How to Teach French Rentrer, Revenir, Retourner and Rendre – A French Teacher’s Guide
There are four French verbs that can all seem to mean “to return” in English:
rentrer, revenir, retourner, and rendre
But they aren’t interchangeable.
I find that students have a much easier time with these verbs when I give each one a basic meaning to start with:
- rentrer = to go home
- revenir = to come back
- retourner = to go back
- rendre = to give back
Once students have these basic meanings in place, I introduce the other ways these verbs are used.
I also spend time on the passé composé because these verbs don’t all behave the same way. Depending on how the verb is being used, students need to know whether to use avoir or être.
French Rentrer vs Revenir vs Retourner vs Rendre – Foldable Handout Book
Looking for more resources to help you teach French verbs rentrer, revenir, retourner, and rendre? Scroll down to the section at the end of this post to see my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
Start by Giving Each Verb Its Own Basic Meaning
I don’t begin by asking students to memorize every possible translation.
Instead, I give them four basic ideas:
RENTRER = to go home
REVENIR = to come back
RETOURNER = to go back
RENDRE = to give back
This gives students something to hold onto before we start looking at the more complicated uses.
I then build from these basic meanings throughout the lesson.
RENTRER = TO GO HOME
I start with rentrer, which I teach as to go home.
There are several ways to say “I’m going home”:
Je rentre à la maison.
Tu rentres chez toi.
Il rentre.
I point out that “home” doesn’t necessarily mean a house or apartment.
We can also use rentrer with other destinations:
Nous rentrons à l’hôtel.
Vous rentrez en France.
Ils rentrent à New York.
The basic idea is returning to or going back into a place where you belong or are based.
RENTRER = GOING BACK INSIDE
I also introduce rentrer when someone is going back inside.
For example:
Rentrez. Il pleut !
Come back in. It’s raining!
And:
C’est l’heure de rentrer.
It’s time to come in.
These are useful everyday expressions that help students see how rentrer is used naturally.
RENTRER À L’ÉCOLE
Another expression students will encounter is:
La rentrée scolaire
Back to school
And:
Les enfants rentrent à l’école en septembre.
The children go back to school in September.
This gives students another familiar context for rentrer.
RENTRER WITH A DIRECT OBJECT
This is where I slow down with students because rentrer doesn’t always mean simply “to go home.”
It can also be used with a direct object.
For example:
Je rentre le linge.
I’m bringing in the laundry.
Il rentre sa chemise dans son pantalon.
He’s tucking in his shirt.
Vous rentrez la voiture dans le garage.
You’re putting the car (back) in the garage.
The direct object is important here because it also affects the choice of auxiliary verb in the passé composé.
RENTRER IN THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
I teach students that rentrer can use either être or avoir, depending on how it is being used.
When rentrer is being used without a direct object, it takes être:
Je suis rentré(e).
I went home / I came back.
But when there is a direct object after rentrer, I teach students to use avoir.
For example:
Je rentre le linge.
J’ai rentré le linge.
Il rentre sa chemise dans son pantalon.
Il a rentré sa chemise dans son pantalon.
Vous rentrez la voiture dans le garage.
Vous avez rentré la voiture dans le garage.
This is an important distinction for students to see in context rather than simply memorizing that rentrer takes être.
REVENIR = TO COME BACK
Next, I introduce revenir.
The easiest way to distinguish it from retourner is to think about the direction of the movement.
revenir = to come back
For example:
Quand est-ce que tu reviens ?
When are you coming back?
Les nuages reviennent.
The clouds are coming back.
Ça me revient maintenant.
It’s coming back to me now.
Je reviens tout de suite.
I’ll be right back.
These are useful expressions because students will hear revenir frequently in everyday French.
REVENIR IN COMMON EXPRESSIONS
I also give students a few expressions with revenir:
Je ne reviens pas !
I can’t get over it!
Revenons à nos moutons.
Let’s get back to the subject.
Ça revient au même.
It all boils down to the same thing.
I like including expressions like these because they reinforce the fact that students aren’t always going to be able to translate revenir literally.
REVENIR IN THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
With revenir, I make the rule very simple:
Revenir always takes être in the passé composé.
The reason, according to the structure I use with students, is that revenir does not take a direct object.
For example:
Quand est-ce que tu reviens ?
Quand est-ce que tu es revenu(e) ?
And:
Les nuages reviennent.
Les nuages sont revenus.
Je reviens tout de suite.
