Sentence formation?

[queya]

I'm trying to write:
They didn't know where.

I have:
ellas donde no conocieron

My problem is I'm not sure if that's the correct place to put donde.

Can anyone kind of break grammer and sentence structure down for me? I think that is my main problem.

Thank you SO much!
~Queya

[Rusty]

(Ellas) No sabían dónde. (They didn't know where, and may still not know.)
(Ellas) No supieron dónde. (They didn't know where (at some time in the past).)

The word where is an adverb. Adverbs should be placed close to the verb, and often follow the verb. They are used much like the English adverbs, except that English allows them to appear in more places.

[queya]

Hi Rusty!
Thank you SO much for helping me!
You are always on top of things! =]

What is the difference between the verb conocer and saber in this context?

[Cloudgazer]

Originally Posted by Rusty

(Ellas) No sabían dónde. (They didn't know where, and may still not know.)
(Ellas) No supieron dónde. (They didn't know where (at some time in the past).)

¿El «donde» lleva acento en estos casos? Pensaba que ambos eran adverbios relativos con oraciones subordinadas implicitas.

No sabían donde (estaban las llaves).
No supieron donde (estaban las llaves). [They didn't find out where (the keys were).]

[Rusty]

Conocer is mostly used when you know a person (you've met them before), or a place (you've been there before).
Saber is mostly used to express knowledge about something, or someone.

That being said, conocer can be used to express a deeper knowledge than can be expressed with saber. But, in the case of the sentence you proposed, it seemed like general knowledge was being expressed.

La conozco. = I know her. (I've met her.)
Conozco Costa Rica. = I've been to Costa Rica.

Lo sabe. = He knows (it).
No saben nada. = They don't know anything.

Originally Posted by Cloudgazer

¿El «donde» lleva acento en estos casos? Pensaba que ambos eran adverbios relativos con oraciones subordinadas implicitas.

No sabían donde (estaban las llaves).
No supieron donde (estaban las llaves). [They didn't find out where (the keys were).]

Si es un adverbio relativo, sí, no lleva acento. Lo que vi era una oración fragmentada y no sabía cómo resultara la frase.

[Cloudgazer]

Originally Posted by queya

What is the difference between the verb conocer and saber in this context?

Ellas no conocieron donde (estaban las llaves).

They were not familiar with where (the keys were). [At a particular time or fixed period in the past.]
They didn't recognize where (the keys were). [At a particular moment (or maybe a fixed period) in the past.]

These are some of the ways this sentence might be interpreted. More context would help to define the meaning.

[CrOtALiTo]

The Rusty's answer are very accurate.

It was for the excellency.

[irmamar]

"Dónde" is accented in the sentences "no sabían dónde" or "no supieron dónde", since these sentences are called "interrogativas indirectas". There is a way to know if a sentence is an "interrogativa indirecta" and, therefore, the adverb or the interrogative pronoun will be accented:

No sé dónde se conocieron.
No sé dónde. Here, if we omit the subordinate clause, the sentence has a meaning.

Vayas donde vayas, iré contigo.
Vayas donde. I can't find any meaning here

There is an interesting link about this question and another ones:

http://www.rae.es/rae/gestores/gespub000018.nsf/(voAnexos)/arch8100821B76809110C12571B80038BA4A/$File/CuestionesparaelFAQdeconsultas.htm#ap26

I hope it helps