The Italian verb andare translates to English as to go. It is an irregular verb, which can make it a little tricky to conjugate, because its conjugation oscillates between two different verb roots: -vad and -and. The verb andare belongs to the Italian first conjugation, where the infinitive form ends in -are.
Keep reading for more information on how to conjugate the verb andare in all the Italian tenses and moods, and to see examples of its usage.
Present indicative conjugation of andare (indicativo presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the present indicative tense.
| Andare in the present indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the present indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io vado | I go |
| Tu vai | You go |
| Lui/ lei va | He/ she goes |
| Noi andiamo | We go |
| Voi andate | You (pl) go |
| Loro vanno | They go |
Use the Italian verb andare in the present tense to talk about where you, or other people, are going or plan to go. Note that the present tense in Italian can also function as a future tense, similar to the English “I’m going”.
For example:
- To say where you are going (for an action that is in progress or imminent)
- Dove vai? – Vado a casa (Where are you going? I’m going home) – note that the literal translation of this is “I go home”, but, in English, the present continuous better translates the sentiment of the sentence.
- To say where you plan to go (for the near or more distant future)
- Il prossimo anno andiamo in vacanza in Grecia (Next year we’re going on holiday to Greece) – note that the present tense in Italian can be used to convey future actions which are definitely happening. In English, the present continuous translates this well.
- To talk about places where you go routinely
- La mattina va al lavoro alle 7:30 (In the morning he/ she goes to work at 7:30)
- To invite someone to go somewhere
- Andiamo in a cena in quel ristorante? (Shall we go to that restaurant for dinner?)
Present perfect indicative conjugation of andare (passato prossimo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the present perfect indicative tense.
| Andare in the present perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the present perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sono andato / andata | I went | I have gone |
| Tu sei andato / andata | You went | You have gone |
| Lui/ lei è andato / andata | He/ she went | He/ she has gone |
| Noi siamo andati / andate | We went | We have gone |
| Voi siete andati / andate | You (pl.) went | You (pl.) have gone |
| Loro sono andati / andate | They went | They have gone |
Does andare want an essere or avere auxiliary?
To be able to form the present perfect tense of andare, it’s essential to know what auxiliary it goes with, essere or avere.
Andare takes the essere auxiliary, similarly to other Italian verbs which convey movement or change. This means that the past participle part of the present perfect must be made to match the subject of the sentence in gender and number.
For example:
Siamo andati a casa (we went home) – note that “andati” is masculine plural and matches the subject of the sentence, “noi”.
How do I use the present perfect tense of andare?
The Italian verb andare is used in the present perfect tense to talk about going somewhere at a certain point in the past. Use of the present perfect tense in Italian conveys that the action has now finished.
Use andare in the present perfect tense:
- To talk about where you went in the past
- Per le vacanze estive tre anni fa sono andata in Grecia (last summer I went to Greece)
- To talk about where you went recently
- Questa mattina è andato in farmacia (this morning he went to the pharmacy)
- To talk about places where you’ve never been
- Non siamo mai andati in Svezia (We’ve never been to Sweden) Note: the Italian verb “stare” also conveys this well. You could say “Non siamo mai stati in Svezia”.
Imperfect indicative conjugation of andare (imperfetto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the imperfect indicative tense.
| Andare in the imperfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the imperfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io andavo | I went | I used to go |
| Tu andavi | You went | You used to go |
| Lui/ lei andava | He/she went | He/she used to go |
| Noi andavamo | We went | We used to go |
| Voi andavate | You (pl.) went | You (pl.) used to go |
| Loro andavano | They went | They used to go |
The Italian verb andare in the imperfect tense is used to talk about places where you used to go, so it describes routine or an action that stretched over a period of time.
Use andare in the imperfect tense:
- To talk about places you used to go in the past
- Quando ero giovane, andavamo in Puglia tutte le estati (when I was young, we used to go to Puglia every summer)
- To describe the action of going when it stretches over a period of time
- Vi ho visto alla stazione questa mattina. Dove andavate? (I saw you at the station this morning. Where were you going?) Note, in English, the past continuous is a good fit to convey this use of the Italian imperfect tense.