Je suis revenu(e) tout de suite.
Because revenir takes être, students also need to pay attention to agreement.
FAIRE REVENIR = TO BROWN SOMETHING
I then introduce a completely different construction:
faire revenir
For example:
D’abord, je fais revenir les oignons.
First, I brown the onions.
I explain that this is a faire causative construction. The onions aren’t able to brown themselves, so we need to make them turn brown by cooking them in oil.
This is a nice example of how revenir can appear in a meaning that students aren’t going to predict from “to come back.”
RETOURNER = TO GO BACK
Next comes retourner.
I teach the basic meaning as:
retourner = to go back
For example:
Je retourne au bureau à 14h00.
I’m going back to the office at 2:00.
Tu retournes souvent en Espagne.
You often go back to Spain.
Il n’y retournera jamais.
He will never go back there.
The key distinction I want students to notice is that retourner describes going back somewhere, while revenir is used for coming back.
RETOURNER IN THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
Like rentrer, retourner can take either être or avoir.
When there is no direct object, I teach students to use être:
Je suis retourné(e) au bureau à 14h00.
Tu es retourné(e) souvent en Espagne.
Il n’est jamais retourné.
Nous sommes retourné(e)s à la plage après le déjeuner.
Vous êtes retourné(e)(s) chez le boulanger.
Ils sont retournés chez leurs copains après le match.
Again, students need to remember that when retourner is being used without a direct object, the passé composé uses être and the past participle agrees with the subject.
SE RETOURNER = TO TURN AROUND
Then I show students that the reflexive form se retourner has its own meanings.
For example:
Je ne me retournerai pas.
I will not turn around.
Tu te retournes dans ton lit.
You toss and turn in your bed.
La voiture se retourne trois fois.
The car flips over three times.
I point out that adding se changes what the verb is doing in the sentence, so students need to learn se retourner as its own useful expression.
RETOURNER WITH A DIRECT OBJECT
Retourner can also be followed by a direct object.
For example:
Je retourne la crêpe.
I’m turning over (flipping) the crêpe.
Pourquoi est-ce que tu retournes ton tee-shirt ?
Why are you turning your T-shirt inside out?
Il retourne toute la maison en cherchant ses clés.
He’s turning the whole house upside down looking for his keys.
We can also use retourner with objects that are being returned or turned over:
Nous retournerons cette chemise demain.
We will return this shirt tomorrow.
Vous retournerez les steaks ?
Will you turn over the steaks?
Ils retournent la terre avant de planter un arbre.
They are plowing the earth before planting a tree.
RETOURNER IN THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ WITH A DIRECT OBJECT
This is another important distinction.
When retourner has a direct object, I teach students to use avoir in the passé composé.
For example:
Je retourne la crêpe.
J’ai retourné la crêpe.
Tu retournes ton tee-shirt.
Tu as retourné ton tee-shirt.
Nous retournons cette chemise.
Nous avons retourné cette chemise.
Vous retournez les steaks.
Vous avez retourné les steaks.
So once again, I have students look at what comes after the verb before deciding which auxiliary to use.
RENDRE = TO GIVE BACK
Then I move on to rendre.
Here, the basic meaning is:
rendre = to give back
For example:
Je rendrai ces livres jeudi après-midi.
I will return these books Thursday afternoon.
Tu me rendras mon argent ?
Will you give me my money back?
Le professeur nous rend nos examens.
The teacher is giving us back our exams.
This is different from retourner, which can mean to go back somewhere or turn something over.
With rendre, someone is giving something back.
RENDRE IN THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
When rendre means to give something back, it takes avoir in the passé composé because it has a direct object.
For example:
Je rendrai ces livres jeudi après-midi.
J’ai rendu ces livres jeudi après-midi.
Tu me rendras mon argent ?
Tu m’as rendu mon argent ?
Le professeur nous rend nos examens.
Le professeur nous a rendu nos examens.
This is a useful place to have students notice the difference between the direct object and the indirect object.
In Tu me rendras mon argent, mon argent is what is being given back, while me indicates the person receiving it.
RENDRE + ADJECTIVE = TO MAKE
Next, I introduce another very common use of rendre:
For example:
Cette nouvelle me rend triste.
This news is making me sad.
Tu me rends folle / fou !
You’re making me crazy!
C’est le chocolat qui rend cette recette si délicieuse.
It’s the chocolate that makes this recipe so delicious.
This is an important construction for students because it gives them another way to express “make” in French.
