Volver (to return) · Imperfect
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Volver in the Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) is: yo volvía, tú volvías, él/ella/usted volvía, nosotros/as volvíamos, vosotros/as volvíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes volvían. The imperfect of volver is fully regular, following the standard -er -ía pattern. The o→ue stem change of the present doesn't apply.
| To Return | Volver |
|---|---|
| I used to return | yo volvía |
| you used to return | tú volvías |
| he/she used to return | él/ella/usted volvía |
| we used to return | nosotros/as volvíamos |
| you used to return | vosotros/as volvíais |
| they used to return | ellos/ellas/ustedes volvían |
Volver (to return) in context
Sentences that use volver in the imperfect. Tap each to hear it.
Every afternoon I used to come home tired.
You used to come back from school with many stories.
My grandfather used to come back from the field at dusk.
We used to return to the beach every summer.
You used to come back very late from the parties.
The seagulls used to return to the cliff every night.
Working with the imperfect
The imperfect paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Era de noche" (it was nighttime), "tenía cinco años" (I was five years old), "iba al parque cuando me llamaste" (I was going to the park when you called me). Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect — ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other Spanish verb is regular here, which makes the imperfect one of the easiest tenses to learn.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate volver in the imperfect?
When do I use 'volvía' instead of 'volví'?
What does 'volvía a verte' mean?
Practice Volver (To Return) in real conversations
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