возвращаться vs возвратить
vozvrashchatsya vs vozvratit — return (oneself) vs return/give back
Register: neutral vs formal / literary
What it really means
Возвращаться is imperfective and reflexive: a person or thing returns, repeatedly or in progress, usually to a place with в/на plus accusative. Возвратить is perfective and transitive: someone returns an object or restores something to a recipient, usually with в/на or кому. The everyday perfective counterpart of возвращаться is вернуться, not возвратить.
Examples in natural speech
Я возвращаюсь домой поздно.
I return home late.
Она часто возвращается к этой теме.
She often returns to this topic.
Библиотека обязалась возвратить документы.
The library undertook to return the documents.
Он возвратил деньги клиенту.
He returned the money to the client.
После перерыва мы вернёмся к обсуждению.
After the break, we will return to the discussion.
Common mistakes
Do not use возвратить for a person's own return: я возвращаюсь or я вернусь, not я возвратил myself. Возвратить is transitive and formal; for an object, возвратить книгу кому-то is possible, while вернуть is more ordinary.
Memory tip
Возвращаться turns back yourself; возвратить sends something back.
Frequently asked questions
What is the perfective counterpart of возвращаться?
Вернуться is the normal perfective for a person returning; возвратить is a different transitive verb meaning return something.
What complements does возвратить take?
It takes a direct object in the accusative and often a recipient in the dative: возвратить книгу библиотеке.
Is возвратить common in conversation?
It is understood but formal or official; вернуть is the usual everyday verb for returning an item or money.
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