C++ Function return string?

Question

so I'm kinda new to c++ (actually very new) and I was messing around with my code:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

string aString()
{
    cout << "Car" << endl;
}

int main()
{
    cout << "Word:" << aString() << endl;
    return 0;
}

I tried to get something like: "Word: Car".

It ended up not working and showing a bunch of weird characters. My question is can a function return a string like an integer does?

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Answer 1

My question is can a function return a string like an integer does?

Sure, you want to write

string aString()
{
    return "Car";
 // ^^^^^^
}

---

If the function declares a return type, you actually need to return something, otherwise you have undefined behavior.

The compiler should have issued a warning about that.

std::cout is used to print out values at the terminal, not to return them from functions.