Breakdown of Ik weet het adres niet, waar gaan we naartoe?
ik
I
niet
not
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
waar
where
weten
to know (a fact)
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
naartoe
to / towards (towards a destination)
het adres
the address
Questions & Answers about Ik weet het adres niet, waar gaan we naartoe?
Why is it waar ... naartoe and not just waar?
In Dutch, waar just means "where" (a fixed location). Because this sentence is about movement towards a destination ("where are we going to"), you need to add a directional word like naartoe or heen.
Why are waar and naartoe separated from each other?
When you use waar combined with naartoe (meaning "where to"), they are usually split in a question. Waar goes at the start as the question word, and naartoe gets pushed to the end of the clause.
Could I use heen instead of naartoe in this sentence?
Yes! Waar gaan we heen? means exactly the same thing. Both naartoe and heen are used to indicate movement toward a destination, and they are largely interchangeable here.
Why use weet instead of ken for "know"?
You use weten (weet) when you know a fact or a piece of information, like an address or a PIN code. You use kennen when you are familiar with a person, a place, or a concept.
Why is niet at the very end of the first clause?
In the clause Ik weet het adres niet, the word niet negates the action of knowing the specific object (het adres). When negating a specific noun that has a definite article (like het or de), niet goes after it, which pushes it to the end of this short clause.
Learn Ik weet het adres niet, waar gaan we naartoe and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free