Breakdown of Hver er kennitalan þín?
vera
to be
hver
who / what / which (one)
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
kennitalan
the ID number (Icelandic identity number)
Questions & Answers about Hver er kennitalan þín?
Why does the sentence start with Hver ('who') instead of Hvað ('what')?
In Icelandic, hvað is mostly used for actions or completely unknown abstract things. When asking for a specific piece of information that belongs to a category (like a phone number, address, or ID number), Icelandic treats it as asking 'which one' out of all the possible numbers. For this, you use hver (who/which). Because kennitala is a feminine noun, the feminine form hver is used.
Why does the word for 'your' (þín) come after the noun?
In Icelandic, possessive words like þín (your) or mín (my) usually come right after the noun they describe. When they are placed after the noun, the noun must have the definite article (the 'the' ending) attached to it. That is why the sentence says kennitalan þín (literally 'the ID number your') instead of just kennitala þín.
Why is it þín and not þitt or þinn?
Possessive words have to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they belong to. Since kennitala is a feminine noun and is the subject of this sentence (nominative case), you must use the feminine singular nominative form of 'your', which is þín.
What exactly is a kennitala?
It literally translates to 'identity number' (kenni means identity or recognition, and tala means number). In Iceland, this is your national ID number. You will be asked for it constantly, as you need one to open a bank account, sign a lease, or even get a gym membership!
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