Past perfect indicative conjugation of andare (trapassato prossimo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the past perfect indicative tense.
| Andare in the past perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the past perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io ero andato / andata | I had gone |
| Tu eri andato / andata | You had gone |
| Lui/ lei era andato / andata | He/ she had gone |
| Noi eravamo andati / andate | We had gone |
| Voi eravate andati / andate | You had gone |
| Loro erano andati / andate | They had gone |
Within a sentence in the past, use the Italian verb andare in the past perfect tense to set an event further back in the past than the other event in that sentence.
The verb andare in the past perfect tense is suitable for the following scenarios:
- To talk about where you went before a certain event which happened in the past
- Ho chiesto a Luca dove era andato domenica scorsa (I asked Luca where he’d gone last Sunday).
Remote past indicative conjugation of andare (passato remoto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the remote past indicative tense.
| Andare in the remote past indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the remote past indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io andai | I went |
| Tu andasti | You went |
| Lui/ lei andò | He/ she went |
| Noi andammo | We went |
| Voi andaste | You (pl.) went |
| Loro andarono | They went |
The remote past indicative in Italian is used to talk about actions which took place in the past and have now ended. It is most suitable to talk about history or facts within a story. The remote past indicative of andare is mostly found in written language, such as in novels, articles or essays, and is rarely used in today’s spoken Italian.
Use the remote past tense of andare:
- To describe the action of going as part of historical facts
- I Romani andarono in Britannia per espandere il loro territorio (The Romans went to Britain to expand their territory)
- To describe the action of going within a story (preferably a written story)
- Finita la guerra, il nonno andò in America (when the war ended, grandad went to America)
Preterite perfect indicative conjugation of andare (trapassato remoto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb abitare in the preterite perfect indicative tense.
| Andare in the preterite perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the preterite perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io fui andato / andata | I had gone |
| Tu fosti andato / andata | You had gone |
| Lui/ lei fu andato / andata | He/ she had gone |
| Noi fummo andati / andate | We had gone |
| Voi foste andati / andate | You (pl.) had gone |
| Loro furono andati / andate | They had gone |
The Italian preterite perfect is used to set an action further back in the past than another action in the remote past. It is used for facts in history, or to tell a story. The preterite perfect tense of the verb andare is rarely used in spoken Italian today, so you are most likely to find it in written language such as novels, articles and essays.
Use the preterite perfect indicative of andare:
- To describe an action of going which happened prior to other actions in the same sentence
- Dopo che furono andati in Gallia, i Romani andarono in Britannia (after they’d gone to Gaul, the Romans went to Britain)
Simple future indicative conjugation of andare (futuro semplice)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the simple future indicative tense.
| Andare in the simple future indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the simple future indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io andrò | I will go |
| Tu andrai | You will go |
| Lui/ lei andrà | He/ she will go |
| Noi andremo | We will go |
| Voi andrete | You (pl.) will go |
| Loro andranno | They will go |
The simple future tense of the verb andare in Italian is used to describe movement which will, with certainty, take place in the future.
Use the simple future tense of andare:
- To say where you, or someone else, will go in the near or distant future
- Quando la scuola finisce andranno in vacanza (when school finishes, they’ll go on holiday).
Note: you can also use the present tense to talk about plans to go somewhere in the near or distant future. The present continuous in English translates this well. For example:
- La prossima settimana vado in Italia (I’m going to Italy next week)
Future perfect indicative conjugation of andare (futuro anteriore)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the future perfect indicative tense.
| Andare in the future perfect indicative (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the future perfect indicative (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sarò andato / andata | I will have gone |
| Tu sarai andato / andata | You will have gone |
| Lui/ lei sarà andato / andata | He/ she will have gone |
| Noi saremo andati / andate | We will have gone |
| Voi sarete andati / andate | You (pl.) will have gone |
| Loro saranno andati / andate | They will have gone |
The future perfect tense of andare in Italian can be used when the action of going in the future happens before other future actions or events. These can either be spelled out in the sentence as a verb, or just implied by the context of the sentence.
Use the future perfect tense of andare:
- To talk about going somewhere from the perspective of a time in the future
- Se arrivo alle quattro di pomeriggio la trovo? No, mi dispiace, per le quattro sarà già andata via (If I arrive at four in the afternoon, will I find her? No, I’m sorry, by four she’ll have already gone)
Present conditional conjugation of andare (condizionale presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the present conditional tense.
| Andare in the present conditional tense (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the present conditional tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io andrei | I would go |
| Tu andresti | You would go |
| Lui/ lei andrebbe | He/ she would go |
| Noi andremmo | We would go |
| Voi andreste | You would go |
| Loro andrebbero | They would go |
Use the present conditional tense of andare in Italian to express the possibility of going somewhere (in English, “would go”) and to make if clauses about going somewhere. In Italian if clauses, the present conditional tense is used in combination with the present subjunctive.
