Andare (to go) is one of the first verbs you learn in Italian and one you’ll use every single day. It’s also irregular, so it’s worth taking a moment to get it right: how to conjugate it, which preposition to use after it, and the everyday expressions where it doesn’t mean “to go” at all.
In short
- Present: vado, vai, va, andiamo, andate, vanno
- Passato prossimo with essere: sono andato/a
- andare a + city or infinitive: vado a Roma, vado a mangiare
- andare in + country, region and many places: vado in Italia, vado in farmacia
- andare da + person: vado da Maria, vado dal dentista
Jump to
Andare in the present tense
Andare is irregular: some forms come from the stem vad- and others from and-. The good news is that noi and voi are regular.
| Present | English |
|---|---|
| io vado | I go / I’m going |
| tu vai | you go / you’re going |
| lui/lei va | he/she goes / is going |
| noi andiamo | we go / we’re going |
| voi andate | you all go / are going |
| loro vanno | they go / they’re going |
Questions in Italian keep the same form, you only change the intonation: Vai a casa? (Are you going home?).
Andare + a + infinitive
One of the most common uses of andare is with a + another verb in the infinitive, to say that you’re going somewhere to do something.
- Vado a fare la spesa. (I’m going grocery shopping.)
- Vado a fare una passeggiata. (I’m going for a walk.)
- Andiamo a mangiare. (We’re going to eat.)
- Vado a correre. (I’m going for a run.)
- Vado a prendere un caffè. (I’m going to get a coffee.)
English vs. Italian
In Italian, andare a + infinitive always means real movement: you actually go somewhere. It is not the English future “going to.” To say It’s going to rain, Italians use the future or stare per: Pioverà / Sta per piovere. To say I’m going to call her tomorrow: La chiamo domani.
Andare a, in or da?
Andare often goes with the simple prepositions a, in and da, and their contracted forms (al, allo, alla, dal, dalla…). There’s no perfect rule for a and in, so the best approach is to learn a few patterns and the most common expressions.
Quick patterns
- a + cities and towns: a Roma, a Palermo
- in + countries, regions and islands: in Italia, in Sicilia
- in + many places ending in -ia or -eria: in farmacia, in pizzeria, in libreria
- da + a person or their shop/office: da Maria, dal medico
| Andare in | Andare a |
|---|---|
| in Italia (country) | a Roma (city) |
| in Sicilia (region) | a lezione (to class) |
| in vacanza (on vacation) | al lavoro (to work) |
| in città (into town) | al cinema (to the movies) |
| in montagna (to the mountains) | al ristorante (to the restaurant) |
| in campagna (to the countryside) | a teatro (to the theater) |
| in ufficio (to the office) | all’università (to college) |
| in spiaggia (to the beach) | a scuola (to school) |
| in palestra (to the gym) | a letto (to bed) |
| in chiesa (to church) | al mercato (to the market) |
| in farmacia (to the pharmacy) | a casa (home) |
| in biblioteca (to the library) | a colazione, a pranzo, a cena (to breakfast, lunch, dinner) |
| in pizzeria (to the pizzeria) | al mare (to the beach/seaside) |
Andare da
With da the rule is simple: we use it when we go to someone’s place, whether it’s a friend, a relative or a professional like a doctor or a hairdresser.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Vado da Maria. | I’m going to Maria’s (place). |
| Vai da tuo fratello? | Are you going to your brother’s? |
| Va da un amico stasera. | He/she is going to a friend’s place tonight. |
| Vado dal dentista domani. | I’m going to the dentist tomorrow. |
| Andate da Marco oggi? | Are you all going to Marco’s today? |
Andare in the passato prossimo
In the passato prossimo, andare takes the auxiliary essere, so the past participle andato agrees with the subject: andato, andata, andati, andate. Remember that the passato prossimo covers both the English simple past (I went) and the present perfect (I have gone).
| Passato prossimo | English |
|---|---|
| sono andato/a | I went / I have gone |
| sei andato/a | you went / you have gone |
| è andato/a | he/she went / has gone |
| siamo andati/e | we went / we have gone |
| siete andati/e | you all went / have gone |
| sono andati/e | they went / they have gone |
Watch out for the future and the conditional too: they drop the -a-. Andrò (I will go), andrei (I would go), never anderò.
Everyday expressions with andare
In many common expressions andare has nothing to do with going anywhere:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Come va? | How’s it going? |
| Ti va di prendere un caffè? | Do you feel like getting a coffee? |
| Va bene! | OK! / That’s fine! |
| Questa giacca mi va stretta. | This jacket is tight on me. |
| Andiamo d’accordo. | We get along. |
| Vado matta per il gelato. | I’m crazy about gelato. |
| Me ne vado. | I’m leaving / I’m off. |
That last one is a pronominal verb, andarsene, and it deserves its own lesson: How to use andarsene.
Frequently asked questions
Is andare irregular in Italian?
Yes. In the present tense it uses two stems: vado, vai, va, vanno, but andiamo and andate. The future and conditional are also irregular: andrò, andrei.
Does andare take essere or avere?
Essere. So the past participle agrees with the subject: Marco è andato, Giulia è andata, siamo andati.
When do you use andare a, in or da?
Use a with cities (a Roma) and before an infinitive (vado a mangiare), in with countries, regions and many places like in farmacia or in banca, and da with people (vado da Maria, vado dal medico).
In my stories, characters are always going somewhere: to the market, to a friend’s place, to the beach. It’s the most natural way to see andare a, in and da in action. Here are three to try:
