Questions & Answers about No sabemos adónde ir.
Why does the sentence start with No?
What form is sabemos?
Sabemos is the 1st person plural present tense of saber.
- saber = to know
- sabemos = we know
The subject nosotros (we) is not stated because Spanish often leaves subject pronouns out when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
So (Nosotros) no sabemos... and No sabemos... mean the same thing.
Why is it saber and not conocer?
Spanish has more than one verb for to know.
- saber is used for knowing information, facts, or how to do something
- conocer is used for being familiar with people, places, or things
In No sabemos adónde ir, the idea is we don’t know the answer to the question “where should we go?” That is why saber is the correct verb.
Why is ir in the infinitive?
Because after saber in this kind of structure, Spanish often uses an indirect question plus an infinitive.
Literally, it is something like:
- We don’t know where to go
The action ir is not conjugated because sabemos is already the main conjugated verb in the sentence.
This pattern is very common:
Why is it adónde instead of dónde?
Adónde is used when the idea is destination or movement toward a place.
Since ir means to go, it naturally involves movement, so adónde is very appropriate:
- adónde ir = where to go
By contrast, dónde is more about location:
- dónde está = where it is
That said, in everyday Spanish, many speakers also say dónde ir, especially in less formal speech. But adónde is especially clear and traditional here because it matches the idea of motion.
What does the a in adónde do?
Can I write a dónde as two words instead of adónde?
Yes, you may see both adónde and a dónde.
In many cases, both are accepted, and the difference is often more about spelling preference or style than meaning.
So these are both possible:
- No sabemos adónde ir
- No sabemos a dónde ir
The one-word form adónde is very common and looks especially neat in standard writing. The two-word form is also widely used.
Why does adónde have an accent mark?
Because it is an interrogative/exclamative word used in a question or an indirect question.
Spanish gives an accent to words like:
Even though this sentence is not a direct question, it contains an indirect question:
- No sabemos adónde ir = We don’t know where to go
So adónde keeps the written accent.
Compare:
Is this sentence an actual question?
Why isn’t there a que before adónde?
Because after verbs like saber, Spanish directly introduces the indirect question with the question word.
So you say:
Not:
- No sabemos que adónde ir
In this structure, que is not used.
Could I also say No sabemos dónde ir?
Yes, many native speakers do say No sabemos dónde ir, and it is very common.
The difference is mainly this:
- dónde focuses on where
- adónde highlights destination / where to
Because ir is a verb of movement, adónde is especially precise. But dónde is also widely used in real Spanish.
So:
- No sabemos adónde ir = a bit more explicitly where to go
- No sabemos dónde ir = also very natural in everyday use
Would it be wrong to include the subject pronoun and say Nosotros no sabemos adónde ir?
No, that is completely correct.
Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject:
- sabemos = we know
So the usual version is simply:
- No sabemos adónde ir
But you can add nosotros if you want to emphasize we:
- Nosotros no sabemos adónde ir
This can sound like:
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