Here is how you can use the present conditional tense of andare:
- To make a hypothetical sentence about going somewhere (as part of an if clause)
- Se avessero tempo, andrebbero in vacanza (if they had time, they would go on holiday)
- To talk about possibly going somewhere (not explicitly as part of an if clause)
- Andrei con loro, ma sono troppo stanco (I would go with them but I’m too tired)
Past perfect conditional conjugation of andare (condizionale passato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the past perfect conditional tense.
| Andare in the past perfect conditional tense (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the past perfect conditional tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Io sarei andato | I would have gone |
| Tu saresti andato | You would have gone |
| Lui/ lei sarebbe andato | He/ she would have gone |
| Noi saremmo andati | We would have gone |
| Voi sareste andati | You would have gone |
| Loro sarebbero andati | They would have gone |
Use the past perfect conditional tense of andare in Italian to describe where you would have gone in the past, to indicate a potential future action within a sentence in the past, and to make if clauses in the past about going somewhere. For if clauses in the past, the past perfect conditional tense is used in combination with the past perfect subjunctive.
Here is how you can use the past perfect conditional tense of andare:
- To talk about where you would have gone (as part of an if clause in the past)
- Se mi avessero detto che uscivano, sarei andato con loro (If they had told me they were going out, I would have gone with them)
- To talk about the possibility of having gone somewhere (not explicitly as part of an if clause)
- Saremmo andati ad aiutarla, ma era troppo tardi (we would have gone to help her, but it was too late)
Imperative conjugation of andare (imperativo)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the imperative mood.
| Andare in the imperative mood (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the imperative mood (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Tu) vai | Go |
| (Noi) andiamo | Let’s go |
| (Voi) andate | Go (pl) |
You can use the imperative mood of the verb andare in Italian to make an invitation (“let’s” in English) or give an order.
For example:
- To suggest going somewhere
- Andiamoci insieme! (let’s go there together!)
- To tell someone to go away
- Vai via! (go away!)
Present and past infinitive conjugation of andare (infinito presente e passato)
The table below shows the infinitive form of the verb andare in the present and past tenses.
| Andare in the infinitive mood, past and present tense (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the infinitive mood, past and present tense (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Andare | To go/ going |
| Essere andato | Having gone |
As a general rule, the infinitive form of the verb andare in Italian, both in the past and present tense, is used:
- To indicate whether you like or don’t like going somewhere (after the verb “mi piace”)
- Non mi piace andare in vacanza durante l’ inverno (I don’t like going on holiday during the winter)
- After a verb-preposition combination which requires to be followed by a verb in the infinitive form, such as “cercare di…”
- Cerchiamo di andare in palestra due volte a settimana (we try to go to the gym twice a week)
- After a verb which requires to be followed by a verb in the infinitive form, such as “voglio”, “posso”, “devo”
- Non vuole andare al lavoro in treno (he doesn’t want to go to work on the train)
- In general, as the subject or object of a sentence
- Andare al parco con il cane tutti i giorni è importante per lei (going to the park every day with the dog is important for her)
Past participle tense of andare (participio passato)
The present and part participle tenses in Italian can be tricky to understand. Although these are used as a noun and adjective respectively, they are, in grammatical terms, tenses.
The table below shows the present and past participle conjugation of andare.
The past participle tense of andare is andato. This is used in conjunction with the auxiliary essere to form the present perfect tense:
For example:
- Non sono andato al lavoro ieri (I didn’t go to work yesterday)
Note that there is also a present participle tense of andare, which is used as an adjective, but is technically a verb. This is andante or andanti and it means either “moderately slow”, as a musical term, or “ordinary”, “simple”, “down to earth”.
For example:
- Questo vestito mi sembra abbastanza andante (this dress seems quite simple to me)
Present and past gerund conjugation of andare (gerundio presente e passato)
The table below shows the gerund mood of the Italian verb andare in the present and past tense forms.
| Andare in the present and past gerund (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the present and past gerund (English translation) |
|---|---|
| Andando | Going |
| Essendo andato | Having gone |
The gerund of andare, in both the present and past tense, is used to talk about living situations which are ongoing right now or in this period of time (preceded by the verb “stare”), or to express causality in a sentence.
