Introduction

Andare means “to go”, and this page covers exactly one thing: andare in the passato prossimo. The passato prossimo is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full passato prossimo table for andare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about andare in the passato prossimo. It is the verb of movement, and it also appears in expressions for how things are going and in the near future with the infinitive. It takes essere in the passato prossimo, and its present and future forms are irregular, with the stem changing completely in the singular. For example: “Lui è andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “He has gone to school.” Everything on this page uses the forms of andare exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Andare in the Passato prossimo — full table

Person Form
io sono andato
tu sei andato
lui/lei è andato
noi siamo andato
voi siete andato
loro sono andato
Gerund: andando · Past participle: andato
The gerund is andando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Andando a scuola, imparo molto.” — “While going to school, I learn a lot.” The past participle is andato, which you use with essere in the perfect tenses: sono andato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the passato prossimo is only one part of how andare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for andare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the passato prossimo of andare is formed

The passato prossimo of andare is formed with the auxiliary essere in the present plus the past participle andato: io sono andato, tu sei andato, lui è andato, noi siamo andato, voi siete andato, loro sono andato. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Two things about the passato prossimo of andare are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that andare takes essere, the rest is the present of essere plus one participle, and the same participle serves all four perfect tenses. Second, the passato prossimo is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ieri, questa settimana and l'anno scorso — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

Because the participle andato never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of andare is cheap to learn once the auxiliary is fixed. Learn the six auxiliary forms, add the participle, and the whole tense is yours.

When to use the passato prossimo of andare

The passato prossimo is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use andare in the passato prossimo most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The passato prossimo describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Italian. When the action has a clear end, the passato prossimo is the natural choice. Example: “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “I have gone to school.”

2. Recent events

Use the passato prossimo for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Lui è andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “He has gone to school.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the passato prossimo. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Noi siamo andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “We have gone to school.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the passato prossimo for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu sei andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “You have gone to school.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the passato prossimo carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Loro sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “They have gone to school.”

Passato Prossimo vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the passato prossimo is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the passato prossimo describes one finished action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the passato prossimo sentences use words such as ieri or questa settimana, while the imperfect sentences use una volta or ogni giorno.

  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui è andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “He has gone to school”
  • Imperfect: “Lui andava a scuola una volta.” — “He used to go to school”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “I have gone to school”
  • Imperfect: “Io andavo a scuola una volta.” — “I used to go to school”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu sei andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “You have gone to school”
  • Imperfect: “Tu andavi a scuola una volta.” — “You used to go to school”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

Example sentences: andare in the passato prossimo

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “I have gone to school”
  2. “Tu sei andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “You have gone to school”
  3. “Lui è andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “He has gone to school”
  4. “Noi siamo andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “We have gone to school”
  5. “Voi siete andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “You have gone to school”
  6. “Loro sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “They have gone to school”
  7. “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “I have gone to school”
  8. “Lui è andato a scuola questa settimana.” — “He has gone to school”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io ho andato a scuola.” Right: “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” Why: andare takes essere in the passato prossimo, not the other auxiliary. The io form is sono andato — check the auxiliary before you build the tense.
  • Wrong: “Io vado a scuola ieri.” Right: “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo sono andato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io sono andando a scuola.” Right: “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” Why: The passato prossimo needs the past participle andato, not the gerund andando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary.
  • Wrong: “Io andare a scuola.” Right: “Io sono andato a scuola questa settimana.” Why: The infinitive andare never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After io you need the conjugated passato prossimo form sono andato.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei andato
    • B) sono andato
    • C) è andato
    • D) siamo andato

  2. What is the tu form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sono andato
    • B) è andato
    • C) sei andato
    • D) siamo andato

  3. What is the lui/lei form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sono andato
    • B) sei andato
    • C) siamo andato
    • D) è andato

  4. What is the noi form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) siamo andato
    • B) sono andato
    • C) sei andato
    • D) è andato

  5. What is the voi form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sono andato
    • B) siete andato
    • C) sei andato
    • D) è andato

  6. What is the loro form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei andato
    • B) è andato
    • C) sono andato
    • D) siamo andato

  7. What is the io form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei andato
    • B) è andato
    • C) siamo andato
    • D) sono andato

  8. What is the tu form of andare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) sei andato
    • B) sono andato
    • C) è andato
    • D) siamo andato

Answer key

  1. B) sono andato — the correct form is sono andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) sei andato — the correct form is sei andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) è andato — the correct form is è andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) siamo andato — the correct form is siamo andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) siete andato — the correct form is siete andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) sono andato — the correct form is sono andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) sono andato — the correct form is sono andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) sei andato — the correct form is sei andato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does andare mean in English?

andare means “to go”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -are verb.

How is the passato prossimo of andare formed?

With the auxiliary essere in the present plus the past participle andato: io sono andato, tu sei andato, lui è andato, noi siamo andato, voi siete andato, loro sono andato.

When do I use the passato prossimo instead of the imperfect?

Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. Use the imperfect for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

What are the gerund and past participle of andare?

The gerund is andando and the past participle is andato. The perfect tenses use essere + andato.

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