regresar

Regresar is a Spanish verb that means to go back to a place or to return after an absence. It is a regular -ar verb and is widely used in many Spanish-speaking regions. The action is commonly described as returning to a location or to a former state.

Usage and senses

Regresar is typically intransitive with a following destination introduced by a or a place: regresar a casa, regresar al trabajo. It can also mean to come back from somewhere: regresar de un viaje. In some contexts it can be used transitively to mean returning something to its owner or origin, though in many cases devolver is preferred. The phrase “de regreso” is often used to mean “on the way back” or “back again.”

Noun form and related expressions

The noun el regreso refers to the act of returning or the return journey. The expression de regreso is used adverbially to indicate a return path or return to a previous condition (por ejemplo, “Estamos de regreso”). Regresar is frequently compared with volver; both convey returning, but volver is often more general and widely used in everyday speech, while regresar can carry a nuance of a deliberate or formal return.

Conjugation notes

Regresar is regular in its conjugation. Examples in common tenses include:

- Present: regreso, regresas, regresa, regresamos, regresan

- Preterite: regresé, regresaste, regresó, regresamos, regresaron

- Imperfect: regresaba, regresabas, regresaba, regresábamos, regresaban

- Subjunctive: regrese, regreses, regrese, regresemos, regresen

- Imperative: regresa (tú), regrese (usted), regresemos (nosotros), regresen (ustedes)

Etymology

Regresar derives from the Latin regredī, with the re- prefix indicating a return.