volver a casa
/bolbeɾ a kasa/from spelling rules
To say 'come home' in Spanish, use volver a casa.
The phrase is used when describing the act of returning to the place where one lives.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb volver (to return) and the prepositional phrase a casa (to house/home).
Which one should you use?
While regresar a casa is a common synonym meaning 'to return home', volver a casa is more frequently used in everyday conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the present tense 'I come home', you conjugate the verb volver to vuelvo followed by a casa, resulting in vuelvo a casa.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add the definite article 'la' (volver a la casa), but the idiomatic way to say 'come home' is simply volver a casa.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase volver a is often used as a grammatical tool to mean 'to do something again', regardless of where you are going.
- The verb volver actually shares its roots with the English word 'revolve', as both come from the Latin 'volvere', meaning 'to roll'.
- In some regions, people use volver to describe a return to a previous state of mind or a former habit, not just a physical location.
Examples in context
- ¿Tengo que volver a casa ahora?Do I have to come home now?This sentence is useful for asking if you have to volver a casa now.Tatoeba #1277016 by Shishir, translation #1276153 by CK
- Mi padre acaba de volver a casa.My father has just come home.This sentence is useful for stating that someone has just volver a casa.Tatoeba #330010 by Shishir, translation #319018 by CK
- Me gustaría volver a casa ahora.I'd like to come home now.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to volver a casa now.Tatoeba #6630278 by Schuager, translation #1890848 by CK
- Vuelve a casa, por favor.Come home, please
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are talking on the phone in the evening.
- Daniel¿A qué hora vas a volver a casa?What time are you going to come home?
- ElenaVoy a volver a casa en diez minutos.I am going to come home in ten minutes.
- DanielPerfecto, te espero para cenar.Perfect, I will wait for you to have dinner.
- ElenaNos vemos pronto, Daniel.See you soon, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, casa, volver, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
