Andar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

andar — to walk — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to walk and to go on foot, and it also appears in expressions for how things are going. It is completely regular: ando, andas, anda, andamos, andais, andam. Do not confuse it with ir, which means to go in general, or with correr, which means to run. On this page you will find andar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the andar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the andar present tense page.

Example sentences with andar

In the present tense

  • “Eu ando a pé todos os dias.” — “I walk on foot”
  • “Tu andas a pé todos os dias.” — “You walk on foot”
  • “Ele anda a pé todos os dias.” — “He walks on foot”
  • “Nós andamos a pé todos os dias.” — “We walk on foot”
  • “Vós andais a pé todos os dias.” — “You walk on foot”
  • “Eles andam a pé todos os dias.” — “They walk on foot”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu andei a pé ontem.” — “I walked on foot”
  • “Tu andaste a pé ontem.” — “You walked on foot”
  • “Ele andou a pé ontem.” — “He walked on foot”
  • “Nós andámos a pé ontem.” — “We walked on foot”
  • “Vós andastes a pé ontem.” — “You walked on foot”
  • “Eles andaram a pé ontem.” — “They walked on foot”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu andava a pé antigamente.” — “I used to walk on foot”
  • “Tu andarás a pé amanhã.” — “You will walk on foot”
  • “Ele andaria a pé um dia.” — “He would walk on foot”
  • “É importante que nós andemos a pé.” — “It is important that we walk on foot”
  • “Anda a pé!” — “Walk on foot!”

How andar is used

The first thing to know about andar is its core meaning: to walk. It means to walk and to go on foot, and it also appears in expressions for how things are going. It is completely regular: ando, andas, anda, andamos, andais, andam. Do not confuse it with ir, which means to go in general, or with correr, which means to run. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company andar keeps. The present eu form is ando, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho andado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what andar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need ando, never andar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho andado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle andado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Andar in context

Eu ando a pé todos os dias. Tu andas a pé todos os dias. Ele anda a pé todos os dias. Nós andamos a pé todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of andar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — ando, andas, anda, andamos — while the meaning stays the same: to walk. Eu andei a pé ontem. Tu andaste a pé ontem. Ele andou a pé ontem. Nós andámos a pé ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of andar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to walk — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu andar a pé.”

✓ Right: “Eu ando a pé todos os dias.”

The infinitive andar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form ando.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu andas a pé.”

✓ Right: “Eu ando a pé todos os dias.”

andas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is ando — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu ando a pé ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu andei a pé ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito andei here, not the present ando.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou andado a pé.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho andado a pé esta semana.”

andar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho andado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on andar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of andar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ando
    • B) andas
    • C) anda
    • D) andamos

  2. What is the eu form of andar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens andado
    • B) tem andado
    • C) tenho andado
    • D) temos andado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of andar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) andavas
    • B) andávamos
    • C) andáveis
    • D) andava

  4. What is the nós form of andar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) andaremos
    • B) andarei
    • C) andarás
    • D) andará

  5. What is the tu form of andar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) andaria
    • B) andarias
    • C) andaríamos
    • D) andaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of andar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) andaras
    • B) andáramos
    • C) andara
    • D) andáreis

  7. What is the nós form of andar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) ande
    • B) andes
    • C) andeis
    • D) andemos

  8. What is the gerund of andar?

    • A) andando
    • B) andado
    • C) andar
    • D) ando

  9. What is the past participle of andar?

    • A) andando
    • B) andado
    • C) andar
    • D) ando

  10. What does andar mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to walk
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) andas — the correct form is andas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho andado — the correct form is tenho andado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) andava — the correct form is andava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) andaremos — the correct form is andaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) andarias — the correct form is andarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) andara — the correct form is andara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) andemos — the correct form is andemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) andando — the correct form is andando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) andado — the correct form is andado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to walk — the correct form is to walk. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does andar mean in English?

andar means “to walk”. You use it whenever you talk about to walk in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is andar regular or irregular?

andar is regular. andar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of andar?

The gerund is andando and the past participle is andado. The perfect tenses use ter + andado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of andar?

On the andar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The andar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for andar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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