Use the gerund of abitare:
- To talk about where you are going right now or in this period of time
- In questo momento non ho tempo perchè sto andando al lavoro (I don’t have time right now because I’m going to work)
- In a phrase that is connected to another phrase and expresses causality
- Andando spesso a Pescara per lavoro, conosce bene la strada (as he often goes to Pescara for work, he knows the way well)
Present subjunctive conjugation of andare (congiuntivo presente)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the present subjunctive tense.
| Andare in the present subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the present subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io vada | (That) I go |
| (Che) tu vada | (That) you go |
| (Che) lui/ lei vada | (That) he/she goes |
| (Che) noi andiamo | (That) we go |
| (Che) voi andiate | (That) you (pl.) go |
| (Che) loro vadano | (That) they go |
The present tense subjunctive of andare is used within a dependent clause, often introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), so, if you start a dependent clause with “che” or “perchè”, it’s likely that, within it, you might need to use the subjunctive mode.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu ci vada (I’d like you to go there).
The subjunctive mode is one of the trickiest topics in the Italian grammar, and it can be difficult to recognise when you need to use it. It might be helpful to bear in mind that, over the years, the subjunctive in dependent sentences is gradually falling out of use.
Although, in order to be grammatically correct in Italian, use of the subjunctive is required, more and more Italians now don’t use it in spoken, informal, Italian and limit it to writing or more formal situations.
Use the present subjunctive of andare:
- To talk about the action of going within a dependent clause
- Non vorrei che lei vada troppo spesso fuori (I wouldn’t want her to go out too often)
Note: in today’s spoken Italian, many might use the present indicative tense instead of the present subjunctive and say: “Non vorrei che lei va troppo spesso fuori” instead.
Present perfect subjunctive conjugation of andare (congiuntivo passato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the present perfect subjunctive tense.
| Andare in the perfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the perfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io sia andato / andata | (That) I have gone | (that) I went |
| (Che) tu sia andato / andata | (That) you have gone | (that) you went |
| (Che) lui/ lei sia andato / andata | (That) he/she has gone | (that) he/ she went |
| (Che) noi siamo andati / andate | (That) we have gone | (that) we went |
| (Che) voi siate andati / andate | (That) you (pl.) have gone | (that) you went |
| (Che) loro siano andati / andate | (That) they have gone | (that) they went |
The present perfect subjunctive of andare is used within a dependent clause which contains a past action. This can often be introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), so, if you start a dependent clause with “che” or “perchè”, it’s likely that, within it, you might need to use the subjunctive mode.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu ci sia andata (I wish you had gone there).
Use the present perfect subjunctive of andare:
- To talk about going somewhere within a dependent clause which contains a past action
- Spero che lei non sia andata fuori troppo spesso in quella settimana (I hope she didn’t go out too often in that week)
Note: in today’s spoken Italian, many might not use the subjunctive and use the present perfect indicative instead: “Spero che lei non è andata fuori troppo spesso in quella settimana“.
Imperfect subjunctive conjugation of andare (congiuntivo imperfetto)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the imperfect subjunctive tense.
| Andare in the imperfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the imperfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io andassi | (That) I would go |
| (Che) tu andassi | (That) you would go |
| (Che) lui/ lei andasse | (That) he/ she would go |
| (Che) noi andassimo | (That) we would go |
| (Che) voi andaste | (That) you (pl.) would go |
| (Che) loro andassero | (That) they would go |
The imperfect subjunctive of andare is used within a dependent clause where the action of the main clause is in the past. This is often introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because). A second use of the imperfect subjunctive is to make the first part of an if clause.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu ci andassi (I’d like you to go there).
Use the imperfect subjunctive of andare:
- To talk about going somewhere within a dependent clause when the main sentence is in the past
- Non volevo che tu andassi fuori troppo spesso (I didn’t want you to go out too often)
In today’s spoken Italian, many might not use the subjunctive in this case, and use the imperfect tense in both the main and dependent sentences: “Non volevo che tu andavi fuori troppo spesso in quella settimana“
- To make a hypothesis about going somewhere
- Se non andassero fuori così spesso, risparmierebbero molti soldi (if they didn’t go out so often, they would save a lot of money)
Note that the second part of the if clause in Italian uses the conditional mood (risparmierebbero).
