voltou

Voltou is a form of the Portuguese verb voltar, used as the third-person singular preterite (simple past) meaning that someone or something returned or came back. It can refer to ele (he), ela (she), or você (you, formal) returning. For example: Ela voltou ontem. Ele voltou do trabalho.

Voltar is a regular -ar verb, with the meaning of returning, coming back, or resuming a state or activity. In the preterite, the form for the third person singular is voltou, while the first person is voltei and the second person singular often voltaste or voltou, depending on dialect. The present tense forms include volto, voltas, volta, voltamos, voltáis, voltam. The word voltar also appears in compounds and idioms, such as voltar a fazer algo, meaning to start doing something again.

Etymology and related terms: Voltar derives from Latin voltāre or a related root meaning to turn or revolve, and its related noun volta denotes a turn or return. Related lexemes include a volta (the act of turning or returning) and voltar as the infinitive form of the verb. Different Portuguese varieties may exhibit small variations in pronunciation and accompanying clitic placement, but voltou remains the standard third-person preterite form across dialects.

Usage notes: Voltou is commonly used in narrative to describe a completed act of returning, often in shorthand past narration. It can also appear in expressions indicating repetition, such as voltar a fazer algo, to begin doing something again. Distinguishing voltou from the present tense forms (volta, volto) helps avoid ambiguity about time frame.