dónde
where?
Asks at what place something happens
Encoding Strategies:
repetition
Dónde means where and is an adverb asking "at what place?" The accent mark signals stress and emphasis, which is why it naturally appears in questions and exclamations. Think: "WHERE?!"
dónde
where (interrogative)
Used to ask or wonder about location or destination.
¿Dónde estás?Where are you?
No sé dónde está mi llaveI don't know where my key is ("Where is my key?" is what I don't know)
where (exclamatory)
Used as an exclamation to express surprise, disbelief, or indignation about where something is happening.
¡Dónde vas así vestido!Where do you think you're going dressed like that! (WHERE are you going dressed like that!)
¡Dónde se ha visto algo así!Where has anyone ever seen something like that!
el dónde
the where
Adding el turns the question at what place? into a thing in itself: the place where something happens.
El problema no era el cómo, sino el dóndeThe problem wasn't the how, but the where
Todavía no hemos decidido el dóndeWe still haven't decided the where