If estar a + infinitive is the lens that zooms in on "right now, this moment," then andar a + infinitive is the wide shot that takes in the last several weeks or months of your life. Ando a aprender português does not mean "I am learning Portuguese right now, at this instant"; it means "I have been learning Portuguese lately — it is something in my recent life." This is one of the most distinctively European Portuguese periphrases, with no neat English equivalent and no direct Brazilian mirror. It carries iterative, habitual, stretched-over-time meaning, and a native EP speaker reaches for it constantly. This page explains the form, the crucial semantic contrast with estar a + inf, and the situations where andar a is the only natural choice.
The core idea
Both estar a + inf and andar a + inf translate into the English progressive be doing, so English speakers tend to flatten them into a single category. Portuguese keeps them distinct through a precise time-profile difference.
- Estar a + inf — the action is in progress right now, in the viewing moment. A snapshot.
- Andar a + inf — the action has been going on across recent time, with real activity spread over days, weeks, or months. A wide-angle shot.
The verb andar literally means "to walk, to go about," and that metaphor bleeds directly into its periphrastic use: ando a fazer algo = "I'm going about doing something," as a recurring activity that fills my recent life. The English "I've been doing X lately" is often the closest match.
Ando a ler um livro de Saramago.
I've been reading a Saramago book (over the last several days, not necessarily right now).
Estou a ler um livro de Saramago.
I'm reading a Saramago book (right now, open on my lap).
The two can both appear in the same conversation — the speaker switches from the zoomed-in to the wide shot depending on what is being foregrounded.
The three slots
| Slot | What fills it | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| auxiliary | andar, in some tense | conjugates for person, number, tense |
| linker | a (plain preposition) | never changes |
| main verb | bare infinitive | never changes form |
Andas a trabalhar muito ultimamente?
Have you been working a lot lately?
Paradigm across the key tenses
Andar is a regular -ar verb throughout the paradigm in modern European Portuguese. (A historical footnote: older grammars sometimes listed andar among the irregulars because of an earlier strong-preterite form, and Spanish still preserves one — anduve. Portuguese long ago regularised all of it.) Once you know the forms, the periphrasis drops right into place.
Present — "I've been doing lately"
| Subject | andar (present) | Example with estudar |
|---|---|---|
| eu | ando | ando a estudar |
| tu | andas | andas a estudar |
| ele / ela / você | anda | anda a estudar |
| nós | andamos | andamos a estudar |
| eles / elas / vocês | andam | andam a estudar |
Note that despite the present-tense form, the meaning reaches back into recent time. Ando a estudar is not "I am studying right now" but "I have been studying (over the recent past, still ongoing)." The present of andar functions here as an English have been perfect-progressive.
Ando a dormir mal por causa do barulho lá fora.
I've been sleeping badly because of the noise outside.
Os miúdos andam a chegar tarde a casa.
The kids have been coming home late.
Preterite — "was going around doing (for a while)"
| Subject | andar (preterite) | Example with procurar |
|---|---|---|
| eu | andei | andei a procurar |
| tu | andaste | andaste a procurar |
| ele / ela / você | andou | andou a procurar |
| nós | andámos | andámos a procurar |
| eles / elas / vocês | andaram | andaram a procurar |
Andar in the preterite is regular — andei, andaste, andou, andámos, andaram. (This is sometimes listed among the irregulars in older grammars, but in modern EP it is treated as a fully regular -ar preterite.) The nós form takes the acute accent: andámos.
Andei a procurar as chaves a manhã toda.
I was looking for the keys all morning (searching repeatedly, going place to place).
No verão passado andámos a viajar pelo Alentejo durante três semanas.
Last summer we travelled around the Alentejo for three weeks.
The preterite of andar a + inf frames a closed stretch of iterative activity. It is perfect for summarising trips, projects, or phases — "for a while I was doing X, and then it ended."
Imperfect — "was in the habit of / was going around doing"
| Subject | andar (imperfect) | Example with treinar |
|---|---|---|
| eu | andava | andava a treinar |
| tu | andavas | andavas a treinar |
| ele / ela / você | andava | andava a treinar |
| nós | andávamos | andávamos a treinar |
| eles / elas / vocês | andavam | andavam a treinar |
Nessa altura andava a treinar todos os dias para a meia-maratona.
At that time I was training every day for the half-marathon.
