A traveler looking at a large, colorful map with a big question mark symbol floating above it, trying to figure out a location.

dónde

/DON-deh/

Adverb (Question Word)A1

where?asking about a location

📝 In Action

¿Dónde está el baño, por favor?

Where is the bathroom, please?

¿De dónde eres?

Where are you from?

¿A dónde vamos esta noche?

Where are we going tonight?

No sé dónde puse mis llaves.

I don't know where I put my keys.

Related Words

Common Collocations

¿De dónde? – From where?
¿A dónde? – To where? (destination)
¿En dónde? – In where? / Where at?
¿Por dónde? – Through where? / Which way?

Idioms & Expressions

no saber dónde meterse – to be extremely embarrassed

💡 Grammar Points

The Accent Mark is Your Question Signal

'Dónde' with an accent mark is for asking 'Where?'. Its cousin, 'donde' (no accent), is for connecting ideas, like in 'the house where I live'. The accent is a clue that a question is being asked.

Adding Direction: From & To

To ask about an origin, put 'de' in front: '¿De dónde eres?' (Where are you from?). To ask about a destination, use 'a' in front: '¿A dónde vas?' (Where are you going?).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Forgetting the Accent in 'Indirect' Questions

Mistake: "No sé donde está la estación."

Correction: No sé dónde está la estación. Even when you're not using question marks, if you're asking or wondering about a location inside a sentence, 'dónde' needs its accent.

Mixing up 'What' and 'Where'

Mistake: "¿Qué está el hotel?"

Correction: ¿Dónde está el hotel? Always use 'dónde' to ask for a place or location. 'Qué' is used to ask 'what'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Use it for More Than Just Places

You can also use 'dónde' to ask where something is in a text or on a list. For example, '¿Dónde dice eso?' means 'Where does it say that?'

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: dónde

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly asks 'I don't know where the party is'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

donde(where (as a connector)) - adverb

adonde(to where) - adverb

dondequiera(wherever) - adverb

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'dónde' and 'donde' (no accent)?

'Dónde' with an accent is the question word 'Where?'. Use it when you are asking about a location. 'Donde' without an accent is a connector word, like in 'This is the restaurant where we ate.' It links a place to an action.

Is there a difference between 'a dónde' and 'adónde'?

No, they mean the exact same thing: 'to where?'. You can use them interchangeably to ask about a destination, like '¿A dónde vas?' or '¿Adónde vas?'. Writing it as two words ('a dónde') is a bit more common today, but both are perfectly correct.