In today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to not use the subjunctive and to put both parts of the if clause in the imperfect tense: “Se non andavano fuori così spesso, risparmiavano molti soldi”. Although this wouldn’t hinder someone’s understanding of this sentence, the tense usage is grammatically incorrect.
To a native speaker of Italian, replacing the subjunctive with the imperfect makes the sentence sound a little strange, and like it’s no longer a hypothetical sentence.
Past perfect subjunctive conjugation of andare (congiuntivo trapassato)
The table below shows the conjugation of the verb andare in the past perfect subjunctive tense.
| Andare in the past perfect subjunctive (Italian conjugation) | Andare in the past perfect subjunctive (English translation) |
|---|---|
| (Che) io fossi andato / andata | (That) I had gone |
| (Che) tu fossi andato / andata | (That) you had gone |
| (Che) lui/ lei fosse andato / andata | (That) he/ she had gone |
| (Che) noi fossimo andati / andate | (That) we had gone |
| (Che) voi foste andati / andate | (That) you (pl.) had gone |
| (Che) loro fossero andati / andate | (That) they had gone |
The past perfect subjunctive of andare is used within a dependent clause, often introduced by the conjunction “che” (that) or “perchè” (because), when both the main clause and the dependent clause are in the past. A second use of the past perfect subjunctive is to make the first part of an if clause placed in the past.
Note: the subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause when the main clause is in the conditional mood. For example, vorrei che tu ci fossi andato (I wish you’d gone there).
Use the past perfect subjunctive of andare in Italian:
- To talk about going somewhere within a dependent sentence when both the main and dependent clauses are in the past
- Speravo che tu non fossi andata fuori troppo spesso in quella settimana (I hoped that you hadn’t gone out too often in that week) – Note that the use of the past perfect subjunctive implies that the action is now complete. The context of the sentence, in fact, tells us that the action was confined to “that week” (quella settimana).
Note: in today’s spoken Italian, many might choose to use the past perfect tense in the dependent clause “Speravo che tu non eri andata fuori troppo spesso in quella settimana“. Although this swap is grammatically incorrect, it is increasingly used and today’s spoken Italian, and does not sound too “wrong” to a native ear.
Prepositions, adverbs and expressions with the verb andare
You can use the verb andare with a number of prepositions and adverbs. Sometimes these combinations can also form idiomatic expressions with a set meaning:
- Andare a…
- Vado a casa (I’m going home)
- Vado a Firenze (I’m going to Firenze)
- Vado a + verb in the infinitive (I’m going to…)
This last combination can be used to form expressions such as vado a trovare (I’m going to visit), vado a vedere (I’m going to see), vado a prendere (I’m going to pick up), vado a dormire (I’m going to sleep).
- Andare in…..
- Vado in Sicilia (I’m going to Sicily)
- Vado in montagna (I’m going to the mountains)
- Vado in macchina/ in treno/ in autobus (I’m going in the car/ by train/ by bus)
- Sono andato in tilt (my mind went blank) – this is an idiomatic expression used when someone loses mental clarity through tiredness or stress.
- Andare per…
- Non mi piace andare per negozi (I don’t like shopping) – the expression andare per is used to describe the action of going from one place to another, often in a leisurely way. For example andare per pub (pub crawling)
- Andare avanti
- Non possono più andare avanti così (they can’t go on like this anymore)
- Andare via
- Quando aveva quindici anni è andata via di casa (when she was fifteen she left home) andare via is often used to mean “to abandon”, or “to escape”, as it describes someone going away with no expectation that they’ll come back.
- Andare su
- Andiamo su! (Let’s go up) The expression andare su can be used to describe the action of literally going up, but also to describe situations like going north, going up the stairs or going up the road
- Andare in giro
- Non mi piace andare in giro senza una meta (I don’t like going around without a destination) – the expression andare in giro is used to describe walking or travelling around in a leisurely way with no particular destination. For example:
Va sempre in giro (She/ he is always out and about)
Concluding thoughts on the verb andare
The verb andare is very common in Italian, as in many other languages, and so it is a fundamental verb to know if you are learning Italian. Andare can also be used in combination with many prepositions and adverbs to form useful expressions.
Although it is an irregular verb, the conjugation of andare is not as difficult as that of other Italian verbs, if you remember that the verb root varies between -vad and -and.
The verb andare will become easy to conjugate after some practice.
