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June 16, 2021 by Luis F. Dominguez Spanish Grammar 0 comments

Volver vs Regresar: What’s the Difference Between these Spanish Verbs?

During the length of your Spanish studies, you’re going to find some verbs with very similar meanings, such as volver and regresar. 

However, being very similar doesn’t mean that they’re exactly the same or interchangeable in every situation. For this reason, you have to learn the subtleties of each verb and their variances in meaning. 

In this post, I’m introducing you to the regresar vs volver debate, explaining when you should use volver and when you should use regresar. You’re also learning the basic conjugation set for each one of these two Spanish verbs and getting some practice time with an advanced Spanish verbs quiz. 

Volver vs Regresar

Volver and regresar are two Spanish verbs that mean “to return,” “to come back,” “to go back,” or “to be back.” Those are all accepted translations and both verbs express very similar ideas. You can say that they’re synonyms and nobody would complain. 

However, there are slight differences in meaning and subtle variances in use that are important to understand in order to master these two verbs in Spanish. Let’s dig deeper and learn about them. 

When You Should Use Volver

Use volver to talk about returning, coming, or going back to some place or to say that an action will repeat. Don’t use volver to talk about returning objects (use regresar for that: see below).  

Let’s see in detail the different cases when you should use volver: 

Returning, Coming, or Going Back to a Place

This is the main meaning of volver and its structure is very straightforward: 

The conjugated form of volver + a place 

And even the place is optional, as sometimes it’s implied by the context. 

Examples: 

Ayer volví al trabajo. 
Yesterday, I went back to work. 

¿Cuándo vuelves a México?
When are you coming back to Mexico?

Ya me voy. Mañana vuelvo. (no need for a place because it’s implied). 
I’m leaving. I’ll come back tomorrow. 

In all these cases, you could change the verb volver by the verb regresar and the sentences would be grammatically correct. This means that, when talking about returning to a place, volver and regresar are synonyms. 

volver regresar

Repeating Actions

When you talk about actions that repeat themselves you have to use volver and, in this case, using regresar isn’t an option. This might be the biggest difference between these two Spanish verbs. In English, this construction is usually translated with the word “again.”

infinitive or conjugated form of volver + a + infinitive verb

Examples: 

Volveré a jugar fútbol muy pronto. 
I’ll play soccer again very soon. 

Volví a cometer el mismo error. 
I made the same mistake again. 

Tienes que volver a hacer el examen. 
You have to do the exam again. 

When You Should Use Regresar

As mentioned above, regresar can be used to talk about returning, coming, or going back to a place, but also about returning an object. Let’s see both cases.

Returning, Coming, or Going Back to a Place

This is the situation when regresar and volver are interchangeable, and the reason we even have this regresar vs volver discussion. 

The conjugated form of regresar + a place

Just as with volver, in some cases, the place isn’t even mentioned and it can be implied by the context. 

Examples: 

Mañana regresaré a casa. 
Tomorrow, I’ll go back home. 

¿Cuándo regresas a trabajar? 
When are you coming back to work?

Ayer Miguel regresó de Argentina. 
Yesterday, Miguel came back from Argentina.

Returning an Object

This case is exclusive to the Spanish verb regresar and you shouldn’t use volver when you want to say that you’re returning a thing or object in Spanish. 

infinitive or conjugated form of regresar + determiner (article, pronoun) + object

Examples:

Quiero regresar estos zapatos. 
I want to return these shoes. 

¿Ya regresaste el libro que te prestó María?
Have you given back the book that Maria lent you?

Si no te gusta el regalo, lo puedes regresar a la tienda. 
If you don’t like the present, you can return it to the store. 

volver regresar

Volver Conjugation Set

Volver is an irregular stem-changing verb. You have to change from -o- to -ue- in some stressed forms. I’m using different translations for the different tenses, so you can see an example for each of them. 

