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Portuguese Phrase

Quando você volta?

/ˈkwɐ̃.du voˈse ˈvɔw.tɐ/

Meaning"When do you return?"

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Meaning

This phrase is a direct question used to ask someone about their return time or date. In Portuguese, it is extremely common to use the present tense to refer to future actions in casual conversation.

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When to use

Use this when a friend, family member, or colleague is leaving for a trip, an errand, or work, and you want to know when they will be back.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Quandovocêvolta

1

Quando

Interrogative pronoun used to ask about time or dates.

2

Volta

Third-person singular present of the verb 'voltar', used here for a future event.

🗨In Conversation

A

Vou ao supermercado agora.

I'm going to the supermarket now.

Quando você volta?

When do you return?

B

✕Common Mistakes

Quando você voltando?
You cannot use the gerund alone to ask about the future; use the conjugated present tense instead.
Quando você vai volta?
When using the auxiliary verb 'ir' (vai), the main verb must remain in the infinitive form 'voltar'.

↔Alternatives

Quando você vai voltar?
When are you going to return?
Que horas você volta?
What time do you return?

Cultural Tip

In Brazil, using the present tense for the near future is the standard way to speak. The formal future tense 'voltará' is almost never used in spoken language and can make you sound like a robot or a legal document.