Andar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

The Spanish verb andar means to walk, to go (around). You can learn its forms from the full andar conjugation, but forms on their own are not enough: you need to see the verb in real sentences, in conversation, and in the mistakes people actually make. That is what this page is for. Below you will find example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the common mistakes, a ten-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions learners ask most. One sentence to start: Yo ando al trabajo. — "I walk to work."

Andar example sentences

Everyday use — the present tense

  1. Yo ando al trabajo. — "I walk to work."
  2. Tú andas por el parque. — "you walk through the park."
  3. Él anda todos los días. — "he/she walks every day."
  4. Nosotros andamos con mi perro. — "we walk with my dog."

Talking about the past

  1. Yo anduve todos los días. — "I walked every day."
  2. Él andaba con mi perro. — "he/she used to walk with my dog."
  3. Nosotros anduvimos despacio por la playa. — "we walked slowly along the beach."

Plans and wishes

  1. Yo andaré despacio por la playa. — "I will walk slowly along the beach."
  2. Tú andarías mucho durante las vacaciones. — "you would walk a lot during the holidays."

More examples with andar

  1. Ayer anduve al trabajo por el parque. — "Yesterday I walked to work through the park."
  2. Mis padres anduvieron mucho durante las vacaciones. — "My parents walked a lot during the holidays."
  3. Anduve despacio por la playa con mi perro. — "I walked slowly along the beach with my dog."
  4. De niño, andaba al colegio todos los días. — "As a child, I used to walk to school every day."
  5. Mañana andaré por el parque con mi hermana. — "Tomorrow I will walk through the park with my sister."
  6. Si no lloviera, andaría al trabajo cada día. — "If it were not raining, I would walk to work every day."

Andar in conversation

Two short dialogues using andar naturally. Read them out loud: hearing the verb in a question and an answer is the fastest way to make the forms stick.

Dialogue 1: making plans

María: ¿Tú andas al trabajo? Carlos: Sí, yo ando al trabajo. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Anda por el parque? Carlos: Sí, él anda por el parque todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú andarás todos los días? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo andaré todos los días.

In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: andas for tú, ando for yo, anda for él. The future forms at the end (andarás, andaré) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.

Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday

Ana: ¿Tú andas con mi perro? Luis: Sí, yo ando con mi perro. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Anda despacio por la playa? Luis: Sí, él anda despacio por la playa todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú anduviste con mi perro? Luis: Sí, ayer yo anduve con mi perro.

Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: anduve for yo, anduviste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.

Common mistakes with andar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Ayer yo andé al trabajo.

Wrong: Ayer yo andé al trabajo.

Right: Ayer yo anduve al trabajo.

Andar has an irregular preterite with the stem anduv-: anduve, anduviste, anduvo, anduvimos, anduvisteis, anduvieron. Andé does not exist.

2. Ellos andaron mucho.

Wrong: Ellos andaron mucho.

Right: Ellos anduvieron mucho.

The ellos preterite is anduvieron, with the same irregular anduv- stem and the -eron ending.

3. Confusing andar with ir

Andar means to walk, on foot. Ir means to go, by any means. Ando al trabajo means I walk there; voy al trabajo could mean by car, bus or on foot.

4. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo ando al trabajo.

Right: Ayer yo anduve al trabajo.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: anduve. The present describes what you do now or usually.

Quiz: andar in use

Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.

  1. Tú ___ al trabajo (present)
    • a) andas
    • b) ando
    • c) anda
    • d) andamos
  2. Nosotros ___ por el parque (preterite)
    • a) anduve
    • b) anduviste
    • c) anduvo
    • d) anduvimos
  3. Ellos ___ todos los días (imperfect)
    • a) andabas
    • b) andaba
    • c) andaban
    • d) andaba
  4. Tú ___ con mi perro (future)
    • a) andaremos
    • b) andarás
    • c) andaré
    • d) andará
  5. Nosotros ___ despacio por la playa (conditional)
    • a) andaríamos
    • b) andaría
    • c) andarías
    • d) andaría
  6. Ellos ___ mucho durante las vacaciones (present)
    • a) ando
    • b) andas
    • c) anda
    • d) andan
  7. Tú ___ al trabajo (preterite)
    • a) anduvo
    • b) anduvimos
    • c) anduviste
    • d) anduve
  8. Nosotros ___ por el parque (imperfect)
    • a) andaba
    • b) andábamos
    • c) andaba
    • d) andabas
  9. Ellos ___ todos los días (future)
    • a) andarán
    • b) andaré
    • c) andarás
    • d) andará
  10. Tú ___ con mi perro (conditional)
  • a) andaría
  • b) andaría
  • c) andaríamos
  • d) andarías

Answers

  1. a) andas — the present form, for tú.
  2. d) anduvimos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
  3. c) andaban — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
  4. b) andarás — the future form, for tú.
  5. a) andaríamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
  6. d) andan — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) anduviste — the preterite form, for tú.
  8. b) andábamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
  9. a) andarán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
  10. d) andarías — the conditional form, for tú.

Frequently asked questions about andar

Why is the preterite anduve and not andé?

Andar is irregular in the preterite: it takes the stem anduv- and the -er/-ir preterite endings. That is why you get anduve, anduviste, anduvo, anduvimos, anduvisteis, anduvieron.

Is andar regular in the present?

Yes, in the present andar is regular: ando, andas, anda, andamos, andáis, andan. The irregularity is only in the preterite and the imperfect subjunctive built on it.

What are the gerund and the past participle of andar?

The gerund is andando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy andando), and the past participle is andado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he andado).

Is andar regular?

Not entirely: andar has irregular forms, listed on its conjugation page. The present is ando, andas, anda, andamos, andáis, andan, and the full tables are on the andar conjugation page.

How to remember andar

Four small habits will fix andar in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: ando, andas, anda, andamos, andáis, andan. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (ando), one about yesterday with the preterite (anduve), and one about tomorrow with the future (andaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from ir: Andar means to walk, on foot. Ir means to go, by any means. Ando al trabajo means I walk there; voy al trabajo could mean by car, bus or on foot. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund andando and the past participle andado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy andando) and the present perfect (he andado), which covers most everyday conversation.

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