Learn Icelandic: Hvernig bragðast þessi biti?

This is an example of an -st verb (middle voice). While að bragða means to actively taste something (like a chef tasting soup), adding the -st creates að bragðast, which means to have a certain flavor. Here, you are asking about the flavor the bite has, rather than its ability to taste!

Why use þessi instead of the neuter þetta?

Þessi is the masculine nominative form of 'this', and it must match the gender of the noun it points to. The noun biti (bite or morsel) is masculine. If you were asking about a neuter noun like an apple (epli), you would use the neuter form: Hvernig bragðast þetta epli?

Why does the subject þessi biti come after the verb?

Icelandic generally follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. Because the sentence starts with the question word Hvernig, the verb bragðast must immediately follow it in the second position. This pushes the subject þessi biti to the end of the sentence.

How would I use the pronoun eitthvað from this lesson to ask 'How does something taste?'