Andar

Andar is a verb in Spanish and Portuguese with senses linked to movement, action, and state. In both languages, the core meaning is to travel on foot or to move about, as in Spanish andar por la ciudad or Portuguese andar pela cidade. It also expresses that something is functioning or in operation, such as a car or a machine: “the car runs” or “o motor anda.” In addition, andar is used to indicate ongoing or habitual activity, often with a progressive sense, such as andar haciendo algo in Spanish or andar a fazer algo in Portuguese.

Etymology and cognates: The verb derives from Latin andāre and has Romance-language cognates, including Italian andare. Its broad semantic field of movement and state has been preserved and extended in both Spanish and Portuguese.

As a noun in Portuguese, andar can denote a floor or level of a building, such as first floor or segundo andar. This noun use is common in Brazilian Portuguese and is understood in other varieties, though other terms may be used in different regions.

Grammatical notes: In Spanish, andar is irregular in the preterite: anduve, anduviste, anduvo, anduvimos, anduvisteis, anduvieron. The present tense yields forms such as ando, andas, anda, andamos, andáis, andan. The gerund is andando. In Portuguese, the present indicative is eu ando, tu andas, ele/ela anda, nós andamos, vós andades, eles/elas andam, with the gerund andando; the construction andar a + infinitive expresses ongoing action, similar to the Spanish use.