Future, conditional, subjunctive
Se continuarmos assim, vamos andar a trabalhar aos fins de semana.
If we keep going like this, we'll end up working weekends (on a regular basis).
Se pudesse, andaria a viajar pelo mundo inteiro.
If I could, I'd be travelling the world.
Não queria que os filhos andassem a ver televisão até tão tarde.
She didn't want the kids to be watching TV so late (as a recurring pattern).
Andar a vs estar a — the subtle semantic difference
This is the contrast that matters most, and English speakers find it genuinely hard because English collapses both readings into be V-ing. Here is the distinction, sharpened.
The snapshot vs the wide shot
Estar a + inf places the action at a point — usually "now," sometimes "then" when the tense of estar is past. The camera is zoomed in on a single moment. Andar a + inf stretches the action over a recent interval and presents it as a recurrent pattern during that interval.
| Contrast | Estar a + inf | Andar a + inf |
|---|---|---|
| time profile | point / moment | extended interval, recurrent |
| typical English | am doing (right now) | have been doing (lately) |
| compatible adverbs | agora, neste momento, já, ainda | ultimamente, nestes dias, há dois meses, desde… |
| typical answer to | "What are you doing?" | "How's life? / What have you been up to?" |
— O que é que estás a fazer? — Estou a cozinhar, ligo-te depois.
— What are you doing? — I'm cooking, I'll call you back. (point: right now)
— O que é que tens andado a fazer? — Ando a aprender a cozinhar pratos portugueses.
— What have you been up to? — I've been learning to cook Portuguese dishes. (interval: over recent weeks)
Duration expressions
Portuguese almost always marks duration ("for three months," "since January") with há plus the present tense, and the natural periphrasis in that frame is andar a + inf, not estar a + inf.
Ando a estudar português há seis meses.
I've been studying Portuguese for six months.
Desde janeiro que ando a tentar marcar esta consulta.
Since January I've been trying to make this appointment.
❌ Estou a estudar português há seis meses.
Dispreferred — for a six-month ongoing activity, the extended progressive andar a is more idiomatic. Estar a zooms in too tightly.
✅ Ando a estudar português há seis meses.
I've been studying Portuguese for six months.
This is one of the most common English-speaker errors in EP: over-extending estar a to cover long, recurring activities that really want andar a.
With actions that do not happen right now
Ando a escrever um livro does not mean the book is open in front of me right now. It means the project of writing the book is currently in my life — I work on it in the evenings, I think about it, I've been at it for months. The verb escrever in the moment may not be happening at all when I say the sentence.
Estou a escrever um livro, strictly interpreted, would suggest "I'm writing, right now" — which is odd as a description of a long-term project.
Ando a escrever um livro sobre a minha avó.
I've been writing a book about my grandmother. (project currently in my life)
Estou a escrever um e-mail, dá-me dois minutos.
I'm writing an email, give me two minutes. (happening right now)
Iteration, not literal continuousness
Andar a + inf does not require the action to be literally uninterrupted. Ando a ler aquele livro — I read it on the bus in the mornings, maybe ten minutes a day — is completely natural. The speaker has been engaged with the activity repeatedly over recent time, not continuously. Estar a + inf makes no claim about iteration; it just says the action is happening now.
Ando a tocar guitarra outra vez, depois de muitos anos sem pegar nela.
I've been playing guitar again, after many years without picking it up.
Ando a experimentar restaurantes novos no Cais do Sodré.
I've been trying out new restaurants in Cais do Sodré.
Both sentences describe a pattern of activity spread over recent time — not a single moment.
Andar a vs continuar a — lately vs still
The remaining cousin is continuar a + inf ("still doing"). The three overlap in some contexts, but each has its anchor.
- Estar a + inf — happening right now.
- Andar a + inf — has been happening (iteratively, over recent time).
- Continuar a + inf — is still happening (unbroken continuation from some earlier point).
Ando a estudar para os exames.
I've been studying for the exams. (recent pattern)
Continuo a estudar para os exames.
I'm still studying for the exams. (no break since I started)
Estou a estudar para os exames.
I'm studying for the exams. (right now)
All three are grammatical; each highlights a different dimension. See continuar a + infinitive for the full contrast.
Brazilian Portuguese and the gerund
Andar a + inf is almost exclusively a European Portuguese construction. Brazilian Portuguese uses andar + gerund (ando estudando), which sounds jarringly foreign in Portugal. EP does not use gerund-based progressives at all in this family — see the EP-vs-BP progressive page.
