volverlas

Volverlas is a Spanish verb phrase formed by the verb volver together with the feminine plural direct object pronoun las. It literally means “to return them” and refers to returning feminine plural objects to a location or original state. As a construction, it is not a separate lexical item but a combination used in everyday speech to show what is being returned.

Grammar and usage notes:

- The pronoun las must agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces. If the objects are masculine plural, the corresponding form would be volverlos.

- Volverlas can appear with various tenses and forms. Examples include infinitive constructions: voy a volverlas a su lugar (I am going to return them to their place); present tense: vuelvo las? (more common is voy a volverlas); and gerund form: estoy volviéndolas a su lugar (I am returning them to their place).

- In affirmative commands, pronouns attach to the verb: vuelvelas (return them). In negative commands, place the pronoun before the verb: no las vuelvas (do not return them).

- For returning items to their owner, volverlas is often interchangeable with devolverlas, though devolverlas is more typical when the sense is giving back to someone rather than simply putting back in a place.

Examples:

- Voy a volverlas al cajón cuando termine. (I’m going to return them to the drawer when I’m finished.)

- Estoy volviéndolas a su lugar. (I am returning them to their place.)

- No las vuelvas hasta que te lo pidan. (Don’t return them until you’re told.)

See also:

- Devolverlas, for returning items to their owner rather than merely reinserting them.

- Clitic pronouns in Spanish, and the rules for attaching them to infinitives, gerunds, and imperatives.

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