Hvað meinar þú?

What do you mean?

Breakdown of Hvað meinar þú?

• þú: you
• hvað: what
• meina: to mean

Questions & Answers about Hvað meinar þú?

Why does the sentence start with hvað?

In Icelandic, question words like hvað normally come first in the sentence, just as in English. After the question word, Icelandic typically puts the finite (conjugated) verb in second position (the V2 pattern), which is why meinar comes right after hvað.

What part of speech is hvað, and does it have different forms?

Hvað is an interrogative pronoun meaning what. It’s the neuter singular form of the interrogative hver (who/which/what, depending on context).
Common related forms include:

• hver (masculine, often who)
• hver (feminine, often who/which)
• hvað (neuter, often what)

What verb is meinar, and what grammar info is packed into it?

Meinar is the 2nd person singular, present tense form of the verb meina (to mean / to intend).
So meinar already tells you:

• tense: present
• person/number: you (singular)

That’s why Icelandic can sometimes drop the pronoun in casual speech, though it’s often still included.

Why is þú included if the verb already shows it’s “you”?

Even though meinar already marks you (singular), Icelandic often keeps the subject pronoun þú for clarity, emphasis, or natural rhythm—especially in careful speech, writing, or when contrasting with someone else (e.g., meina ég vs meinar þú).

Is there a more common spoken version than Hvað meinar þú?

Yes. In everyday speech (and often in informal writing), þú is frequently cliticized onto the verb, giving:

• Hvað meinarðu?

This is essentially the same sentence; it just sounds more natural and fluent in conversation.

How is Hvað meinar þú? pronounced?

A practical approximation:

• hvað ≈ kvað (the hv- is pronounced like kv-)
• meinar ≈ MAY-nar (with a clear ei diphthong)
• þú ≈ thoo (like the th in this, not thin)

So you might hear something like: KVAÐ MAY-nar thoo.
In Hvað meinarðu?, the ending often sounds like a single unit: MAY-nar-thu.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Can it sound rude?

It’s neutral on its own, but it can feel confrontational depending on tone and context—similar to English.
If said sharply, it can imply What are you talking about? / Explain yourself.
If said calmly, it’s a normal request for clarification.

Is there a difference between Hvað meinar þú? and Hvað áttu við?

They overlap a lot and are both common. A rough distinction:

• Hvað meinar þú? focuses on what you mean/intend
• Hvað áttu við? (literally What do you have in mind/with it?) often feels like What do you mean by that?

In many real situations they’re interchangeable; choosing one can be a matter of habit or nuance.

Why is the word order Hvað meinar þú and not Hvað þú meinar?

Because Icelandic generally uses the V2 rule in main-clause questions: after a fronted element (here hvað), the conjugated verb (meinar) comes next.
So Hvað þú meinar would clash with normal Icelandic main-clause word order (though similar orders can appear in embedded clauses in other contexts).

Does meina take a particular case (like accusative), and does that matter here?

Meina can take different complements depending on structure (for example, a clause like að…). But in Hvað meinar þú?, hvað is functioning as the thing being asked about (what), and you don’t need to add a case ending because hvað is already the correct interrogative form used in this pattern.