Donde vs. Adonde – Differences & Usages in Spanish | tell me in spanish (2023)

As you learn Spanish, you may find that the meaning of this word can be affected when a preposition comes before a word. This is the case withwhere vs whereAlthough these words are very similar, they have slightly different meanings. Therefore we cannot use them interchangeably as they do not express the same intentions.

So what is the difference between dónde and adónde?WoorWois the direct translation of "where". We use it to refer to or ask about a person, an object, or the location of a place.To wherealso means "where" but we use it to ask for a destination, it usually works with the verb "ir".

As you can see, there are some differences between "donde" and "adonde". Both adverbs are very useful for asking questions and talking about places in Spanish, so you need to become familiar with both.

In this article, we're going to talk in more detail about when and how to use "donde" and "adonde" in Spanish. We'll discuss their various uses and provide you with both sentence structures and real-world examples so you can apply these words in your conversations. At the end you will be able to use "donde" and "adonde" correctly.

What is the difference between "donde" and "adonde"?

As mentioned, although both "donde" and "adonde" are translated as'Wo',In Spanish, these words are not exactly the same and so we use them in different contexts.Wois a Spanish adverb we use to refer to a place or place.

your glasses areWoYou left them a layer
your glasses areWoyou left her yesterday

"Donde" can also be used to ask for the location of an object, person, or place. However, if you ask questions, "donde" becomes "donde".Wo.Keep in mind that this change in Spanish does not affect the translation of this word.

To knowWoI put my wallet
Do you knowWoI have my wallet?

To whereis also an adverb, but we use it to talk about or to ask about aGoal.So if you want to translate this word literally, "adónde" means.'to where'.One thing that can help you easily identify this word is that "adónde" always works with the Spanish verb'And'.

hey you knowto whereDid Patty go on vacation?
hey you knowWoPatty was on vacation?

¿To wherewill you have dinner
Woare you going to eat?

As you may have noticed from the previous examples, we always use "adónde" to ask a question about a person's goal. In some Spanish-speaking countries, "adonde" is used without an accent to say "to the house of."

Your mother is not here, she wasto wherethe neighbor
Your mother is not here, she is goneto the neighbor

Although "donde" and "adonde" may seem the same, in Spanish the presence of the preposition isa (to)affects the meaning of these words. In the following paragraphs we will go into more detail about the properties and the different situations in which you can use each of these words.

adonde in SpanishTo where

We have already mentioned that "adonde" is literally translated as'to where'and so we use this word to talk about or ask about someone's goal. Before delving into the usage of "adonde" and some examples, remember that in Spanish we can write "adonde" as two separate words.

wo = wo

wo = wo

Both spellings are acceptable and do not affect the meaning of these words. However, nowadays it is more common to write it as two separate words. Here are some of the most common ways or situations in which you can use "a donde" in Spanish.

1. Asking someone about their goal

It's very common to use "a dónde" or "adónde" when asking about a person's destination (not the same as current location). In this context, we are not talking about a travel destination as a synonym for vacation, but about a persongosomewhere. As a result, "adónde" is translated as in this situation'Wo'(to where).

In this case, you have to keep in mind that “adonde” always works with the verb'And'.Here are some examples as well as the phrase structure to follow:

"Wo" or "Wo" + [go conjugated] + [sentence]?

¿To wheredid you leave on saturday
Wodid you go on saturday

I can't find Tania and Andrea, you knowto wherewar?
I can find Tania and Andrea, you knowWoThey went?

Observe:Every time you use "adonde" to ask a question or as an expression, you have to add an accent. As a result, "adonde" becomes "adónde" or "a dónde" in this context.

2. To show surprise or disappointment

In colloquial Spanish it is also very common to use "a dónde" as an expression to express surprise or disappointment. In this context, this word is also translated as "where".

¡To whereLet's stop this crisis!
Wolet's go with this crisis!

Didn't pass your exam? Seriously, I have no ideato wherelet's go with you
Didn't pass your exam? Seriously, I have no ideaWoWe will end with you

As mentioned earlier, these types of phrases are quite common in Spanish conversations. Note that the previous examples, while not questions, still work with the verb "ir".

3. As a synonym for "to the house of".

We've already established that "adonde" must have an accent when asking questions or when used as an expression. However, there are some cases where this word does not need an accent. One such situation is the use of "adonde" to indicate that a person is at someone else's home. Here are some examples:

Where + [Name]

your grandmother wasto wheredie García
Your grandma leftto the Garcias

We will goto whereMy aunt, do you want it?
We goto my aunt, do you want to come?

Note that after “adonde” we must add the name or noun that refers to the person we are talking about (García, tía). Just like in English, we also need to put an article or possessive pronoun before the noun.

In Spanish, this type of structure is more common in small communities or among the elderly. Although "adonde" helps to shorten the sentence, young Spanish speakers tend to translate the phrase "to the house of" word for word.

donde in SpanishWo

(Video) Meanings and Uses of Donde | Spanish Lessons

We have established this in the previous sectionsWois also translated as "where". Unlike "adonde", however, "donde" does not ask or speak about a person's goal. In Spanish we use “donde” to ask or indicate the location of a person, place or object. This adverb is not limited to working with just one verb (eg.'And'and "adonde"). Depending on the purpose of your sentence, you can use it with different verbs.

It wasn't the museumWoYou told me
It wasn't the museumWoYou told me

Look good! Your bag should beWoyou left her
Look good! It should be your bagWoyou left it

As you may have noticed, in these previous examples, "donde" has no accent. That's because we don't ask questions, we use "donde" to refer to a place or place. However, you must add an accent every time you use interrogative clauses. For example, this would be the structure to use when asking for a location.

Where + [to be conjugated] + [place, person, object]?

DimeWois your brother there
tell meWoyour brother is

To knowWois my glasses
Do you knowWomy glasses are?

At this point you've probably noticed that Spanish accents also change the meaning of a word: we use "dónde" to ask questions and "donde" to refer to a place.

Although in this case the difference in meaning may not be so clear to you, there are some cases where the absence or presence of an accent has a major impact on the meaning of a word. A classic example of this problem ishim against him, words that constantly confuse new Spanish speakers.

As mentioned before, we can use "dónde" with different verbs depending on the information we want to get. Here are some examples:

Hello where are you from? Hi where are you from?

where did you buy your shoes Where did you buy your shows?

Excuse me, do you know where I can catch a bus downtown? Excuse me, do you know where I can catch a bus downtown?

Wrap up

Both "donde" and "a donde" are translated as "wo". However, as we have established in this article, these words are not synonyms and therefore do not use them in the same situations. We learned that "a donde" and "a dónde" are used to talk about or ask about the goal of a person or an object.

And we found that these adverbs work with the Spanish verb to have that meaning'And'.In this context, the literal translation of "a donde" would be.to where.We also discussed that this word can also be used as an expression to express surprise or disappointment and as a synonym for "to the house of".

"Donde" and "dónde" are also adverbs meaning "where". However, we mentioned that these words are used to talk about or ask about a place, an object, or a person's location. Unlike "adonde", "donde" can be used with other verbs. Here are some examples that will help you observe these rules:

Incorrect

Where are my glasses? Where are my glasses?

Correct

Where are my glasses? Where are my glasses?

Incorrect

Where is your mother going? Where is your mother going?

Correct

Where is your mother going? Where is your mother going?

Now that you see the difference between these words in Spanish, you're ready to use them correctly in Spanishwherever you go (wherever you go!)😉