A common expression in Spanish is ¿Qué tal andamos? or ¿Cómo andamos?

In English that is translated as “How are we doing?” or “What’s new?”

“¿Cómo andamos?” is just another way of asking “¿Cómo estás?”

But ¿Cómo andamos? es muy informal. That means it’s a very casual phrase you would typically use with people you know, like friends and family. It’s not an expression that you would use in a formal setting, for example, on a job interview. You wouldn’t greet the job interviewer with the line ¿Cómo andamos? but rather ¿Cómo está usted?

So, how do you know when it’s OK to use ANDAR as a substitute for ESTAR? Fortunately, there are some specific rules to this.

ANDAR + a gerund

Click here for an explanation of what a gerund is.

Normally, a Spanish gerund is paired with the verb ESTAR. In English, we say, “I am working” and, in Spanish that would be “Estoy trabajando.”

If we change “estoy trabajando” to “ando trabajando,” we’re giving an additional piece of information. Why? Because the formula “ANDAR + a gerund” is a way to talk about a habitual action. A repeated action. Or you can think of it as an action that has become a custom or something that happens with regularity.

Consider the following examples:

Estoy muy cansada. En las últimas semanas, ando durmiendo menos de seis horas. (I am so tired. In the last few weeks, I’ve been sleeping less than six hours.)

¡Qué cómic tan chulo! Voy a comprarlo para mi sobrino que anda coleccionándolos desde hace meses. (Wow! What a cool comic book! I’m going to buy it for my nephew who has been collecting them for a few months now.)

ANDAR + past participle

Another situation in which ANDAR can be used as a subsitute for ESTAR is when you want to indicate a situation or a state of being that has being going on for a while.

¡Mamá! ¿Qué le pasa a Papá? ¿Por qué está tan triste?

Bueno, hija, es que anda muy preocupado por la crisis economíca. Cree que va a perder su trabajo.

As you can see with this example, the speaker could also have said “está muy preocupado. The dfference here is that using ANDAR adds another layer of meaning to that state of being worried. The verb andar, in this case, conveys the idea that the person who is worried, la persona que anda preocupada, has been worried for a while.

ANDAR + adjective

Mira! Desde que le tocó la lotería, Javier anda muy contento.

[Wow, would you look at that! Since he won the lottery, Javier is very happy (has been very happy).]

Again, you could’ve said, Javier está muy contento, in this situation and that would’ve been 100% correct. But saying Javier anda muy contento, conveys the idea that his state of happiness has become a frequent state of being for Javier. In other words, a habit.

Ok, well, I think that’s about it for ANDAR vs ESTAR. There are some other cool ways to use ANDAR.

Anda, ¡Anda ya!

Anda, an imperative form of the verb, is used frequently in Castilian Spanish as a way of expressing disbelief, surprise, fear, sarcasm or disgust. It can also be used to encourage somebody.  ¡Anda! or ¡Anda ya! have fluid meanings that depend on the tone of voice and the situation. The translation in English can mean “come on” or “yeah, right” or “gosh” or “gimme a break”, etc.

Tranquila, ¡anda, no llores más! (Calm down, come on, don’t cry any more!)

¡Anda ya! ¡No digas tonterías! (Come on! Get off it! Don’t say stupid things!)

Other examples con ¡anda!

¡Anda que no he tenido que trabajar tanto en la vida! (Gosh, I’ve never had to work so hard in my life!)

¡Anda, que como se entere mi padre! (Oh boy, wait until my dad finds out!)

As you can see, the verb ANDAR is very versatile. There’s one other usage of ANDAR but use it very carefully. Andáte con cuidado means “be careful” but it is generally considered a warning or a threat. So don’t use this as your closing remark in an email! When you want to be friendly and thoughtful the equivalent of  “take care” or “be careful”  in Spanish is “ten cuidado” (tú)  or “tenga cuidado” (usted).

The Spanish gerund endings are:

-ando (for verbs that end in -ar)

-iendo (for verbs that end in -er or -ir)

-yendo (A few -er and -ir verbs use this ending)

A gerund is used in both the present continuous and past continuous tenses. It is a way to emphasize an action that is happening in the moment. Estoy leyendo (I am reading). Estaba leyendo (I was reading).

To be more precise, the Spanish phrase “estoy leyendo” means “I am reading (right now)” while “yo estaba leyendo” means “I was reading (right then, at that very moment in the past).”

In English, we tend to use the -ing form a lot. In fact, English uses the continuous tense (also called the progressive tense) more frequently than Spanish does. As a result, it is very common for English speakers to use this form excessively when they speak Spanish.

For example, it is very common and normal to hear someone in English say “I am learning Spanish.” The speaker of this sentence is  just making a general statement. He is not necessarily saying that he is learning Spanish in that very moment.

However, in Spanish, it sounds kind of odd to say “Estoy aprendiendo español” UNLESS you want to emphasize that you are studying Spanish at that very moment.

If that’s not the case, it’s more typical and correct in Spanish to say “Aprendo español,” which in English can be translated as  “I learn Spanish” or  “I am learning Spanish.”

In Spanish, the continuous/progressive tense generally implies a longer duration or repetition of the verbal action. In English, however, we tend to use the -ing form when referring to brief actions or things that are going to happen in the near future.

Here are some common examples where it is natural to go with the -ing form in English but in Spanish you would stick with the present tense.

English: Who are you talking to? With whom are you speaking?

Spanish: ¿Con quién hablas? (present tense)

English: What are you doing?

Spanish: ¿Qué haces?

English: I’m coming back tonight.

Spanish: Vuelvo esta noche.

There are some other key differences between the Spanish gerund and the English gerund. In English, a gerund can also be used as is a noun. For example:  “Walking is great exercise.” The word “walking” is a verbal noun.

In Spanish, we create a verbal noun by using the infinitive (the unconjugated form of the verb) not by using its gerund.

Caminar es excelente para la salud = Walking is great for your health

NOT Caminando es excelente para la salud.

No fumar aquí. (No smoking allowed.)  NOT No fumando aquí.

Dormir es mi actividad favorita (Sleeping is my favorite activity) NOT Durmiendo es mi actividad favorita.

Other scenarios in which the -ing form that we use in English requires the infinitive in Spanish:

With a verb that expresses likes and dislikes: Odio nadar en agua fría. (I hate swimming in cold water.)

With some prepositions: El cocinero se lava las manos antes de hacer la comida. (The cook washes his hands before making the meal.)

But on the flip side, there are times when the Spanish gerund doesn’t correspond to the English -ing form.

TIME (to show two parallel actions)

Estando en España, hablo español. (While I am Spain, I speak Spanish.)

CAUSE (to indicate a major circumstance)

Siendo presidente, Barack Obama tiene más responsiblidades que nunca. (Since he is president, Barack Obama has more responsibilities than ever.)

MANNER (to show the way in which an action takes place)

El perro entra corriendo cuando oye el silbato. (The dog runs inside when he hears the whistle.)

In Spanish, a gerund is typically attached to the verb ESTAR but there are other Spanish verbs that can be paired with a gerund. This week’s podcast talks about one of them -  the verb ANDAR. In a future episode, I will mention some other verbs that can replace ESTAR in the continuous/progessive tense formula (ESTAR + a gerund).