Yap.Town

lui andava

felt like, was going, had to be, was supposed to be

→ andare
and to go + ava 3rd-person singular imperfect
verb · 3rd-person singular, imperfect tense Common #3,872
felt like In this sense, it is commonly used with a person and di + an infinitive.
IT: Non mi andava di cucinare.
EN: I didn’t feel like cooking.
was going
IT: Andava al lavoro in autobus.
EN: She was going to work by bus.
Conjugation of andare
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First andavo andavamo
Second andavi —
Third andava andavano

Come l'avete fatta ora andava benissimo.

The way you made it just now was perfectly fine.

— Effetto notte (1973)

Andava di fretta.

He was in a hurry.

Che cosa c’era che non andava?

What was wrong?

Andava via come una palla di fucile.

He was going off like a shot.

Ha detto che andava in California.

He said he was going to California.

— Hong Kong Express (1994)

Lo sa a quanto andava?

Do you know how fast he was going?

— La banda Baader Meinhof (2008)

E sempre, a piedi, si andava al turno, e si scriveva sempre tutto a mano.

And we always walked to our shift, and everything was always written by hand.

— How I Ended This Summer (2010)

Lui non andava là quasi mai.

He almost never went there.

Andava al di là della nostra immaginazione.

It was beyond our imagination.

— Crimini e misfatti (1989)

A Tom non andava di parlare.

Tom didn't feel like talking.

Tom andava in chiesa ogni domenica.

Tom went to church every Sunday.

Non andava?

Was it not working?

— Effetto notte (1973)

Questo è stato scritto da qualcuno che andava di fretta.

This was written by someone who was in a hurry.

— Young Detective Dee - Il risveglio del drago marino (2013)

Non è vero che prima andava male.

It is not true that things were going badly before.

— Lui è tornato (2015)

Andava nella sua camera da letto.

He went to his bedroom.

Gli andava benissimo.

It suited him/her perfectly.

— Juno (2007)

Tom ha detto che non gli andava di andare.

Tom said he didn't feel like going.

Dove andava?

Where was he going?

— Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)

E andava sull'isola di Epstein, quindi che si fotta.

And he went to Epstein’s island, so fuck him.

— Ricky Gervais: Mortality (2025)

L'auto andava in avanti.

The car was moving forward.

Cos’aveva che non andava?

What was wrong with him?

A me non andava di cucinare.

I didn't feel like cooking.

Che se ti andava potevi venire.

That if you wanted you could come.

— Carandiru (2003)

Il talento che aveva andava usato.

The talent he had had to be used.

— Senna (2010)

Ormai l'immagine di Idol mi andava stretta.

By then, I had outgrown the image of an idol.

— Perfect Blue (1998)

Andava alla scuola con la mia.

He went to school with mine.

— Still Life (2006)

Non mi andava di chiamarli.

I didn't feel like calling them.

Credevo che fosse come andava di moda oggi.

I thought that was the fashion these days.

— The Garden of Sinners Chapter 5: Paradox Paradigm (2008)

Grazie per il cappotto, mi andava da Dio.

Thanks for the coat, I was looking forward to it.

— La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (1998)

Andava davvero così male?

Was it really going that badly?

— Mangiare bere uomo donna (1994)

Andava tutto bene.

Everything was going well.

— Passengers (2016)

Chissà dov'è che andava?

I wonder where they were going.

— Amarcord (1973)

E poi andava a casa sua.

And then he would go home.

— I lunedì al sole (2002)

Prima di questa vacanza andava tutto bene fra di noi.

Before this vacation, everything was fine between us.

— Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

Volevo vedere se andava tutto bene.

I wanted to see if everything was okay.

— Nouvelle Vague (2025)

John ha incontrato Mary mentre andava a scuola.

John met Mary on his way to school.

Mentre andava a lavorare, spero.

On his way to work, I hope.

— Fa' la cosa giusta (1989)

Ha detto che andava a studiare.

He said he was going to study.

— Hollywood, Vermont (2000)

Tom ha visto un incidente mentre andava a scuola.

Tom saw an accident on his way to school.

Diceva così e gli andava sempre bene.

That’s what he used to say, and it always worked out for him.

— Happy Together (1997)

Julio vide Tenoch che andava dal dentista.

Julio saw Tenoch going to the dentist.

— Y tu mamá también - Anche tua madre (2001)

Mary ha detto che non andava spesso a Boston.

Mary said that she didn’t often go to Boston.

Chi era la donna che andava da loro ogni giorno?

Who was the woman who went to them every day?

— Quasi famosi (2000)

Andava a pescare nel fiume quando era bambino.

He used to go fishing in the river when he was a child.

Come ha reagito quando le ha detto che andava via?

