Voltar vs. Devolver: Return Somewhere or Give Something Back — Practice

Use voltar when a person or thing goes back

Voltar describes returning to a place or resuming an earlier activity. Add a destination with a preposition when the place matters: voltar ao trabalho (go back to work).

Voltar can also mean to do something again when followed by a: voltar a estudar (start studying again). This pattern is different from returning an object to someone.

Use devolver when someone gives an item back

Devolver focuses on giving something back to its owner or returning an item. It takes the object as its direct complement: devolver o livro (return the book).

To name the person receiving it, use para or a phrase with the person’s name. For a store purchase, ask about the store’s process instead of assuming its return policy.

Remember: Voltar means to go back or resume; devolver means to give an object back or return it.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I went back home after lunch.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Voltei para casa depois do almoço.

2. She returned to Brazil last month.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela voltou ao Brasil no mês passado.

3. I’m going to start exercising again tomorrow.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vou voltar a fazer exercícios amanhã.

4. I need to return this book to the library.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Preciso devolver este livro para a biblioteca.

5. Can you give my charger back to me tomorrow?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você pode me devolver o carregador amanhã?

6. I’d like to know how I can return this product.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Queria saber como faço para devolver este produto.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Voltar means to go back or resume; devolver means to give an object back or return it.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Voltar vs. Devolver: Return Somewhere or Give Something Back? lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.