No sabemos adónde ir.

Breakdown of No sabemos adónde ir.

ir
to go
saber
to know
no
not
adónde
where to

Questions & Answers about No sabemos adónde ir.

Why does the sentence start with No?

In Spanish, standard negation usually puts no directly before the conjugated verb.

  • Sabemos = we know
  • No sabemos = we do not know / we don’t know

So:

  • No sabemos adónde ir = We don’t know where to go
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.

  • No sabemos adónde ir = We don’t know where to go

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:

  • No sé qué hacer = I don’t know what to do
  • No sabemos cuándo salir = We don’t know when to leave
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:

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?

The a adds the idea of to or toward.

So:

  • dónde = where
  • adónde = to where / where to

In English, we usually just say where, but Spanish can show the direction more explicitly.

With verbs of movement, this is common:

  • ¿Adónde vas? = Where are you going?
  • No sabemos adónde ir = We don’t know where to go
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:

  • No sé dónde está = indirect question, so dónde
  • El lugar donde vivo = relative word, so donde without accent
Is this sentence an actual question?

Not as a full sentence, no. It is a statement.

But inside it, adónde ir functions as an indirect question:

  • No sabemos adónde ir

It is like saying:

So the whole sentence is not written with question marks, but it still contains a question idea.

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:

  • We don’t know where to go
    perhaps contrasting with someone else who does know.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
“What's the best way to learn Spanish grammar?”
Spanish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Spanish

Master Spanish — from No sabemos adónde ir to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions