Andare Verb Lesson For Beginners + Full Verb Conjugation

Learning verbs is very important when you study a new language. One of the most useful Italian verbs to know is “andare”, which means “to go”. Knowing the Italian andare conjugation allows you to talk about where you are going, what you are going to do, and more.

This article will teach you all about the verb “andare” step-by-step. You will learn how to conjugate it in the present, past, and future tenses. There are also examples of “andare” used in sentences.

We’ll start with the basics, and later cover the intricacies – including the full conjugation from the indicativo to conditional and subjunctive mood. By the end, you will be comfortable using this essential Italian verb.

Andare Irregular Verb Overview

Andare Meaning

Andare means to go, usually to go somewhere, which implies the underlying question of where.

It’s a beautiful, interesting, and very useful verb to know when you start to learn the language and speak in Italian.

You’ll soon see what I mean.

Type of Verb

Let’s revise the auxiliary verb rule in Italian.

Andare is an irregular and intransitive verb. It takes the auxiliary essere, not avere.

What makes it irregular?

1. The infinitive and the conjugation roots don’t match.
2. The formation of different tenses doesn’t follow the regular rules

Andare Uses

Earlier I told you that andare usually implies the question dove (where), when it’s used to mean to go somewhere.

Examples:

Io vado al cinema. – I go to the cinema.

Andiamo a casa? – Shall we go home?

Luisa è andata a scuola. – Luisa has gone to school.

You can see how all the examples above answer the question where.

However, andare can also be used with another verb. In that case, it implies to go do something. So the underlying question would be go do what, andare a fare che cosa?

Examples:

Fammi andare a studiare. – Let me go study.

La mamma è andata a lavare i vestiti. – Mum has gone to wash the clothes.

Papa è andato a comprare il pane. – Dad has gone to buy the bread.

Other uses of andare:

1. Andare a trovare – to go visit
2. Andare via – to leave
3. Andare d’accordo – to get along
4. Andare pazzo – to go crazy
5. Mi va un cornetto – I feel like a croissant.

Examples:

1. Andiamo dalla nonna oggi? – Are we going to visit Grandma today?
2. Ciao, vado via. – Buy, I am leaving.
3. Vai d’accordo con tua sorella? – Do you get along with your sister?
4. Io vado pazzo per il cioccolato. – I am crazy about chocolate.
5. Ti va un aperitivo? – Would you like an aperitivo?

Italian Andare Conjugation – Beginner Tenses

Like in all my verb lessons, I suggest we start learning only a few modes and tenses. Later on, you can then learn the others using the chart below.

These beginner tenses are:

1. Present tense
2. Imperfect
3. Passato Prossimo (Present Perfect)
4. Future tense
5. Infinitive present and past
6. Past participle

Andare Present Tense

Io vado
Tu vai
Lui/Lei va
Noi andiamo
Voi andate
Loro vanno

This translates to: I go, you go, he/she has, we have, you have, they have.

You can see why it is an irregular verb. The different persons behave differently (vado, andiamo, vanno).

Andare Imperfetto

For the simple past form, here’s how you conjugate the verb andare.

Io andavo
Tu andavi
Lui/lei andava
Noi andavamo
Voi andavate
Loro andavano

Andare Passato Prossimo

I already told you that the verb andare takes essere to form certain tenses like this one. Let’s see how to conjugate it, using its past participle “andato”.

Io sono andato/a
Tu sei andato/a
Lui/lei è andato/a
Noi siamo andati
Voi siete andati
Loro sono andati

Andare Future Tense

Here’s how to conjugate the verb andare, to speak about going somewhere in the future.

Io andrò
Tu andrai
Lui/lei andrà
Noi andremo
Voi andrete
Loro andranno

Infinitive of Andare – Present & Past

Infinito Presente – andare

Infinito Passato – essere andato

Andare Participio Passato (Past Participle)

The past participle of andare is “andato”, which translates to gone.

Examples: How To Say To Go In Italian

Let’s practice what we have learned so far with different examples.

1. Basic Usage:

• English: I go to school every day.
• Italian: Io vado a scuola tutti i giorni.

2. Making Plans:

• English: Shall we go to the park tomorrow?
• Italian: Andiamo al parco domani?

