How to Use the Verb Andar

The simplest translation for the Portuguese verb andar is “to walk”, but the fun doesn’t stop there! Andar can take on many different meanings, depending on the context.
As opposed to caminharto walk , which is pretty straightforward, andar Slow audio Play audio Verb refers more to the general act of moving, acting, or changing places. It can indicate that an action is about to become habitual or express a sense of continuity (e.g. to “go around” doing something).
You may remember this from when we learned about how to form the present continuous / present progressive tense.

The Most Common Meanings of the Verb Andar

Don’t expect yourself to memorize all these meanings or fully grasp the complexities right away. Idiomatic language like this is not as straightforward as just knowing the translation of a word. Rather, it comes down to getting used to how the word is used in different contexts.
The most important thing is to be aware of the different uses, so that it’s easier to pick up over time. Pay attention to the examples (here and in the following lessons), which will gradually help you get a better sense of how native speakers use andar.
Let’s go through some of the most common meanings of the verb andar:

• walk – A Maria já sabe andarMaria already knows how to walk Eu ando 10 km todos os diasI walk 10 km every day
• roam, wander – Nós andámos uns tempos em LisboaWe were in Lisbon for a while, We spent some time in Lisbon
• ride a vehicle / “to go by” – Não costumo andar de autocarroI don't usually ride the bus Slow audio Play audio Ela andava de motaShe rode a motorcycle
• move (placement) – A cadeira andou para a esquerdaThe chair moved to the left
• move (progress) – O trânsito não andaTraffic is not moving Slow audio Play audio O país andou para trásThe country moved backwards Anda cáCome here Slow audio Play audio
• activity / “to be doing” – Ando a passear o cãoI'm walking the dog Andamos a aprender portuguêsWe are learning Portuguese
• be with / hang out with – andar com – Costumas andar com eles?Are you usually with them? Não ando muito com elesI don't hang out with them much
• to date (informal) – andar com can also refer to dating – Acho que o Ricardo anda com elaI think Ricardo is dating her
• feelings / state of being – Este mês, não andei bemThis month, I didn't feel good
• temporary characteristic / quality – Andas muito mal-educadoYou've been very rude Andamos desmotivadosWe are unmotivated
• continuity – As an auxiliary verb (when followed by the preposition a + an infinitive verb), it’s used to express continuity (i.e. to have been doing something).
  • O Pedro não se sente bemPedro isn't feeling well (now) → O Pedro não se anda a sentir bemPedro hasn't been feeling well (lately)
• intention – When followed by the preposition para + an infinitive verb, it’s used to express intention.
  • O Pedro anda para ir a Lisboa há semanasPedro has been wanting to go to Lisbon for weeks

The Past Participle Andado

Above we briefly mentioned that andar + a + infinitive verb can be used to talk about something that has been / will have been / had been happening. Another way to express continuity like this is to conjugate the verb ter (in the presente, futuro or imperfeito) and add the past participle of andar, which is andado. For example:

• Tenho andado cansadoI have been tired
• Temos andado a ver muitos filmesWe have been watching a lot of movies

So you’re probably wondering… What’s the difference between using andar and andar + a + infinitive and ter + andado? 🤯  In many cases they mean the same thing, but there are some exceptions. Sometimes using one over the other has a certain implication or sometimes extra context is needed to know for sure. For example, when talking about an action in progress, you could say something like:

• Ele anda a passear o cãoHe is walking the dog – This implies he is walking the dog right now, just like using estar + a + infinitive.
• If we wanted to express that it has been happening lately or up until now, we’d either have to include the frequency:
  • Ele anda a passear o cão diariamenteHe's walking the dog everyday, He's been walking the dog every day Slow audio Play audio
  • or we could use ter + andado: Ele tem andado a passear o cãoHe has been walking the dog – This implies he has been walking the dog lately or up until now.

Another exception is related to the meaning of “dating”. Andar com can refer to dating or just hanging out:

• Ele anda com o MárioHe's dating Mário Slow audio Play audio – With no further context, the implied meaning here is “dating”.
• Ele tem andado com o MárioHe's been hanging out with Mário

The future tense is also an exception:

• Terei andado por LisboaI will have been through Lisbon – (i.e. I will have already spent time in / walked all over / roamed through Lisbon.) Here we used the future tense of ter + andado to reference an event that will have happened before the other event happened. We’d need to complete the sentence by adding, for example, “By the time you arrive…”
• Andarei por LisboaI will go through Lisbon Slow audio Play audio – (i.e. I will spend time in / wander around / roam through Lisbon.) Here we used the future tense of andar to state that something that will happen, no matter what. This is the same whether andar is the main or an auxiliary verb. It’s worth noting that this particular way of conjugating the verb andar is not very common. You’re more likely to hear Vou andar por Lisboa.

Andar vs Estar

In most situations, these two verbs – andar and estar – can be used practically interchangeably. There are only a few situations in which their meaning is slightly different, which we’ll look at in this section.

When are andar and estar the same?:

When you use estar + a + infinitive verb, it typically means the same as using andar + a + infinitive verb. They both express a sense of continuity / an action in progress.

• When you’re doing something this instant:
  • Ando a passear o cãoI'm walking the dog = Estou a passear o cãoI'm walking the dog

• When something has been happening lately:
  • Estou a ter aulas de guitarraI'm having guitar lessons = Ando a ter aulas de guitarraI'm having guitar lessons
  • Temos andado ocupadosWe've been busy = Temos estado ocupadosWe've been busy

• When something had been happening in the past:
  • Tinha andado a passearI had been walking around = Tinha estado a passearI had been walking around

When are andar and estar different?:

However, when estar is on its own, it doesn’t usually have that same sense of continuity. This is when they tend to be different.

• Ando bemI've been well vs. Estou bemI'm well Slow audio Play audio
  • The first one means “I’ve been doing well lately” while the second means “I’m doing well right now“.
• Eu andei na tua escolaI went to your school, I was a student in your school vs. Eu estive na tua escolaI was at your school
  • Notice how the first example has a sense of continuity, while the second refers to a one-time thing.
• Eu andei tristeI was sad (for a while) vs. Eu estive tristeI was sad
  • Again, the only difference is that the first example implies more continuity, i.e. that the sadness lasted a while. It’s almost like saying ‘I went around being sad”.

It can be hard to get used to the subtleties of meaning as a non-native speaker. So when in doubt, if it’s an action happening right now, maybe stick to estar. If it’s something you’ve been doing lately, you can use andar.