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- "I return."
"I return."
Translation:Je reviens.
51 Comments
1351
On another question the correct translation for Elle y retourne is She returns there.
Duo itself says that Elle retourne and Elle y retourne are different phrases.
It is probably the same thing as with 'J'y vais' (I go there). In English, you normally omit the adverb 'there', but usually you can't in French, so you shouldn't say 'Je vais', but 'J'y vais'.
So, how did "J'y retourne- the 'correct' answer on the exercise page... How exactly did that come to equal, "Je 'revien'" on this, the notes page? Anyone? Sitesurf? Anyone at all?
Come back and go back are point of view verb phrases. Whether you are going back or coming back is seen through the perspective of the speaker. I didn't think romance languages had these. Are you saying that they do? Or do you just want to mix them up.
Nice 666 day streak! Spooky!
EDIT: The second I posted that reply, it changed to 693 days. I think Duolingo is toying with me :(
@sbeecroft- Good question. J'y retourne= I will return. Je reviens= I come again. Similar, but not identical.
Isn't "I will return" Je retournerai (or Je vais retourner)? You've still conjugated it in the present.
- 454
I believe that for "retourner" to mean "return" (as opposed to turning something), it needs a destination. "Je retourne à mon village." "J'y retourne."
I answered "I return" for "J'y retourne." and got it marked wrong. I didn't check "J'y retourne." for "I return" and also got it marked wrong... Why? >_<
- 332
Depends. Je rentre can mean "I'm going/coming in" or "I'm coming home" (short for "Je rentre à la maison"). If there is juste "I return", I think it is an action of actually turning something over. No coming back. But that's my humble opinion.
So, if I need a hint of location to where i return to, could I insted of 'y' use 'ici'? And if yes, would it be "Je ici retourne' or 'Je retourne ici'???
No, "retourner" is for some place you are not currently at (and you should specify where), and "revenir" is for where you currently are (so it is pointless to specify where you are).
I think you do not "retourner" to "ici". You can "revenir" to "ici", but you can only "retourner" to some other place, some place that you are not now at.
https://www.frenchasyoulikeit.com/retourner-revenir-rentrer-whats-the-difference/
- 664
Can Sitesurf pkease clarify the difference among these 3 verbs? Thank you. I am still confused and need simple logic to remember this.
It is pretty hard to translate "I return" into any language because out of context it has no meaning. Does it mean "I am back" or does it mean that "I am giving [something] back." Or is this something in Duo-language?
This is wrong. I'm a native French speaker and duolingo only accepting "J'y retourne" makes no sense. What rubbish!
- 1351
You may be correct.
But I should tell you that every French training program I have looked at insists that French requires a hint (at least) of a destination when talking about going to or from somewhere.
Typically, from about.com.....Je vais (I'm going) is not a complete sentence in French; if you don't follow the verb with a place, you have to say J'y vais. Duo is saying that retourner is a form of going and is subject to the same rule. That does not mean French speakers, in ordinary conversation, must necessarily slavishly follow this or any other procedural rule. On the other hand, it does mean that it is not rubbish to suggest that the requirement exists.
It is worth noting that a google search of Je retourne turns up countless pages with destination included. All kinds of destinations, many of them figurative but destinations or goals just the same.
Searching for English I return (with merchandise return policies, etc. excluded) turns up a much wider variety of possible uses of return. That includes simply ...I return...I could not find a simple Je retourne on the French pages. (except for conjugation purposes)
That indicates that some people think it is irregular to use je retourne without a marker for a destination.
This is a rich and lively discussion, and I'm grateful. But if one has to use "y" with "retourner," why not with "revenir"? Isn't is also a verb of going (or coming)? Thanks.
Only a guess, but I would surmise it is because "retourner" has the destination implicit in the verb -- that is, one "returns" to where one started.
- 1351
If you mean the verb revenir has the destination implicit in the verb, that is you come back to where you started even if over a long period of time, then you are correct. The destination is known.
But of course you can return to anywhere you once were so retourner still requires that pesky y.
The point is that the destination is implicit, so there is no need for the "y". The "y", meaning "there", is included to resolve the implicit question "Where?" But if that location is already implicit in the verb itself, then there is no need to specify it with "y". At least, that's my theory.
I have a hard time understanding the difference between revenir and retourner. Any help pls.
- 1285
"Revenir" means to come back to a place you have already visited, while "retourner" means to go in the opposite direction or to put an object upside down.
- 581
So explain to me why I return there is the answer you want versus what is called for with I return? The adverb being implied of "there" is not logical
No. "I return." is "Je retourne." "J'y retourne." is "J'y reviens." or "Je reviens là." because it does NOT specify where. It just says "I return."
