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Questions & Answers about Hvað borðar þú?
What does each word in Hvað borðar þú? mean?
Hvað means "what", borðar is the second person singular present tense form of the verb borða meaning "to eat", and þú means "you". So the sentence literally translates to "What do you eat?".
Why is the verb written as borðar instead of the infinitive borða?
In Icelandic, verbs are conjugated to match the subject. Borðar is the form used for the second person singular (þú). The infinitive borða changes when it is conjugated in the present tense to agree with its subject.
How is the word order structured in this question compared to English?
The sentence starts with the interrogative word Hvað (“what”), which is followed directly by the conjugated verb borðar and then the subject þú. Unlike English, where you might insert an auxiliary verb (as in "do you eat"), Icelandic uses the verb conjugation to signal a question without needing an extra word like do.
Can you explain how to pronounce Hvað borðar þú?