I used to translate I'm back as "Je suis retourné" but eventually I changed that to "Je suis de retour." Am I right nowadays, is that the most idiomatic way of expressing that?
asked Jan 6 '16 at 22:27
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1In a few contexts "[It's] me again" could be interchangeable with "I'm back" in English so perhaps "C'est encore moi" or "C'est moi de nouveau" would work in similar contexts in French (calling right back on the phone or appearing at someone's door again are two contexts that come to mind where these might be appropriate). – Papa Poule Jan 6 '16 at 23:28
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2Note that "Je suis retourné" by itself means "I am flipped" and not "I am back". But "Je suis retourné là bas" for example means "I went back there". – Fatalize Jan 7 '16 at 9:20
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Je suis là if your return was expected. – GAM PUB Jan 7 '16 at 19:16
Yes, "Je suis de retour" is a correct translation. You could also use "Me revoilà" which is, I think, a bit less formal. In a very casual context (with friends or on an online chat for example), you can also simply use "Re" which is a slang for "Retour", or "Re-bonjour". I don't know the exact origin of this last one but it's definitely used to say "I'm back".
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If you are talking about a move from or to a location, it can be translate like that "I'm back home" means "Je suis rentré/revenu/de retour à la maison"
If you are talking about presence (for example on a chat), "I'm back" means "Je suis revenu/de retour"
You can say "Je suis retourné" when there is a location or an action just after. "Je suis retourné en France" means "I'm back in France" and "Je suis retourné au travail" means "I'm back to work"
Take care of your translation because "Je suis retourné" has a strictly different signification. I couldn't find how to say this in English. It means that I turn my opinions about my country. The best example I have comes from Homeland. Broody a été retourné contre les États-Unis.
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1Thanks ! :) I just discovered the network. I only knew Stack Overflow – Julien Dryepondt Jan 8 '16 at 17:49
