We are all familiar with the verb andare, which is nothing more than to go. Just like its English cousin, andare likes to get its way in expressions that have nothing to do with the literal action of moving from a place to another.
In English, we say let’s go! to invite people to do something, to incite and to show support, even when there is no movement involved. Well, the Italian andare works very much in the same way: its first person plural, noi andiamo, is the same as the plural imperative andiamo!, which is the expression we’d like to check out today.
Are you familiar with it? Andiamo! Bisogna fare in fretta! (Let’s go! We must be quick!), Andiamo, ce la puoi fare! (“Come on, you can make it!) or even more simply, ho fame! Andiamo a mangiare (I’m hungry, let’s go eat), the imperative form of andare is as common as cacio sui maccheroni (thinking of it, another expression we may like to learn something more about in the next weeks!).
Just like the English let’s go, andiamo is used to show an action considered necessary (as in the case of andiamo a mangiare!) but also to show support. In some expressions, it can also be translated with come on, also very popular in English. So similar, in fact, andiamo is to these English forms, that learning how to use it should be as easy as having a cono gelato on the promenade on hot summer day.
Andiamo is also employed in a slightly different manner, though, as it often pops up when speaking about something to which we give little credibility: andiamo, non vorrai farmi credere che tutto questo l’hai fatto da solo! (“Come on, you’re not expecting me to believe you did all this by yourself!”): in this case, it is used to strengthen the fact we do not believe in what we are talking about.
Andiamo! Sei bravo, ce la puoi fare. (Come on, you’re good at it, you can make it!)
Lo ha detto anche a me, ma… andiamo… lo sappiamo benissimo che è una bugia. (He told me, too. But, come on, we know it’s a lie)
C’è molto da fare e il tempo è poco! Su, andiamo! (There is a lot to do and we don’t have much time. Come on, let’s go!)
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