Andar (To Walk) — Full Conjugation

Andar is one of those small words that does enormous work in Portuguese. Its core meaning is to walk, but in practice it behaves more like a general-purpose verb of motion, activity, and being in a state over time. You use andar to say "I walk to work," "I ride a bike," "I've been feeling tired lately," "Are they dating?" and "How are things going?" — all with the same verb.

In European Portuguese, the construction andar a + infinitive is one of the most useful patterns you can learn. It means "to have been (doing X)" over a period — an ongoing activity stretching into the present. Say ando a estudar português and every Portuguese speaker instantly knows you have been studying Portuguese for a while and are still at it.

Mechanically, andar is fully regular in every conjugated form — no stem changes, no spelling changes, regular past participle. Unlike Spanish andar (which has an irregular preterite anduve), Portuguese andar is regular throughout: andei, andaste, andou, andámos, andaram. This is a welcome simplification for Spanish speakers.

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Present indicative — presente do indicativo

Ando para o trabalho a pé = I walk to work.

Imperfect indicative — pretérito imperfeito

Andava muito deprimido naquela altura = I was really down at that time. This is a classic use of the imperfect — a state stretched across time.

Preterite indicative — pretérito perfeito simples

Spanish speakers take note: Portuguese andei and andou are regular, unlike Spanish anduve and anduvo. Do not transfer the Spanish irregular preterite into Portuguese. Keep the EP acute: andámos ≠ andamos.

Pluperfect indicative, simple — pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples

Pluperfect indicative, compound — pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto

Present perfect — pretérito perfeito composto

This tense fits andar naturally — repeated or ongoing activity up to now. But Portuguese usually prefers the sharper andar a + inf construction for the same idea.

Tenho andado cansado ultimamente = I have been tired lately (literally, "I have been walking tired") — a standard idiomatic way to describe a recent state of being.

Simple future — futuro do indicativo simples

Future perfect — futuro perfeito

Conditional — condicional

Conditional perfect — condicional composto

Present subjunctive — presente do conjuntivo

Imperfect subjunctive — imperfeito do conjuntivo

Future subjunctive — futuro do conjuntivo

Present perfect subjunctive — pretérito perfeito do conjuntivo

Pluperfect subjunctive — pretérito mais-que-perfeito do conjuntivo

Future perfect subjunctive — futuro perfeito do conjuntivo

Imperative — imperativo

Affirmative:

Negative:

Two vital colloquial uses of the imperative:

• Anda lá! — Come on! (encouragement or impatience)
• Anda cá! — Come here!

Personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal

Compound personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal composto

The five essential uses of andar

1. Literal walking / going on foot

The simplest use — to walk, to go on foot.

2. Andar de + vehicle / means of transport

"To ride" or "to travel by" a vehicle. This is the EP way to say "ride a bike," "take the bus," etc.

Note: andar de comboio / de carro / de bicicleta / de metro / de avião — the preposition is de.

3. Andar a + infinitive — "to have been (doing)"

This is the EP continuous-progressive construction for extended activities. It means "to have been (doing X)" — an ongoing activity. Brazilian Portuguese would typically say estar + gerúndio (estou fazendo); EP says estar a + inf for short-term progressives and andar a + inf for longer-running ones.

4. Andar com — "to be dating / hanging out with"

Combined with a person, andar com often means "to be dating" (casually) or "to be spending time with."

Context disambiguates: ando com a avó todos os domingos (I spend time with my grandmother every Sunday) is not dating.

5. Andar bem / mal — "to be doing well / badly"

An everyday way to say how things are going — for a person, a project, or a situation.

Other useful collocations

• andar à procura de — to be looking for
• andar à toa — to wander aimlessly
• andar depressa / devagar — to walk quickly / slowly
• andar nos/as + nouns — to be around (a number): ando pelos trinta = I'm around thirty
• andar + com (illness) — to have (a condition): ando com uma gripe = I've got the flu
• anda! — come on! / hurry up!

Example sentences in context

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Andar is fully regular in European Portuguese — do not transfer Spanish anduve.
• Its literal meaning is to walk, but it extends to ride (with de + vehicle), be doing lately (with andar a + inf), date / hang out with (with com), and be doing (well/badly).
• Andar a + infinitive is essential EP: "I've been (doing)" as an ongoing activity. Ando a estudar português.
• Anda cá / Anda lá! are essential imperative fixed phrases you will hear constantly.
• EP preterite keeps the acute: andámos (we walked) ≠ andamos (we walk).
• Andar com + person is commonly "to be dating" or "to spend time with" — context decides.