To Return - Intransitive French Verbs
Introduction | Transitive verbs | Intransitive verbs | Test
Revenir, retourner, and rentrer are
intransitive French verbs which mean
"to
return." This lesson will help you to understand the difference between them.
Revenir means to return to where the speaker is: "to come back."
Thomas va revenir en France.Thomas is going to come back to France (where the speaker is).
Je viens de revenir au Canada.
I just returned to Canada (that's where I am right now).
Retourner means to return somewhere that the speaker is not:
"to go back." Note that retourner can also be a transitive
verb.
Thomas is going to return to France (speaker is not in France).
Je veux retourner au Canada.
I want to go back to Canada (I'm in the US right now).
Rentrer means to return home, regardless of where the speaker is right
now: "to go home," "to come home."
Thomas is going to return to France (where he lives).
Je suis rentré au Canada.
I came back to Canada (where I live).
Rentrer can also be used with school: rentrer à l'école - to go back to school.
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Test on to return
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