3. Past Actions:

• English: She went to the market yesterday.
• Italian: Lei è andata al mercato ieri.

4. Combining with Other Verbs:

• English: Let’s go eat pizza.
• Italian: Andiamo a mangiare la pizza.

5. Expressing Desires:

• English: I feel like going to the cinema.
• Italian: Mi va di andare al cinema.

6. Asking for Permission:

• English: Can I go to Sara’s house?
• Italian: Posso andare a casa di Sara?

7. Talking about Future Plans:

• English: We will go on vacation next month.
• Italian: Andremo in vacanza il prossimo mese.

8. Using Infinitive Present:

• English: Going to the beach is my favorite activity.
• Italian: Andare in spiaggia è la mia attività preferita.

9. Discussing Past Experiences:

• English: We went to Paris last summer.
• Italian: Siamo andati a Parigi l’estate scorsa.

10. Describing Compatibility:

• English: Do you get along with your new colleagues
• Italian: Vai d’accordo con i tuoi nuovi colleghi?

Full Andare Italian Conjugation

Andare Indicativo or Indicative Mood

PRESENTE	PASSATO PROSSIMO
io vado tu vai lui va noi andiamo voi andate loro vanno Meaning 1st person: I go	io sono andato tu sei andato lui è andato noi siamo andati voi siete andati loro sono andati Meaning 1st person: I have gone
IMPERFETTO	TRAPASSATO PROSSIMO
io andavo tu andavi lui andava noi andavamo voi andavate loro andavano Meaning 1st person: I went	io ero andato tu eri andato lui era andato noi eravamo andati voi eravate andati loro erano andati Meaning 1st person: I had gone
PASSATO REMOTO (historical perfect)	TRAPASSATO REMOTO (past anterior)
io andai tu andasti lui andò noi andammo voi andaste loro andarono Meaning 1st person: I went	io fui andato tu fosti andato lui fu andato noi fummo andati voi foste andati loro furono andati Meaning 1st person: I was gone

Understanding the Passato Remoto

In Italian, when you want to talk about actions that took place and were completed in the remote or distant past, you use the passato remoto. It’s like looking at events from a historical perspective. This tense is commonly found in written narratives, literature, or when discussing events that happened a long time ago.

For example:

• English: “He went to Rome yesterday.”
  Italian Present Perfect (passato prossimo): “È andato a Roma ieri.”
  Italian Passato Remoto – “Andò a Roma l’anno scorso.” (He went to Rome last year.)

While the passato prossimo is often used for recent or relevant past events in spoken Italian, the passato remoto is more formal and is frequently used in written storytelling or historical contexts.

What About the Trapassato Remoto?

The trapassato remoto is the Italian past perfect tense and is used to express actions that occurred before another past action, often in the passato remoto. It’s a further step back in the past. So, if you’re already using the passato remoto to talk about a completed past action, you would use the trapassato remoto to describe an action that happened even earlier in relation to that past event.

Example:

Trapassato Remoto: Dopo che il professore se ne fu andato tutti cominciarono a parlare (Once the professor had left everyone started talking.)

FUTURO SEMPLICE	FUTURO ANTERIORE (future perfect)
io andrò tu andrai lui andrà noi andremo voi andrete loro andranno Meaning 1st person: I will go	io sarò andato tu sarai andato lui sarà andato noi saremo andati voi sarete andati loro saranno andati Meaning 1st person: I will be gone

Andare Condizionale or Conditional Mood

PRESENTE	PASSATO
io andrei tu andresti lui andrebbe noi andremmo voi andreste loro andrebbero 1st Person Meaning: I would go	io sarei andato tu saresti andato lui sarebbe andato noi saremmo andati voi sareste andati loro sarebbero andati 1st Person meaning: I would have gone

Andare Congiuntivo or Subjunctive Mood

PRESENTE	PASSATO
che io vada che tu vada che lui vada che noi andiamo che voi andiate che loro vadano 1st person meaning: that I go	che io sia andato che tu sia andato che lui sia andato che noi siamo andati che voi siate andati che loro siano andati 1st person meaning: that I’m gone
IMPERFETTO	TRAPASSATO
che io andassi che tu andassi che lui andasse che noi andassimo che voi andaste che loro andassero 1st person meaning: that I went	che io fossi andato che tu fossi andato che lui fosse andato che noi fossimo andati che voi foste andati che loro fossero andati 1st person meaning: that I was gone

How To Use the Congiuntivo in Italian

The subjunctive mood in Italian is used to express doubt, uncertainty, wishes, emotions, and hypothetical situations.

