“To go” vs “to go out” in Italian
In English, “to go” is a simple verb, while “to go out” is a phrasal verb, which means it must combine with a preposition or an adverb to fulfil its meaning.
Although these verbs can sometimes be used interchangeably in casual conversations, Italian clearly distinguishes between them with two different verbs: andare (to go) and uscire (to go out).
Andare is used to describe movement toward a specific destination, while uscire is used to talk about leaving a place or going out socially.
They are both irregular verbs, which is the reason why I want to give you a detailed explanation of their conjugations and use so that you can properly use them in your conversations.
“To go” in Italian
Andare
The main translation of the English “to go” is andare in Italian. It is an intransitive verb, meaning it needs a preposition to link to its object – which is an indirect object.
Moreover, it is also classified as an irregular verb, meaning its conjugation doesn’t follow the standard pattern of first-conjugation verbs.
As follows, I will show you its conjugation in the main verb tenses of the indicative mood:
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io vado | I go |
| Tu vai | You go |
| Lui/Lei va | He/She goes |
| Noi andiamo | We go |
| Voi andate | You all go |
| Loro vanno | They go |
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io sono andato/a | I went / I have gone |
| Tu sei andato/a | You went / You have gone |
| Lui/Lei è andato/a | He/She went / has gone |
| Noi siamo andati/e | We went / We have gone |
| Voi siete andati/e | You all went / have gone |
| Loro sono andati/e | They went / have gone |
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io andavo | I used to go |
| Tu andavi | You used to go |
| Lui/Lei andava | He/She used to go |
| Noi andavamo | We used to go |
| Voi andavate | You all used to go |
| Loro andavano | They used to go |
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io andrò | I will go |
| Tu andrai | You will go |
| Lui/Lei andrà | He/She will go |
| Noi andremo | We will go |
| Voi andrete | You all will go |
| Loro andranno | They will go |
When to use “Andare”
You should use andare whenever you’re talking about moving toward a specific place or traveling from one location to another. For example:
Vado in palestra ogni mattina.
I go to the gym every morning.
Andiamo a Roma la prossima settimana.
We’re going to Rome next week.
Devi andare dal dottore.
You need to go to the doctor.
“Andare” + Prepositions
Notice that, as I mentioned before, andare necessarily requires a preposition to link to its objects. In most of the cases, the preposition you need is either a or in.
- Andare a (to go to): used for large spaces or events, and cities.
Vado a scuola.
I’m going to school.
- Andare in (to go in/into): used for smaller spaces circumscribed by boundaries, and countries.
Vado in Italia.
I’m going to Italy.
Sometimes, you can also use the preposition da to indicate motion towards somebody’s place.
Vado a cena da Elisa.
I’m going to have dinner at Elisa’s.
“To go out” in Italian
“Uscire”
The verb uscire is used to express “to go out” or “to leave” in Italian. Like andare, it is also an intransitive and irregular verb. As follows, I will show you its conjugation in the main verb tenses of the indicative mood:
Presente
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io esco | I go out |
| Tu esci | You go out |
| Lui/Lei esce | He/She goes out |
| Noi usciamo | We go out |
| Voi uscite | You all go out |
| Loro escono | They go out |
Passato Prossimo
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io sono uscito/a | I went out / I have gone out |
| Tu sei uscito/a | You went out / have gone out |
| Lui/Lei è uscito/a | He/She went out / has gone out |
| Noi siamo usciti/e | We went out / have gone out |
| Voi siete usciti/e | You all went out / have gone out |
| Loro sono usciti/e | They went out / have gone out |
Imperfetto
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io uscivo | I used to go out |
| Tu uscivi | You used to go out |
| Lui/Lei usciva | He/She used to go out |
| Noi uscivamo | We used to go out |
| Voi uscivate | You all used to go out |
| Loro uscivano | They used to go out |
Futuro
| Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
| Io uscirò | I will go out |
| Tu uscirai | You will go out |
| Lui/Lei uscirà | He/She will go out |
| Noi usciremo | We will go out |
| Voi uscirete | You all will go out |
| Loro usciranno | They will go out |
When to use “Uscire”
You should use uscire when you want to talk about leaving or going out from a location, especially when the action involves a social context, like meeting friends or going out for dinner.
Stasera esco con gli amici.
Tonight I’m going out with friends.
Usciamo per cena?
Shall we go out for dinner?
Quando esci di casa, non dimenticarti le chiavi.
When you leave the house, don’t forget the keys.
“Uscire” + Prepositions
Uscire has a dual use: it can either stand alone to express the act of going out, or it can be paired with prepositions to specify where someone is leaving from or who they are going out with.
- Uscire da (to go out from): used to indicate where you’re leaving from.
Esco dalla palestra.
I’m leaving the gym.
- Uscire con (to go out with): used for social outings with other people.
Esco con Marco.
I’m going out with Marco.
Of course, always keep in mind that whenever a preposition is followed by a definite article, they must be combined together to form preposizione articolata, just like in the first sentence.