✅ Ando a ler muito ultimamente.
I've been reading a lot lately. (EP)
❌ Ando lendo muito ultimamente.
Incorrect in EP — this is the Brazilian pattern.
Negation
Não precedes the auxiliary.
Não ando a dormir bem há semanas.
I haven't been sleeping well for weeks.
Ela não andava a falar com ninguém sobre isso.
She hadn't been talking to anyone about it.
Object pronouns
Clitics attach to the infinitive by default.
Ando a ouvi-lo nas entrevistas todas as semanas.
I've been listening to him in interviews every week.
Ando a pensar em mudar-me para Espanha.
I've been thinking about moving to Spain.
With a proclisis trigger, the clitic moves in front of andar.
Não me ando a dar bem com ele ultimamente.
I haven't been getting along well with him lately.
Common mistakes
❌ Ando lendo português há seis meses.
Brazilian pattern — EP uses andar a + infinitive.
✅ Ando a ler português há seis meses.
I've been reading Portuguese for six months.
❌ Estou a aprender português há três anos.
Dispreferred — for a three-year ongoing activity, reach for andar a instead.
✅ Ando a aprender português há três anos.
I've been learning Portuguese for three years.
This is the most common trap for English speakers. The English "I've been learning for three years" does not map onto estar a; it maps onto andar a.
❌ O que andas a fazer agora mesmo?
Mismatched — 'agora mesmo' demands the point-in-time andar is not built for. Use estar a for 'right now'.
✅ O que é que estás a fazer agora mesmo?
What are you doing right now?
❌ Ando a estudar ao computador neste momento.
Contradictory — 'neste momento' is a snapshot, but andar a is the wide-shot periphrasis.
✅ Estou a estudar ao computador neste momento.
I'm studying at the computer right now.
❌ Andamos a trabalhar até às onze ontem à noite.
Wrong period — andar a describes iterative or recurring activity, not a single stretch. Use estar a for a bounded evening.
✅ Estivemos a trabalhar até às onze ontem à noite.
We were working until eleven last night.
Save andar a + inf for genuinely recurrent, spread-over-time activity. For a single closed stretch of work on a given evening, use estar a + inf in the preterite.
Key takeaways
- Form: conjugated andar
- a (plain preposition) + bare infinitive.
- Meaning: extended / iterative progressive — the action has been happening across a recent stretch of time. Not a snapshot.
- Key contrast with estar a: estar a + inf = right now; andar a + inf = has been happening lately / recently / habitually. The contrast is obligatory in EP and does not exist in English, which collapses both into be doing.
- With duration phrases (há, desde, ultimamente), andar a + inf is the default. Over-extending estar a + inf to long-running activities is a classic English-speaker error.
- Iteration, not literal continuousness: ando a ler um livro does not mean I'm literally reading right now — it means the reading is a recurring activity in my recent life.
- Brazilian Portuguese uses andar + gerund; EP does not. Stick with the infinitive.
- Clitics: enclitic to the infinitive by default; proclitic to andar under a trigger.
Related Topics
- Periphrastic Verb Constructions: OverviewA2 — A map of the productive verb + preposition + infinitive (and verb + gerund) constructions of European Portuguese — the compact machinery that adds aspect, phase, and modality to any verb.
- Continuar a + Infinitive (Still Doing)A2 — The continuative periphrasis continuar a + infinitive: how European Portuguese says 'still doing' or 'keep on doing', across tenses, with contrasts against voltar a and passar a.
- Ficar a + Infinitive (Remain Doing)B1 — The stative-progressive periphrasis ficar a + infinitive: how European Portuguese says 'stay doing', 'be left doing', or 'remain in the activity', with contrasts against estar a and continuar a.
- Começar a + Infinitive (Start Doing)A2 — The inchoative periphrasis começar a + infinitive: marking the beginning of an action in European Portuguese, with spelling notes on the ç/c switch and contrasts with pôr-se a and passar a.
- Estar a + Infinitive: the European Portuguese ProgressiveA2 — How European Portuguese expresses ongoing actions: not with estar + gerund, but with estar a + infinitive (estou a ler, estás a falar). Full paradigm across tenses, the sister periphrases andar a / continuar a / passar a, and why this construction is the single most important marker of EP speech.