Using the Spanish Verb Andar

In its normal usage, the verb andar means to walk. However, it is often used more broadly with a vague meaning that isnt readily translatable—meaning something along the line of to function, to do, to go along, or even simply to be. Examples of Using Andarfor Walking Here are some examples of the verb being used with its common, most literal meaning: Yo andaba con mi amigo Adry. (I walked with my friend Adry.)Cada maà ±ana, Pedro andaba cuatro kilà ³metros. (Every morning, Pedro walked four kilometers.)Ella anduvo llorando el camino a su casa. (Crying, she walked the road to her house.)Vamos a andar por las calles y los neighborhoods de nuestra ciudad. (We are going to walk through the streets and villages of our city.) In many cases, andar can be used more broadly to mean simply to travel or to go: Todo el mundo andaba a pie pero los de la clase media andà ¡bamos en tranvà ­a. (Everybody traveled by foot, but we in the middle class traveled by streetcar.)Mà ¡s del 70 por ciento de los nià ±os andan en bicicleta. (More than 70 percent of the children bicycle.)Ando tras mi gato, que desaparecià ³. (Im going after my cat, who disappeared.) Andar Meaning ‘To Behave’ Andar can be used to refer acting or behaving in various ways. The reflexive form andarse is often used in this way. Tu nobleza innata no te permità ­a andar con malicia ni trampear. (Your innate honor doesnt allow you to behave maliciously nor to cheat people.)  Se andaron muy estrictos en mantener el anonimato absoluto. (They acted in a very disciplined fashion to maintain absolute anonymity.)  Los empleadores chinos se andan con cautela. (The Chinese employers are behaving cautiously.) Andar Meaning ‘To Function’ When a thing is the subject of the sentence, andar can be used to mean to function (much like the English verb to run can sometimes be used in the same way). Si se humedece esa motocicleta no anda. (If it gets wet, that motorcycle doesnt run.)Hay seà ±ales que no anda bien la conexià ³n. (There are signs that the connection isnt working well.)Mi telà ©fono no anda para llamar a ciertos nà ºmeros. (My telephone doesnt work for calling certain numbers.) Using Andar With a Gerund When followed by a gerund (a verb form ending in -ando or -endo), andar can mean something similar to go about. It can even be less specific in terms of action than that, serving as kind of a substitute for estar, forming a kind of a continuous tense. Translation will depend largely on the context. Andaba hablando consigo mismo. (He went around talking to himself.)Ahora nadie anda comprando esas blusas. (Now nobody is buying those blouses.)Habà ­a una gran piara de cerdos, que andaban comiendo en la falda del monte. (There was a large herd of pigs that were going about eating on the mountainside.)Los astrà ³nomos, que siempre andan estudiando el cielo, han llegado a pensar que muchas de las estrellas pueden tener planetas. (Astronomers, who are always studying the sky, have come to believe that many of the stars could have planets.) Andar Translated as ‘To Be’ In some cases, andar has vague enough of a meaning that it can be translated as to be.  ¿Andas por aquà ­? (Are you from around here?)Ahora se estima que la inversià ³n andarà ¡ por los $30 millones. (Now it is estimated that the investment must be about $30 million.)Silvia hoy anda por los 43 aà ±os. (Sylvia today is 43 years old.)Muchas veces anda mal de dinero. (Hes often short on money.)Mi madre anda muy preocupada. (My mother is very worried.)Mi tà ­o andaba borracho. (My uncle was drunk.) Conjugation and Etymology of Andar Andar is irregular in the indicative preterite (yo anduve, tà º anduviste, à ©l/ella/usted anduvo, nosotros/nosotras anduvimos, vosotros/vosotras anduvisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes anduvieron) and the imperfect subjunctive (anduviera, anduvieras, anduviera, anduvià ©ramos, anduvierais, anduvieran) tenses. It is regular in all other tenses. Andar comes from the Latin verb ambulÄ re, meaning to walk. That makes it a cousin of English words such as ambulatory and ambulance. Key Takeaways The most common, literal meaning of andar is to walk, although it can refer more generally to traveling or otherwise engaging in a motion.Even more broadly, andar can refer to how a person or thing behaves, goes about doing something, or exists.When a machine or other device is the subject of andar, andar can refer to how it runs or operates.