1. Congiuntivo Presente:
   • Example: “È importante che tu vada.” (It’s important that you go.)
2. Congiuntivo Passato:
   • Example: “Speravo che tu fossi andato in vacanza.” (I hoped that you had gone on vacation.)
3. Congiuntivo Imperfetto:
   • Example: “Se tu andassi, sarebbe meglio.” (If you were to go, it would be better.)
4. Congiuntivo Trapassato:
   • Example: “Mi dispiace che tu non fossi andato prima.” (I’m sorry you hadn’t gone earlier.)

Imperativo or Imperative Mood

PRESENTE

– va’/vai vada andiamo andate vadano 2nd person meaning: Go

Infinito or Infinitive Mood

PRESENTE	PASSATO
andare Meaning: to go	essere andato Meaning: to be gone

Participio or Participle Mood

PRESENTE	PASSATO
andante Meaning: going	andato Meaning: gone

Gerundio or Gerund Mood

PRESENTE	PASSATO
Andando Meaning: going	Essendo andato Meaning: having gone

Prepositions to Use with Andare

Andare has different uses, which implies it also takes different prepositions depending on the particular use and meaning in a sentence. Let’s look at the most used prepositions with andare.

The easiest way to determine which preposition to use is to select the correct question implied by the sentence, and then use the matching preposition.

Andare dove (to go where) – use prepositions a or in or al, allo, alla (to)

Andare con chi (to go with whom) – use preposition con (with)

Andare come (to go how) – use the preposition in (by or on)

Andare da chi (to go to whom) – use preposition da or dal (at)

Examples:

Vado a Roma. – I go to Rome.

Vado a casa. – I go home.

Vado al Nord. – I go to the Nord.

Vado al lavoro. – I go to work.

Vado alla stazione. – I go to the station.

Vado all’università. – I go to university.

Vado in ufficio. – I go to the office.

Vado in campagna. – I go to the countryside.

Vado in citta. – I go to the city.

Vado in Sicilia. – I go to Sicily.

Vado da Mattia. – I go to Mattia’s.

Vado dal dottore. – I go to the doctor.

Vado dall’oculista. – I go to the optician.

Andare Or Venire?

If you get confused about when to use andare and when to use venire, follow this simple rule.

If someone or something is moving in a direction far from you – use andare.

If someone is moving in a direction closer to you – use venire.

Examples:

Situation 1

You are at work and about to leave.

1. You tell your boss this: I am going home. – Sto andando a casa.

2. You tell your wife who’s already home this: I am coming home. – Sto venendo a casa.

Situation 2

Your parents are waiting for you to go home for dinner. This is how they talk about it.

1. Marco e Maria vengono a cena alle 7. – Marco and Maria are coming for dinner at 7 pm.

2. Ieri, Marco e Maria sono andati al mercato e hanno preso una torta per oggi. – Yesterday, Marco and Maria went to the market and got a cake for today.

Andare Practice Exercises

Here are a couple of exercises to test your knowledge of the verb “andare” and its usage.

Exercise 1:

Complete the sentences with the appropriate form of the verb “andare” in the given context.

1. Tu __ al cinema stasera? (Are you going to the cinema tonight?)
2. Ieri sera, noi __ a mangiare pizza. (Last night, we went to eat pizza.)
3. Paolo e Luisa __ in vacanza il prossimo mese. (Paolo and Luisa will go on vacation next month.)
4. Voi __ al concerto sabato? (Are you going to the concert on Saturday?)
5. Io __ a trovare mio fratello questo weekend. (I am going to visit my brother this weekend.)

Exercise 2:

Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentences based on the implied question.

