Andar Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb andar means to walk, to go (around), and this page covers it in the preterite tense — the tense for actions that started and finished in the past. If you want the whole picture, start with the full andar conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo anduve al trabajo. — "I walked to work."
No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for andar, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.
The andar preterite tense table
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for andar. The gerund is andando and the past participle is andado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | anduve |
| tú | anduviste |
| él/ella/Ud. | anduvo |
| nosotros/as | anduvimos |
| vosotros/as | anduvisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | anduvieron |
The gerund andando is used with estar for the progressive (estoy andando, I am walking), and the past participle andado is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he andado, I have walked).
How the preterite tense of andar is formed
Start with the infinitive andar. Take off the -ar ending and you are left with the stem and-. Then add the preterite endings for -ar verbs: -é (yo), -aste (tú), -ó (él/ella/Ud.), -amos (nosotros/as), -asteis (vosotros/as) and -aron (ellos/ellas/Uds.). The preterite endings are stressed, which is why most of them carry a written accent: anduve, anduvo, anduvieron.
andar is not fully regular in the preterite. The forms that break the regular pattern are: anduve (yo), anduviste (tú), anduvo (él/ella/Ud.), anduvimos (nosotros/as), anduvisteis (vosotros/as), anduvieron (ellos/ellas/Uds.). Learn those forms on their own; the rest of the tense follows the regular endings above.
When to use the preterite tense of andar
A completed action
The preterite is the tense of actions that started and finished. Talking about walking as transport: to work, to school, through the park.
- Yo anduve al trabajo. — "I walked to work."
- Tú anduviste por el parque. — "you walked through the park."
A sequence of actions
When several things happened one after another, the preterite carries the story forward. Talking about walking for pleasure or exercise, with a dog or along the beach.
- Él anduvo todos los días. — "he/she walked every day."
- Nosotros anduvimos con mi perro. — "we walked with my dog."
An action at a specific time
The preterite pairs naturally with time expressions that pin an action down: ayer, anoche, el año pasado, la semana pasada. Talking about how far or how long someone walked on a particular day, which is where the preterite comes in.
- Vosotros anduvisteis despacio por la playa. — "you (all) walked slowly along the beach."
- Ellos anduvieron mucho durante las vacaciones. — "they walked a lot during the holidays."
A sudden change or interruption
The preterite also marks a sudden change or an action that interrupted something else. It is the tense that moves a story from one event to the next.
- Él anduvo todos los días. — "he/she walked every day."
- Nosotros anduvimos con mi perro. — "we walked with my dog."
Andar preterite vs imperfect
The preterite and the imperfect are the two past tenses, and choosing between them is one of the biggest challenges in Spanish. The preterite is for a single finished action. The imperfect is for a repeated, habitual or background action, with no clear end. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is one finished event, the second is a habit from the past.
Preterite (one finished action): Yo anduve ayer al trabajo. — "I walked to work yesterday."
Imperfect (a habit): De niño, yo andaba al trabajo. — "I used to walk to work as a child."
Preterite (one finished action): Tú anduviste anoche por el parque. — "you walked through the park last night."
Imperfect (a habit): Todos los días, tú andabas por el parque. — "you used to walk through the park every day."
Preterite (one finished action): Él anduvo la semana pasada con mi perro. — "he/she walked with my dog last week."
Imperfect (a habit): Cuando era joven, él andaba con mi perro. — "he/she used to walk with my dog when I was young."
A useful rule: if you can add "yesterday" or "last night" and the sentence still makes sense, you probably want the preterite. If you can add "used to" or "every day back then", you probably want the imperfect. For more practice with this choice, try the preterite vs imperfect tool.
Examples of andar in the preterite
Eight sentences in the preterite tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.
- Ayer anduve al trabajo por el parque. — "Yesterday I walked to work through the park."
- Mis padres anduvieron mucho durante las vacaciones. — "My parents walked a lot during the holidays."
- Anduve despacio por la playa con mi perro. — "I walked slowly along the beach with my dog."
- De niño, andaba al colegio todos los días. — "As a child, I used to walk to school every day."
- Mañana andaré por el parque con mi hermana. — "Tomorrow I will walk through the park with my sister."
- Si no lloviera, andaría al trabajo cada día. — "If it were not raining, I would walk to work every day."
- Él anduvo despacio por la playa. — "he/she walked slowly along the beach."
- Nosotros anduvimos mucho durante las vacaciones. — "we walked a lot during the holidays."
Common mistakes with andar in the preterite
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. Using a regular preterite for andar
Wrong: Ayer yo andé al trabajo.
Right: Ayer yo anduve al trabajo.
Andar has an irregular preterite stem, anduv-: anduve, anduviste, anduvo, anduvimos, anduvisteis, anduvieron. There is no form andé.
4. Using the imperfect for a single finished action
Wrong: Ayer yo andaba al trabajo.
Right: Ayer yo anduve al trabajo.
Ayer points to one finished action, so the preterite is right: anduve. The imperfect andaba would describe a repeated or background action, not a single completed event.
Quiz: test yourself on andar in the preterite
Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.
- Yo ___ al trabajo
- a) anduve
- b) anduviste
- c) anduvo
- d) anduvimos
- Tú ___ por el parque
- a) anduve
- b) anduvo
- c) anduvimos
- d) anduviste
- Él ___ todos los días
- a) anduviste
- b) anduvimos
- c) anduvo
- d) anduve
- Nosotros ___ con mi perro
- a) anduvo
- b) anduvimos
- c) anduve
- d) anduviste
- Vosotros ___ despacio por la playa
- a) anduvisteis
- b) anduve
- c) anduviste
- d) anduvo
- Ellos ___ mucho durante las vacaciones
- a) anduve
- b) anduviste
- c) anduvo
- d) anduvieron
- Yo ___ al trabajo
- a) anduvo
- b) anduvimos
- c) anduve
- d) anduviste
- Tú ___ por el parque
- a) anduvimos
- b) anduviste
- c) anduve
- d) anduvo
Answers
- a) anduve — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
- d) anduviste — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
- c) anduvo — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
- b) anduvimos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
- a) anduvisteis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
- d) anduvieron — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
- c) anduve — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
- b) anduviste — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
Frequently asked questions about andar in the preterite
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.
Is andar regular in the preterite?
Yes. andar is regular in the preterite: the six forms are the stem and- plus the regular endings, with no stem change. The only thing to watch is the written accent on the stressed endings, for example anduve.
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).
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.
Related pages
- Andar conjugation: full tables — every tense of andar on one page.
- Andar examples and quiz — more sentences and a longer quiz on andar.
- Spanish Preterite tense guide — the whole tense explained with a regular model verb.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the preterite.
- Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Preterite vs imperfect — the tool for choosing between the two past tenses.