Breakdown of Vaya donde vaya, llevo una libreta pequeña en el bolso para apuntar ideas.
yo
I
pequeño
small
una
a
en
in
Questions & Answers about Vaya donde vaya, llevo una libreta pequeña en el bolso para apuntar ideas.
Why is it vaya and not voy?
Because this sentence uses the pattern vaya donde vaya, which means wherever I go or no matter where I go.
Spanish normally uses the present subjunctive in this kind of indefinite or open-ended idea. The speaker is not talking about one specific trip, but about any place they may go. That is why vaya is used instead of the indicative voy.
Why is vaya repeated?
This is a very common Spanish structure:
vaya donde vaya = wherever I go
haga lo que haga = whatever I do
diga lo que diga = whatever he/she says
It works like a fixed correlative pattern: a verb in the subjunctive appears, then a relative word such as donde, and then the same verb appears again.
So vaya donde vaya literally looks like I go where I go, but the real meaning is wherever I go.
Why is it donde without an accent, not dónde?