The verb ANDARE in Italian not only indicates physical movement but also encompasses numerous other nuances that can cause confusion. Let’s explore together the 5 most common mistakes and doubts for foreigners regarding this verb!
All the SHADES and USES of the Italian verb ANDARE
ANDARE means “to go, to head towards a place”.
But what are its specific uses or the errors that foreigners most often make with this verb?
ANDARE instead of VENIRE
An error that is commonly made is the confusion of the verb ANDARE with the verb VENIRE, as both indicate a movement toward a place, but they are not synonyms and therefore not interchangeable!
They express different points of view.
ANDARE means to move towards a place or a person that is far from the speaker and the listener.
VENIRE, on the other hand, indicates a movement towards the place where the person speaking or the person being spoken to is located, or even towards the place where one of the two people is going.
Let’s better understand it with some examples.
Let’s start with the verb ANDARE:
1. Vado al ristorante stasera perché non ho voglia di cucinare.
2. Andremo da Ludovica per festeggiare il suo compleanno.
As you can see in the previous examples, all the mentioned places are far from where the speaker (and the interlocutor) is currently located.
Let’s now look at a couple of examples with the verb VENIRE:
1. Vieni a casa mia stasera: possiamo guardare la partita e mangiare una pizza. (= movement towards the place where the person who is speaking is located)
2. Posso venire un attimo da te? Ho bisogno di parlarti. (= movement towards the place where the person with whom one is talking is located)
3. Vieni anche tu alla festa di stasera? Sarà sulla spiaggia, quindi immagino che ci divertiremo un sacco! (= movement towards the place where one of the speakers is going)
ANDARE + PAST PARTICIPLE: what does it mean?
The verb ANDARE can be followed by the past participle of another verb.
This construction takes on a passive form and a sense of “duty,” indicating something that must be done.
For instance:
1. Se il computer non funziona più, va cambiato. (= it must be changed)
2. Le cose che si cominciano vanno finite. (= they must be finished)
3. Gli ospiti nella stanza 17 vanno svegliati alle 6 di mattina domani. (= they must be woken up)
ANDARE + gerund: what does it mean?
This verb structure is progressive: there is, therefore, an underlying meaning of “repeatedly, gradually, continuously.”
So, it indicates an action that doesn’t take place at a specific moment but has already started in the past, is ongoing in the present, and will continue into the future.
Let’s see some examples!
1. A volte mi chiedo proprio cosa tu vada cercando nella vita.
2. Ci sono due persone che vanno domandando informazioni sul tuo conto… Le conosci?
3. Sono anni che vado ripetendo la stessa cosa: non devi mai prestare soldi ai conoscenti.
VADO A FARE instead of FARÒ: is it influenced by Spanish and English? In what cases is it correct?
Especially if you’re a native English or Spanish speaker, you might think that in Italian the expression ‘andare a fare’ is a structure to indicate the future, but it’s not.
Non posso uscire più tardi perché vado a preparare una torta. —> wrong
Non posso uscire più tardi perché preparo/preparerò una torta. —> correct
In Italian, the form ‘andare a (fare qualcosa)‘ exists, but it indicates that one is physically moving to a different place from where they currently are to do a specific thing, either at this moment or in the near future.
Here are a few examples:
1. Esco un attimo: vado a fare la spesa.
2. Vado a fare la doccia… Se suona il telefono rispondi tu per favore!
3. Stiamo andando a fare l’esame di inglese, auguraci buona fortuna!
ANDARE used in common expressions
The verb ANDARE is also used in many Italian idioms:
Andare d’accordo: to understand each other (said of two or more people), to be in harmony, to have a good relationship, to get along
Mattia va d’accordo con tutti, è un ragazzo molto socievole.
Andare matti per: to have a great passion for something, to adore something
Carolina va matta per il cioccolato, ne mangia un po’ ogni giorno.
Andare a gonfie vele: to go very well, in the best way possible
Il nuovo ristorante di Matilde va a gonfie vele, è sempre pieno.
Andare sul sicuro: to not risk, to do something safe that one is certain of
Per andare sul sicuro metti in valigia anche dei vestiti pesanti, nel caso in cui faccia freddo…
Andare a rotoli: to go wrong
Il mio colloquio di lavoro è andato a rotoli perché ero troppo tesa.
Andare a ruba: to sell out quickly
Se vuoi il nuovo vestito di quello stilista, compralo ora, perché sta andando a ruba e probabilmente sarà esaurito già domani.
Andare in onda: to be aired on TV or radio
Il nuovo programma di quel famoso comico andrà in onda stasera alle 21 su Rai1.
Andarne (di): to be in danger / to be at stake
Allaccia sempre la cintura di sicurezza: ne va della tua vita!
Andare a male: to deteriorate
Se lasci il pesce fuori dal frigo, andrà a male.
If you enjoyed this article you can continue learning and improving your vocabulary by reading other articles like this one: the most common mistakes with the word QUALCOSA.
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