1. Maria va __ scuola ogni giorno. (Maria goes to school every day.) a) a

b) in
c) con
d) da

2. Stefano va __ lavoro in autobus. (Stefano goes to work by bus.)

a) a
b) in
c) con
d) da

3. Noi andiamo __ mare ogni estate. (We go to the sea every summer.)

a) a
b) in
c) con
d) al

4. Laura va __ cinema __ Marco. (Laura goes to the cinema with Marco.)

a) a
b) in, con
c) con, al
d) da, con
e) al, con

5. Io vado __________ mia nonna oggi pomeriggio. (I am going to my grandmother’s this afternoon.)

a) a
b) in
c) con
d) da

Answers:

Exercise 1:

1. vai
2. siamo andati
3. andranno
4. andate
5. vado

Exercise 2:

1. a
2. in
3. al
4. con
5. da 

Final Thoughts On The Italian Verb Andare

Now you have learned a lot about the Italian verb “andare”! First we talked about what it means – to go. Then you learned how to conjugate “andare” in the present, past, and future tenses. There were also sample sentences with “andare” used correctly.

With this knowledge, you can speak about where you are going, ask others where they are going, and make plans. Practicing “andare” by using it in conversations is the best way to remember everything. Soon it will become a regular part of your Italian vocabulary!

Next, learn about the Italian verb dire and the very important auxiliary verb avere.

Italian Verb Andare FAQ

What is the difference between Uscire and Andare?

The main difference between “uscire” and “andare” is that “uscire” means “to go out” or “leave”, while “andare” simply means “to go”.

What preposition goes with andare?

The most common prepositions used with “andare” are:

• “a” (to) – e.g. Vado a casa (I’m going home)
• “in” (to) – e.g. Andiamo in vacanza (We’re going on vacation)
• “da” (to) – e.g. Devo andare dal medico (I have to go to the doctor’s)

What is the present subjunctive of andare?

The present subjunctive of “andare” is: (che) io vada (che) tu vada (che) lui/lei vada (che) noi andiamo (che) voi andiate (che) loro vadano

How do you use andare in Italian?

“Andare” is used in Italian to talk about going somewhere, going to do something, future plans, desires, permissions, etc. Some examples:

• Vado a scuola (I go to school)
• Andiamo al cinema stasera? (Shall we go to the movies tonight?)
• Voglio andare in vacanza (I want to go on vacation)

What does Andare mean in Italy?

In Italy, “andare” can also mean “to work properly/to function” when talking about machines/devices. For example, “La lavatrice non va” (The washing machine isn’t working).

What is the future tense of andare in Italian?

The future tense of “andare” is: Io andrò Tu andrai Lui/Lei andrà Noi andremo Voi andrete Loro andranno

What’s andò in Italian?

Andò is the passato remoto (simple past) form of the verb “andare”. For example: “Ieri io andò al mercato” (Yesterday I went to the market).

What’s andasse in Italian?

“Andasse” is the imperfect subjunctive form of the verb “andare”. It is used to express desires, doubts, possibilities, etc in the past. For example: “Pensavo che lui andasse alla festa” (I thought he  would go to the party).

What’s fosse andato in Italian?

This is the past subjunctive form of the verb “andare”, which translates to “had gone”. It expresses doubt or uncertainty about something that happened in the past. For example: “Non sapevo che Marco fosse andato in Italia” (I didn’t know Marco had gone to Italy).

What does essere andato mean?

This translates to “have gone”. It is the passato prossimo form of “andare” using the auxiliary verb “essere”. For example: “Sono andato al cinema ieri” (I went to the cinema yesterday).

What does sarebbe andato mean?

This means “would have gone”. It expresses something that would have happened in the past under certain conditions. For example: “Sarei andato alla festa se non avessi avuto mal di testa” (I would have gone to the party if I hadn’t had a headache).

When is the indicative mood used in Italian?

The indicative mood is used to state facts and actions that have occurred, are occurring, or will occur. It is the most common verb mood in Italian. Some examples of the indicative: “Vado a scuola ogni giorno” (I go to school every day); “Andavo spesso in vacanza”(I often went on vacation).

What do the Italian verbs endings tell us?

Italian verb endings indicate the subject pronoun (io, tu, lui/lei etc), the tense (present, imperfect etc), the mood (indicative, conditional etc) and whether the verb is regular or irregular. They are very important to conveying precise meaning.