I can say where I'm going and who I go out with, name my activities (giocare a calcio, andare in palestra), and not mix up io vado with io ando.
Vado, esco, gioco a tennis
Vado, esco, gioco a tennis
Talk about what you do after work and on your day off: andare is irregular, and its forms are simply learned by heart: vado, vai, va, andiamo, andate, vanno.
Where you go: set phrases — al cinema, al bar, in palestra, a teatro, a casa. Why al in one and in in another comes later; for now learn each phrase whole, with its place. How you travel also takes in: vado in treno, vado in macchina.
After andare, another verb can follow with a: vado a ballare, vai a sciare. Why you go somewhere: per + a verb: esco per giocare a tennis.
uscire is irregular too: esco, esci, esce, usciamo, uscite, escono. Who with: con, as in English “go out with”: esce con Davide, uscite con Lorenzo.
Games and sports take giocare a: gioca a calcio, giocate a tennis, giocano a carte. English “play tennis” has no preposition; Italian needs a. In the tu and noi forms, an h goes between c and i to keep the [k] sound: tu giochi, noi giochiamo. English “play” also covers instruments; giocare is only for games and sports (instruments take another verb, later).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Io ando a teatro” — the io form of andare is vado.
• NOT “Voi uscete con Elena” — “Voi uscite con Elena”.
• NOT “Gioca il tennis” — you need a: “Gioca a tennis”.
• NOT “Tu gioci a carte” — without h the sound changes: “Tu giochi a carte”.
• NOT “Vado a palestra” — “Vado in palestra”.
Andare and uscire: irregular forms
Just learn both by heart — they aren't formed from the infinitive.
| Person | andare | uscire |
|---|---|---|
| io | vado | esco |
| tu | vai | esci |
| lui / lei / Lei | va | esce |
| noi | andiamo | usciamo |
| voi | andate | uscite |
| loro | vanno | escono |
Where we go and what we play
Set phrases — learn them whole, together with their place or game.
| Where to | What we play |
|---|---|
| al cinema | a calcio |
| in palestra | a tennis |
| a teatro | a carte |
| a casa | — |
| al bar | — |
| in treno | — |
| in macchina | — |
Lesson notes
Vado, esco, gioco a tennis
Talk about what you do after work and on your day off: andare is irregular, and its forms are simply learned by heart: vado, vai, va, andiamo, andate, vanno.
Where you go: set phrases — al cinema, al bar, in palestra, a teatro, a casa. Why al in one and in in another comes later; for now learn each phrase whole, with its place. How you travel also takes in: vado in treno, vado in macchina.
After andare, another verb can follow with a: vado a ballare, vai a sciare. Why you go somewhere: per + a verb: esco per giocare a tennis.
uscire is irregular too: esco, esci, esce, usciamo, uscite, escono. Who with: con, as in English “go out with”: esce con Davide, uscite con Lorenzo.
Games and sports take giocare a: gioca a calcio, giocate a tennis, giocano a carte. English “play tennis” has no preposition; Italian needs a. In the tu and noi forms, an h goes between c and i to keep the [k] sound: tu giochi, noi giochiamo. English “play” also covers instruments; giocare is only for games and sports (instruments take another verb, later).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Io ando a teatro” — the io form of andare is vado.
• NOT “Voi uscete con Elena” — “Voi uscite con Elena”.
• NOT “Gioca il tennis” — you need a: “Gioca a tennis”.
• NOT “Tu gioci a carte” — without h the sound changes: “Tu giochi a carte”.
• NOT “Vado a palestra” — “Vado in palestra”.