vado
The English phrase "I am going" is expressed in Italian as vado.
vado is used to state that you are leaving a place or moving toward a destination. When you are indicating movement toward a city or a specific place, you typically use vado followed by the preposition a.
What does it mean word for word?
vado is the first-person singular conjugation of the irregular verb andare, which means "to go".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form vado is versatile as it covers both the simple present "I go" and the present continuous "I am going".
Did you know?
- The word vado shares an ancient root with the English word 'wade', as both stem from the idea of moving through water or a shallow place.
- In a formal context, saying io vado with the pronoun io can sound strangely aggressive or defiant to a native speaker.
- If you say you are 'going' to a person's house in Italy, you might use the preposition da instead of a, such as vado da Marco.
Examples in context
- Vado a Tokyo domani.I am going to go to Tokyo tomorrow.This sentence shows how to express a future plan for traveling to a city using vado.Tatoeba #3252454 by Guybrush88, translation #261941 by CN
- Vado al mercato oggi.I am going to the market today.This sentence demonstrates using vado to indicate movement toward a destination like a market.Tatoeba #13494870 by Guybrush88, translation #9525738 by Taam
- Io vado a Tokyo domani.I am going to Tokyo tomorrow.This sentence shows that you can include the subject pronoun Io for emphasis when using vado.Tatoeba #3252455 by Guybrush88, translation #2736090 by esso
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Alessandro are saying goodbye at a train station.
- AlessandroVado via adesso, Sofia.I am going away now, Sofia.
- SofiaVa bene, Alessandro. Buon viaggio!Alright, Alessandro. Have a good trip!
- AlessandroGrazie, ci vediamo presto.Thank you, see you soon.
- SofiaA presto!See you soon!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
