Andar + Gerúndio: Going Around Doing | Portuguese (Brazil) Grammar

The construction andar + gerúndio describes behavior that has been going on recently and repeatedly — "I've been doing X lately." The verb andar literally means "to walk" or "to go around," and that image of motion through time survives in the periphrasis: the subject "goes around" doing something over a recent stretch of days or weeks. It is one of the most distinctively Brazilian aspectual constructions, and it carries a colouring that estar + gerúndio (the plain progressive) does not.

This page explains what andar + gerúndio means, the subtle evaluative tone it often carries, and how it overlaps with — but differs from — the present perfect (pretérito perfeito composto, tenho estudado).

The core meaning: recent, repeated behavior

When you say ando estudando muito, you don't mean "I am studying right now." You mean "lately, over recent days, I've been studying a lot — it's a pattern in my current life." The action is spread over a recent span of time and recurs, rather than happening at this exact instant.

Eu ando estudando muito ultimamente.

I've been studying a lot lately.

A gente anda saindo bastante nos fins de semana.

We've been going out a lot on weekends.

Ele anda chegando atrasado todo dia.

He's been showing up late every day.

Compare the plain progressive estar + gerúndio: estou estudando zooms in on this moment ("I'm studying right now"). Andar + gerúndio zooms out to a recent period and a recurring pattern. For the basic progressive, see Estar + Gerúndio.

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Estar + gerúndio = right now, in this moment. Andar + gerúndio = lately, over a recent stretch, again and again. The difference is snapshot vs. recent pattern.

The evaluative colouring: a note of comment

Here is the nuance learners miss. Andar + gerúndio very often carries a mild evaluative or critical tone — the speaker is noticing the behavior and quietly commenting on it, frequently with a hint of concern, disapproval, or surprise. The "going around" image lends itself to "he's been going around doing X" — which in English already sounds a touch judgmental.

A Marta anda dizendo umas coisas estranhas sobre você.

Marta's been saying some strange things about you (and that's worth flagging).

Você anda dormindo mal? Está com olheiras.

Have you been sleeping badly lately? You've got dark circles.

Esse menino anda andando com gente esquisita.

That boy's been hanging around with weird people.

That last example is a Brazilian favorite: andar andando com (literally "to go around going around with") = "to be hanging out with," almost always with a raised eyebrow. The construction is the natural home for gossip, worry, and gentle reproach.

That said, the evaluative tone is a tendency, not a rule. Andar + gerúndio is perfectly neutral in plenty of sentences — ando lendo um livro ótimo ("I've been reading a great book") carries no criticism at all. The "going around" flavour is a frequent connotation, available when the context invites it, not an obligatory meaning.

Andar + gerúndio vs. the present perfect (tenho feito)

Both andar + gerúndio and the pretérito perfeito composto (tenho estudado) describe an action repeated over a recent period reaching the present. They genuinely overlap, and in many sentences either works. The differences are register and nuance.

	tenho estudado (perfeito composto)	ando estudando (andar + gerúndio)
Register	Neutral, slightly more formal/written	More colloquial, conversational
Connotation	Neutral repetition over recent time	"Going around," visible behavior, often evaluative
Feel	Reports a recent pattern	Observes and comments on a recent pattern

Tenho trabalhado demais este mês.

I've been working too much this month. (neutral report)

Ando trabalhando demais este mês.

I've been working too much this month. (more conversational, a hint of complaint)

The two are close enough that a Brazilian would accept either. But in casual speech, andar + gerúndio is heard far more often than the somewhat bookish tenho trabalhado. For the full picture of the compound past, see Composto vs Perfeito.

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If you want to sound natural and conversational about a recent habit, reach for andar + gerúndio before the tenho + particípio form. Brazilians use ando pensando and ando fazendo constantly in everyday talk.

Tenses and structure

Andar is a regular -ar verb, so the periphrasis is easy to form: conjugate andar for the subject and tense, then add the gerund of the main verb. The construction lives most naturally in the present and the imperfect.

Tense of andar	Example	Gloss
Presente	Eu ando pensando em mudar de emprego.	I've been thinking about changing jobs.
Pretérito imperfeito	Naquela época, ela andava saindo muito.	Back then, she was going out a lot.
1ª pessoa plural	Andamos pensando em vender a casa.	We've been thinking about selling the house.

Ando pensando muito no que você falou.

I've been thinking a lot about what you said.

Andamos pensando em vender a casa, mas ainda não decidimos.

We've been thinking about selling the house, but we haven't decided yet.

Note the spelling of the gerund forms — they are a frequent slip for learners: pensando, dizendo, saindo, estudando, olhando, falando, vindo. The endings are -ando (for -ar verbs), -endo (for -er verbs), and -indo (for -ir verbs). For the rules, see Forming the Gerund.

Common Mistakes

The errors below are classic English-speaker problems: confusing andar with the plain progressive, taking andar literally as "walk," and mangling the gerund spelling.

❌ Neste momento, eu ando estudando.

Wrong tense for 'right now' — 'andar + gerúndio' means 'lately', not 'this instant'.

✅ Neste momento, eu estou estudando.

Right now, I'm studying. (use estar for this instant)

❌ Eu ando estudando para a prova agora mesmo.

Clash — 'agora mesmo' (right this second) contradicts the 'recent-period' meaning of 'andar'.

✅ Eu ando estudando bastante para a prova.

I've been studying a lot for the test (over recent days).

❌ Ela anda dizendo coisas estranhas enquanto caminha.

Misreads 'andar' as literal walking — here 'andar' is purely aspectual; the literal-walking reading is wrong.

✅ Ela anda dizendo coisas estranhas.

She's been saying strange things lately.

❌ Eu ando pensar em mudar de emprego.

Incorrect — 'andar' takes the gerund, not the infinitive.

✅ Eu ando pensando em mudar de emprego.

I've been thinking about changing jobs.

❌ Nós andamos vindo aqui toda semana.

Awkward gerund choice — 'vindo' is fine in form, but 'andar vindo' is rarely used; Brazilians say 'a gente anda vindo' colloquially or just 'a gente tem vindo'.

✅ A gente tem vindo aqui toda semana.

We've been coming here every week.

A note on that last pair: while andar + gerúndio is highly productive, a handful of verbs — especially vir (to come) and ir (to go) — sound odd in it, because andar is itself a verb of motion and the combination feels redundant. With motion verbs, prefer the tenho + particípio form or just the present.

Key Takeaways

Andar + gerúndio = "I've been doing X lately," over a recent, recurring stretch — not at this exact moment.
It often carries a mild evaluative or "going around" tone, especially in gossip and gentle worry — but neutral uses exist too.
It overlaps with the present perfect (tenho feito) but is more colloquial and more "observed behavior."
Andar is conjugated; the main verb stays in the gerund (-ando / -endo / -indo).
Use estar + gerúndio for "right now"; reserve andar for recent patterns. Avoid it with motion verbs like vir and ir.

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