WTI Magazine #47    2014 November, 12
Author : Manuela Bianchi for learnitalygroup.com      Translation by:

The use of the verb "andare" (to go) opens another interesting bracket on the Italian language, that deserves a little attention. For clarity, let's start with the basics and reveal the first meaning of this verb in its simple form: "andare" (to go) means movement, and then the action moving towards a direction, such as "andare al mare/montagna" (to go to the sea/mountain), "andare avanti/indietro" (to go forward/backward), "andare a piedi/in bicicletta/in macchina" (to walk/bike/drive), "andare a Milano" (to go to Milan) and so on.

As previously mentioned for the verb "essere" (to be), in few cases also the verb "andare" (to go) has different meanings, not always deductible. Let's start with the
easier examples as "andare su" (to climb), "andare giù" (to climb down), "andare via" (to distance oneself, or to disappear) and "andare fuori" (to exit).

"Andare dietro a qualcuno" figuratively means to act like a person in the sense of imitating him/her, or to court him/her, as in "Luca va dietro a Francesca" (Luca courts Francesca). "Andiamo avanti" (let's go on): if someone says he/she wants to "andare per la propria strada" it means that he/she wants to follow a definite purpose regardless of the rest. If you say that you don't want to "andare per il sottile" you mean that you don't want to meticulously act with sensitivity regarding someone or something. Another very popular expression to mean to behave according to one's instinct, experience or inspiration is "andare a fiuto" or "andare a naso".

In the Italian language there are expressions that in a figurative sense indicate changes. When we say that something "è andato in fiamme/a fuoco" it means that something burned down; if a project "è andato in fumo" we mean that it faded; if something "è andato a pezzi" we mean that it is now broken or destroyed; if some food "è andato a male" we mean that it is rotten. With the meaning of to worsen and to improve, there are two very popular Italian expressions: respectively, "andare di male in peggio"and "andare di bene in meglio".

When you want to avoid being caught up in a situation that can have unpleasant consequences, you can say that you do not want to "andarci di mezzo"; and if a situation is extending longer than expected, it is "andando per le lunghe". Last but not least: if something has gone well we can say "è andata", but if we are angry at someone we express our feeling towards him/her saying "vai al diavolo!/all'inferno!/a farti friggere!

Passive forms
We answer today to a question from one of our students from our Learnitaly school in Arezzo: When and why do we use the passive form of the verb "andare"? We know that the passive form is used to express an action that happens to the subject and that typically is formed with the auxiliary to be and the past participle of the verb, such as "La Divina Commedia – soggetto - è stata scritta da Dante Alighieri" (The Divine Comedy – subject - was written by Dante Alighieri". Yet in some cases the passive can be formed with the verb to go and the past participle of the main verb.

What difference does it make? Between "il problema sarà discusso nella prossima riunione" and "il problema andrà discusso nella prossima riunione" there is a subtle difference. The passive form of the verb "andare" introduces the concept of duty or necessity: thus, the second sentence can be interpreted as "the problem will have to be discussed at the next meeting". If, therefore, "l'iscrizione andava fatta prima di dicembre" (the registration had to be done before December)" it implies that such registration needed to be done before that date.

Again we find a few small exceptions: sentences with a passive form of the verb "andare" doesn't have the meaning of duty and necessity only if the main verb is perdere (to miss), smarrire (to lose), sprecare (to waste) o distruggere (to destroy). In sentences as "molte cose andarono perdute" (many things were lost) and "la casa andò distrutta" (the house was destroyed), the meaning of the verbal construction is purely passive.

The answer to the original question, therefore, is simple: you just need to dwell on the intention to communicate, understand what you really want to say and choose the best solution.