Yo he retornado a casa hoy.” — “I have returned home.”
  9. “Espero que yo retorne a casa.” — “I hope that I return home.”
  10. “estoy retornando a casa ahora mismo.” — “I am returning home.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is retorné, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — retorne — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of retornar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For retornar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: retornamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he retornado a casa. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy retornado is not the present perfect of retornar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing retornar with retirar

retornar and retirar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of retornar — return — the sentence needs retornar; if it needs the meaning of retirar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo retorne a casa. Using the indicative — Espero que yo retorno — is one of the most frequent learner errors with retornar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of retornar in the present?

  • A. retornas
  • B. retorna
  • C. retornamos
  • D. retorno

2. What is the tu form of retornar in the preterite?

  • A. retornamos
  • B. retornaste
  • C. retorné
  • D. retornó

3. What is the el form of retornar in the imperfect?

  • A. retornabas
  • B. retornábamos
  • C. retornabais
  • D. retornaba

4. What is the nosotros form of retornar in the future?

  • A. retornará
  • B. retornaremos
  • C. retornaré
  • D. retornarás

5. What is the vosotros form of retornar in the present perfect?

  • A. he retornado
  • B. has retornado
  • C. ha retornado
  • D. habéis retornado

6. What is the ellos form of retornar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. retorne
  • B. retornen
  • C. retorne
  • D. retornes

7. What is the yo form of retornar in the preterite?

  • A. retornaste
  • B. retornó
  • C. retornamos
  • D. retorné

8. What is the tu form of retornar in the imperfect?

  • A. retornábamos
  • B. retornabas
  • C. retornaba
  • D. retornaba

9. What is the el form of retornar in the future?

  • A. retornaré
  • B. retornarás
  • C. retornaremos
  • D. retornará

10. What is the nosotros form of retornar in the conditional?

  • A. retornaría
  • B. retornaríamos
  • C. retornaría
  • D. retornarías

Answer key

  1. retorno — The present table gives yo = retorno.
  2. retornaste — The preterite table gives tu = retornaste.
  3. retornaba — The imperfect table gives el = retornaba.
  4. retornaremos — The future table gives nosotros = retornaremos.
  5. habéis retornado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis retornado.
  6. retornen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = retornen.
  7. retorné — The preterite table gives yo = retorné.
  8. retornabas — The imperfect table gives tu = retornabas.
  9. retornará — The future table gives el = retornará.
  10. retornaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = retornaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is retornar regular or irregular?

retornar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of retornar?

The past participle of retornar is retornado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he retornado, había retornado, habré retornado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund retornando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of retornar?

The gerund of retornar is retornando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy retornando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle retornado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of retornar in the present?

The yo form is retorno — “Yo retorno a casa.” means “I return home.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú retornas, él retorna, nosotros retornamos, ellos retornan.

What is the difference between retornar and retirar?

retornar means “to return”, while retirar means “to withdraw, to remove”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to return”, use retornar; if it is about the meaning of retirar, use retirar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

Related links