Present

yo vuelvoI return
tú vuelvesyou return
él/ella vuelvehe/she returns
nosotros volvemoswe return
ustedes vuelvenyou return
ellos/ellas vuelventhey return

Past

yo volvíI came back
tú volvisteyou came back
él/ella volvióhe/she came back
nosotros volvimoswe came back
ustedes volvieronyou came back
ellos/ellas volvieronthey came back

Future

yo volveréI will go back
tú volverásyou will go back
él/ella volveráhe/she will go back
nosotros volveremoswe will go back
ustedes volverányou will go back
ellos/ellas volveránthey will go back

Regresar Conjugation Set

Regresar is a regular -ar verb, which means that it follows the same conjugation pattern as most Spanish verbs ending in -ar. 

Present

yo regresoI return
tú regresasyou return
él/ella regresahe/she returns
nosotros regresamoswe return
ustedes regresanyou return
ellos/ellas regresanthey return

Past

yo regreséI came back
tú regresasteyou came back
él/ella regresóhe/she came back
nosotros regresamoswe came back
ustedes regresaronyou came back
ellos/ellas regresaronthey came back

Future

yo regresaréI will go back
tú regresarásyou will go back
él/ella regresaráhe/she will go back
nosotros regresaremoswe will go back
ustedes regresarányou will go back
ellos/ellas regresaránthey will go back

Advanced Spanish Verbs Quiz

Quiz CTA

Test your new advanced Spanish verbs skills with this free interactive quiz!

Fill in the blank:

1. ¿Cuándo _____ Carlos a la escuela?

Correct! Wrong!

2. Ayer la maestra de español me _____ el libro que le había prestado

Correct! Wrong!

3. Mañana, mis hermanos y yo ______ a casa.

Correct! Wrong!

4. ¿Ya _____ la camisa que te prestaron?

Correct! Wrong!

5. La próxima semana _____ a trabajar.

Correct! Wrong!

6. El mes pasado Karla ______ de España.

Correct! Wrong!

7. Mi hermano _______ al trabajo la próxima semana.

Correct! Wrong!

8. ¿Cuándo _____ el carro que rentaste?

Correct! Wrong!

9. Puedes _____ a dormir.

Correct! Wrong!

10. Ya _____ las bicicletas que nos prestaron.

Correct! Wrong!

Volver vs Regresar Quiz
Wow, you've mastered the difference between volver and regresar! Good job!

Congrats you're a pro

You've got a solid understanding of how to use the verbs volver and regresar and the quality of your Spanish conversations are exploding through the roof!
You've almost mastered the difference between volver and regresar. Your consistent practice is leading to better results!

You're almost there

As you keep up your hard work and practice, you're starting to understand better how to use the verbs volver and regresar. For more study materials, keep up-to-date with our newest published blog posts at Homeschool Spanish Academy. *YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! You can do it!* Do you prefer learning with videos? Check out our YouTube channel Spanish Academy TV for the best Spanish learning content on the web!
Practice makes perfect! Keep on studying!

Keep on studying

Your motivation to learn Spanish is an essential ingredient to success! If you're ready to take your Spanish to the next level and master the usage of volver and regresar, then join us for a free Spanish class with one of our friendly, certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Sign up today!

Volver, Regresar y Estudiar Español

“To return,” “to come back,” and “to study” Spanish. That’s a good collection of Spanish verbs!  Now you have two more verbs mastered and included in your ever-growing Spanish vocabulary. Don’t forget to introduce them into your real-life conversations in Spanish and practice the different situations to use both volver and regresar. 

Sign up for a free class to practice with one of our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. They provide one-on-one Spanish instructions in real-time and teach over 24,000 different students each month. The schedules are flexible and the lessons can be tailored to your needs. 

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to take your Spanish abilities to the next level. 

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Luis F. Dominguez
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Luis F. Dominguez
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.
Luis F. Dominguez
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Latest posts by Luis F. Dominguez (see all)
  • 10 Essential Ways to Use “Que” in Spanish - June 1, 2025
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