Learn Spanish (Spain): Ando buscando el monedero negro, no el de mi madre. - I am going around looking for the black coin purse, not my mother's.

Word

Ando buscando el monedero negro, no el de mi madre.

Meaning

I am going around looking for the black coin purse, not my mother's.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Spanish (Spain)

Lesson

Going around doing something (andar...)

Breakdown of Ando buscando el monedero negro, no el de mi madre.

negro

black

no / not

Questions & Answers about Ando buscando el monedero negro, no el de mi madre.

Why use ando buscando here instead of just estoy buscando?

While estoy buscando just means 'I am looking for', using the verb andar (to walk or go around) plus a gerund like buscando emphasizes that the action is dispersed, repetitive, or taking place here and there. It gives the feeling of going all over the place looking for the coin purse.

Does ando buscando mean I am literally walking around while searching?

Often yes, but not necessarily! The andar plus gerundio structure is frequently used metaphorically to mean you are continuously or repeatedly doing something over a period of time, even if you are sitting still at a desk. In this specific context, though, it likely means physically going around the house looking for it.

What does the el in no el de mi madre refer to, and why not use lo?

Here, el replaces the masculine singular noun monedero so you do not have to repeat it, meaning literally 'the one of my mother'. You must match the gender and number of the omitted noun. Lo is only used for abstract concepts or unnamed ideas, not for a specific physical object like a coin purse.

Why is it no el de mi madre rather than using sino?