Conjugating “Andare” in the Present Tense
First off, it’s crucial to recognize that ‘andare’ is an irregular verb in Italian. Unlike regular verbs, which follow a consistent conjugation pattern, irregular verbs like ‘andare’ have unique forms in different tenses and moods.
Conjugating “andare” in the present tense involves altering its stem and adding appropriate endings to match the subject.
| Conjugation | English (Affirmative) | English (Interrogative) |
|---|---|---|
| Io vado | I go / I’m going | Am I going?/Do I go? |
| Tu vai | You go / You are going | Are you going?/Do you go? |
| Lui/Lei va | He/she goes / He/she is going | Is he/she going?/Does he/she go? |
| Noi andiamo | We go / We are going | Are we going?/Do we go? |
| Voi andate | You all go / You all are going | Are you all going?/Do you all go? |
| Loro vanno | They go / They all are going | Are they going?/Do they go? |
Andare in compound phrases (verb + verb)
One very common use of ‘andare’ is in conjunction with other verbs in what we call ‘compound phrases’ (verb + verb), and it’s one of the most common uses of ‘andare’ in Italian. The pattern ‘andare + a + infinitive verb’ expresses an intention or a future action.
For example:
- Vado a fare la spesa (I am going grocery shopping ).
- Vado a fare una passeggiata (I’m going for a walk)
- Vado a mangiare (We’re going to eat)
- Vado a correre (I am going for a run)
- Vado a prendere un caffè (I am going to get a coffee)
English vs. Italian
As you can see from the above examples the english equivalent is “be going (to do something).”
Andare with Prepositions
“Andare” often interacts with the simple prepositions “a,” “in,” and “da” and their contracted forms (e.g. al, all, dalla, etc).
Andare in or a?
The choice between ‘a’ and ‘in’ is not strictly governed by a fixed rule. Therefore, the most effective approach is to understand the context and memorize common expressions using ‘andare’ with their respective prepositions.
| Andare in (To go to/in) | Andare a (To go to/at) |
|---|---|
| Andare in Italian (to go + country) | Andare a Roma (To go + cities, towns) |
| Andare in vacanza (To go on vacation) | Andare in Sicilia (To go + regions, states) |
| Andare in città (To go to the city) | Andare a lezione (To go to class) |
| Andare in montagna (To go to the mountains) | Andare al lavoro (To go to work) |
| Andare in campagna (To go to the countryside) | Andare al cinema (To go to the movies) |
| Andare in ufficio (To go to the office) | Andare a ristorante (To go to the restaurant) |
| Andare in spiaggia (To go to the beach) | Andare al teatro (To go to the theater) |
| Andare in palestra (To go to the gym) | Andare all’università (To go the university) |
| Andare in chiesa (To go to church) | Andare a scuola (To go to school) |
| Andare in farmacia (To go to the pharmacy) | Andare a letto (To go to bed) |
| Andare in biblioteca (To go to the library) | Andare al mercato (To go to the market) |
| Andare in pizzeria (To go to the pizzeria) | Andare a colazione, pranzo, cena (To go for breakfast, lunch, dinner) |
Andare da?
The combination of ‘andare’ with the preposition ‘da’ adheres to a specific rule. Typically, this construction indicates movement toward someone’s place, such as a person (e.g. a friend) or a professional like a doctor or hairstylist.
| Vado da Maria. | I am going to Maria’s (place). |
| Vai da tuo fratello? | Are you going to your brother’s place? |
| Va da un amico stasera. | He/she is going to a friend’s place tonight. |
| Vado dal dentista domani. | I’m going to the dentists tomorrow. |
| Andate da Marco oggi? | Are you all going to Marco’s (place) today? |
Andare in the Passato Prossimo (past tense)
In the passato prossimo, “andare” is combined with the auxiliary “essere” and the past participle “andato/a/i/e”.
Remember that in Italian, the passato prossimo is equivalent to both the English past simple (e.g., “I went”) and the present perfect (e.g., “I’ve gone”).
| Italian | English (Affirmative ) | English (Interrogative) |
|---|---|---|
| Sono andato/a | I went / I have gone | Did I go? / Have I gone? |
| Sei andato/a | You went / You have gone | Did you go? / Have you gone? |
| È andato/a | He/she went / He/she has gone | Did he/she go? / Has he/she gone? |
| Siamo andati/e | We went / We have gone | Did we go? / Have we gone? |
| Siete andati/e | You all went / You all have gone | Did you all go? / Have you all gone? |
| Sono andati/e | They went / They have gone | Did they go? / Have they gone? |
