There is always a bit of confusion about how and when to use these words in Spanish:
- adonde/donde
- adónde/dónde
We need to consider two things here:
Type of verb
With verbs that imply movement we can use all the forms:
But if the verb does not imply movement you can only use donde or dónde. For example:
This would be incorrect:
- ¿Adónde están mis gafas?
- Cenaremos adonde tú quieras.
Function in the sentence
It is also important to remember that the forms that have a written accent (dónde, adónde) are the ones used in direct and indirect interrogative sentences or exclamatory sentences. For example:
and the forms with no accents (donde, adonde) are relative pronouns. For example:
Voy a ir a la cafetería donde sirven churros con chocolate.I am going to go to the coffee shop where (in which) they serve churros with chocolate.
IMPORTANT
For the long forms adónde and adonde, it is also perfectly acceptable to write them as two separate words:
- adonde = a donde
- adónde = a dónde
For example:
- Iremos adonde/a donde tú quieras.
- ¿Adónde/a dónde vas?
See also Difference between dónde and donde in Spanish (with and without a written accent)
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