The basic pattern is:
rendre + person or thing + adjective
I have students pay attention to the adjective because that helps them recognize this particular use of rendre.
RENDRE VISITE = TO VISIT SOMEONE
I also teach rendre visite à quelqu’un as a complete expression meaning to visit someone.
For example:
Nous rendrons visite à nos cousins ce week-end.
We will visit our cousins this weekend.
Vous ne me rendez jamais visite.
You never visit me.
Ils nous rendent enfin visite !
They’re finally visiting us!
This is another expression that students need to learn as a unit rather than trying to translate each word separately.
SE RENDRE QUELQUE PART = TO GO SOMEWHERE
Then I introduce se rendre quelque part, which means to go somewhere.
For example:
Je me rends chaque année à Paris pour les vacances.
I go to Paris every year for vacation.
Tu te rends au travail à quelle heure ?
What time do you go to work?
Elle se rend chez le coiffeur à 10h30.
She’s going to the hair salon at 10:30.
I point out that se rendre is different from rendre when it means “to give back.”
The reflexive form creates a completely different expression.
SE RENDRE COMPTE QUE / DE = TO REALIZE
Another very common expression is:
se rendre compte que/de = to realize
For example:
Je me rends compte que c’est un homme bien.
I realize that he’s a good man.
Tu te rends compte que tu peux compter sur lui.
You realize that you can count on him.
Il se rend compte qu’il n’a plus d’argent.
He realizes that he has no more money.
Nous nous rendons compte de la gravité de la situation.
We realize the seriousness of the situation.
This is another expression I teach as a complete unit.
Students don’t need to try to make sense of “render oneself account.” They need to recognize se rendre compte as the French expression for “to realize.”
SE RENDRE IN THE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
Because se rendre is reflexive, I teach students to use être in the passé composé.
For example:
Je me rends chaque année à Paris pour les vacances.
Je me suis rendu(e) chaque année à Paris pour les vacances.
Tu te rends au travail à quelle heure ?
Tu t’es rendu(e) au travail à quelle heure ?
And with se rendre compte:
Je me rends compte que c’est un homme bien.
Je me suis rendu(e) compte que c’est un homme bien.
Tu te rends compte que tu peux compter sur lui.
Tu t’es rendu(e) compte que tu peux compter sur lui.
Il se rend compte qu’il n’a plus d’argent.
Il s’est rendu compte qu’il n’a plus d’argent.
Nous nous rendons compte de la gravité de la situation.
Nous nous sommes rendu(e)s compte de la gravité de la situation.
This gives students another opportunity to practice the connection between reflexive verbs and être in the passé composé.
I Have Students Compare the Four Verbs
At this point, I have students go back to the four basic meanings:
rentrer — to go home
revenir — to come back
retourner — to go back
rendre — to give back
Then I give them sentences and ask them to decide which verb belongs in each one.
This helps them focus on meaning rather than trying to translate the English word “return” every time they see it.
I also want students to notice that the meaning can change significantly depending on whether they are using the basic verb, a direct object, or a reflexive construction.
I Finish by Reviewing the Different Tenses
Once students understand the meanings and constructions, I review the verbs in several tenses.
For rentrer, revenir, and retourner, students can practice:
- present
- passé composé
- imperfect
- future
- conditional
- subjunctive
I do the same with rendre and se rendre.
This gives students a chance to separate two different skills: knowing which verb to choose and knowing how to conjugate it.
I don’t want students to think that learning these verbs is simply a matter of memorizing conjugation charts. They first need to understand what each verb means and how the different constructions work.
Once that is clear, the conjugations become much more useful.
The Main Idea I Want Students to Remember
When students see the English word “return,” I don’t want them automatically reaching for one French verb.
I want them to ask themselves what they actually mean:
Am I going home?
→ rentrer
Am I coming back?
→ revenir
Am I going back?
→ retourner
Am I giving something back?
→ rendre
And then I want them to pay attention to what follows the verb, especially when deciding between être and avoir in the passé composé.
That’s what makes these four verbs so useful to teach together. Students can see the distinctions much more clearly when the verbs are compared side by side.
Ready to Practice French Rentrer, Revenir, Retourner and Rendre?
If you’re teaching these four French verbs, my ready-to-use resources give students explanations, examples, practice, and conjugation charts for rentrer, revenir, retourner, rendre, and se rendre.
French Rentrer Revenir Retourner Rendre | Confusing French Verbs | Bundle
