Volver Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of volver — to return — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Volver means to return and to come back: volver a casa, volver a hacer (to do again). It is an o → ue stem-changing verb (vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve) and its participle is vuelto. Volver a + infinitive is the standard way to say to do something again. This page gives you the complete present tense table for volver, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo vuelvo a casa a las diez.” — “I return home at ten”.

Present tense conjugation of volver

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for volver. Volver is an o → ue stem-changing irregular -er verb (irregular in past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present tense indicative — volver

Person Form
yo vuelvo
tú vuelves
él/ella/Ud. vuelve
nosotros/as volvemos
vosotros/as volvéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. vuelven

The gerund of volver is volviendo and the past participle is vuelto. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of volver is formed

The present tense of volver does not follow the regular pattern. It has a o → ue stem change, so the stem vowel changes in the stressed forms. If volver were regular, the present tense forms would be yo → volvo, tú → volves, él/ella/Ud. → volve, nosotros/as → volvemos, vosotros/as → volvéis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → volven — but volver breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve, volvemos, volvéis and vuelven.

The stem change affects the stressed forms only: vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve and vuelven change, while volvemos and volvéis keep the plain stem. That is the rule for every o → ue stem-changing verb, and it is why the nosotros and vosotros forms are the safe ones to fall back on when you are unsure.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, volvéis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of volver

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with volver: “Yo vuelvo a casa a las diez.” — “I return home at ten”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with volver: “Ella vuelve del trabajo cansada.” — “She comes back from work tired”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with volver: “Nosotros volvemos a Madrid cada año.” — “We return to Madrid every year”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with volver: “Ellos vuelven a estudiar después del verano.” — “They go back to studying after the summer”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: volver now, volver later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo vuelvo a casa todos los días.” — “I return home every day.”

  • Future: “Yo volveré a casa mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will return home.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella vuelve a casa ahora.” — “She returns home now.”

  • Future: “Ella volverá a casa la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will return home.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros volvemos a casa en clase.” — “We return home in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros volveremos a casa el lunes.” — “On Monday we will return home.”

Example sentences: volver in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of volver, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo vuelvo a casa a las diez.” — “I return home at ten.”
  • “Ella vuelve del trabajo cansada.” — “She comes back from work tired.”
  • “Nosotros volvemos a Madrid cada año.” — “We return to Madrid every year.”
  • “Ellos vuelven a estudiar después del verano.” — “They go back to studying after the summer.”
  • “¿Tú vuelves pronto?” — “Will you be back soon?”
  • “Vosotros volvéis a intentarlo mañana.” — “You will try again tomorrow.”

Common mistakes with volver in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo volvo a casa.

Right: Yo vuelvo a casa.

Volver changes o to ue: vuelvo, not volvo.

Mistake 2

Wrong: He volvido a casa — wrong participle.

Right: He vuelto a casa.

The participle is vuelto, not volvido — use the dump form vuelto.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem in a stressed form.

Right: Use the changed stem: vuelvo.

The o → ue stem change applies to the stressed forms of volver — the yo form is vuelvo, not the plain stem.

Quiz: volver in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of volver. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of volver in the present tense?

  • A) vuelvo
  • B) vuelves
  • C) vuelve
  • D) volvemos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is vuelvo.

2. What is the tú form of volver in the present tense?

  • A) vuelvo
  • B) vuelve
  • C) volvemos
  • D) vuelves

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is vuelves.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of volver in the present tense?

  • A) vuelves
  • B) volvemos
  • C) vuelve
  • D) vuelvo

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is vuelve.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of volver in the present tense?

  • A) vuelve
  • B) volvemos
  • C) vuelvo
  • D) vuelves

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is volvemos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ a casa a las diez.” (I return home at ten.)

  • A) vuelvo
  • B) vuelves
  • C) vuelve
  • D) volvemos

Answer: A — The sentence needs vuelvo.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ del trabajo cansada.” (She comes back from work tired.)

  • A) vuelvo
  • B) vuelves
  • C) volvemos
  • D) vuelve

Answer: D — The sentence needs vuelve.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo volvo a casa.
  • B) Yo vuelvo a casa.

Answer: B — Volver changes o to ue: vuelvo, not volvo.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) He vuelto a casa.
  • B) He volvido a casa — wrong participle.

Answer: A — The participle is vuelto, not volvido — use the dump form vuelto.

Frequently asked questions

Is volver regular in the present tense?

No. volver is irregular in the present tense: the forms are vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve, volvemos, volvéis and vuelven. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of volver in the present tense?

It is vuelvo. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for volver it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of volver instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of volver?

Say the six forms aloud in order — vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve, volvemos, volvéis, vuelven — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for volver to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo vuelvo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo volví…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo volveré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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