How did she react when you told her you were leaving?

— The Monster (1994)

A Tom non andava di mangiare.

Tom didn't feel like eating.

Tom andava alle feste.

Tom went to parties.

Anche Ziri andava a scuola.

Ziri also went to school.

Ci andava spesso?

Did he go there often?

— Le invasioni barbariche (2003)

Andava avanti e indietro come un pipistrello.

He went back and forth like a bat.

— Il gattopardo (1963)

Non mi andava di comprare un'automobile.

I didn't feel like buying a car.

Non andava d'accordo con lei.

He didn't get along with her.

Sì, andava tutto benissimo.

Yes, everything was going great.

— Effetto notte (1973)

Andava male!

It was going badly!

— Il quinto elemento (1997)

Tom vide un incidente mentre andava a scuola.

Tom saw an accident on his way to school.

Avete chiesto a Tom cosa c'era che non andava?

Did you ask Tom what was wrong?

Era un sentimento, che andava ben oltre quello del marito più gentile.

It was a feeling that went far beyond that of the kindest husband.

— The Witch (2016)

Qualcosa non andava?

Was something wrong?

— I diabolici (1955)

Così andava meglio.

That was better.

— Titanic (1997)

Il secondo era dell'avvocato, andava via con lei.

The second one belonged to the lawyer; he was leaving with her.

— Il quinto elemento (1997)

Era davvero agitato, andava dal camper della Williams al box, avanti e indietro.

He was really agitated, pacing back and forth from the Williams motorhome to the garage.

— Senna (2010)

Tom mi ha detto che qualcosa non andava.

Tom told me something was wrong.

Andava alla moschea ogni venerdì.

He went to the mosque every Friday.

A Tom non andava di pranzare.

Tom didn't feel like having lunch.

Tom andava spesso alle feste.

Tom often went to parties.

Papà andava a Milano per lavoro e a te non andava di cucinare.

Dad was going to Milan for work, and you didn't feel like cooking.

— È stata la mano di Dio (2021)

Cosa c'era che non andava?

What was wrong?

Sicura che non ti abbia detto dove andava?

Are you sure he didn't tell you where he was going?

— The Way He Looks (2014)

Andava benissimo.

It was going great.

— La dolce vita (1960)

Andava sempre di corsa.

He was always rushing around.

— Effetto notte (1973)

Se qualcosa non andava, si diceva a Zé Pequeno.

If something wasn’t working, they told Zé Pequeno.

— City of God (2002)

È stato qui, ma per poco, ha detto che andava da Saibei.

He was here, but only briefly; he said he was going to Saibei.

— La sfida del samurai (1961)

Ha detto che andava a cercare un lavoro.

He said he was going to look for a job.

— Prova a prendermi (2002)

Mia madre ne andava pazza.

My mother was crazy about it.

— Sacrificio (1986)

E andava, andava, affrettando il passo.

And he kept going, quickening his pace.

Mio padre andava al lavoro in autobus.

My father went to work by bus.

A Tom non andava di giocare a golf.

Tom didn't feel like playing golf.

Tom andava a scuola a piedi.

Tom walked to school.

Disse che andava a bere qualcosa e non tornò mai più.

He said he was going for a drink and never came back.

— Mystic River (2003)

Sa a quale velocità andava il treno?

Do you know how fast the train was going?

— La fiamma del peccato (1944)

Andava ancora a scuola.

He was still going to school.

In quel periodo andava molto di moda.

It was very fashionable at that time.

— Il mio amico Ivan Lapshin (1985)

Non mi andava di comprare un'auto.

I didn’t feel like buying a car.

Però mi andava di farlo.

But I wanted to do it.

— La vita di Adele: Capitoli 1 & 2 (2013)

auxiliary · 3rd-person, imperfect tense Rare #36,837
had to be, was supposed to be Used with a past participle to say that something needed to be done or was appropriate to be done.
IT: Il documento andava firmato oggi.
EN: The document had to be signed today.
Conjugation of andare
Indicative imperfect
andava

Questo andava fatto.

This had to be done.

— Quando volano le cicogne (1957)

È una cosa che andava detta, tutto qua.

It's something that needed to be said, that's all.

— Mystic River (2003)

Dovevamo mettere una croce, dove andava messa.

We had to put an X where it was supposed to go.

— Lui è tornato (2015)

Da programma andava controllato.

According to the program it had to be checked.

— How I Ended This Summer (2010)

Quella gente poi andava richiamata.

Those people needed to be called back later.

— Quei bravi ragazzi (1990)

La serratura del magazzino andava cambiata!

The warehouse lock needed changing!

— The Experiment - Cercasi cavie umane (2001)