Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
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?
Certainly! While exact pronunciation can vary: • Hvað is approximately pronounced like "kvath", with a guttural h and a short a. • Borðar sounds roughly like "bohr-dahr", with the r pronounced with a slight roll. • Þú is pronounced similar to "thoo", where þ represents the voiceless dental fricative (like the th in "thing"). Listening to native speakers will help refine the pronunciation further.
Is the pronoun þú formal or informal in Icelandic?
The pronoun þú is used for addressing someone informally in the singular form. Icelandic, like many languages, distinguishes between formal and informal registers, and þú is the standard informal way to say "you".
How does forming a question in Icelandic differ from English?
In English, questions in the present simple typically require the auxiliary verb do (e.g., "What do you eat?"). In Icelandic, however, the sentence Hvað borðar þú? simply uses the conjugated verb borðar at the beginning of the sentence after the question word Hvað. This direct use of the verb without an extra auxiliary is common in Icelandic question formation.
How might I respond to the question Hvað borðar þú? in Icelandic?
A typical response would start with Ég borða (meaning "I eat") followed by the object. For example, "Ég borða brauð" translates to "I eat bread." Notice that when you switch the subject to ég (I), you use the corresponding form of the verb (in this case, borða, the first person singular form).