Breakdown of Hvað er kápan þín marga sentímetra á lengd?
vera
to be
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
þinn
your (sg.)
kápan
the coat
sentímetrinn
the centimeter
margur
many
lengdin
the length
hvað
how (+ adjective, degree)
Questions & Answers about Hvað er kápan þín marga sentímetra á lengd?
Why do we use á lengd here, and what case is lengd?
This is the standard way to express dimensions in Icelandic: the preposition á plus the dimension noun in the accusative case. Lengd (length) is a feminine noun, and its accusative form happens to be identical to its nominative form.
If the verb is er (is), why is the measurement marga sentímetra in the accusative instead of the nominative?
In Icelandic, exact measurements of distance, time, or size use the accusative case, often called the 'accusative of measure'. This rule applies even with the verb vera (to be), which otherwise connects two nominative nouns.
Why does the sentence start with Hvað instead of Hversu to mean 'How'?
While Hversu marga sentímetra is grammatically correct and also means 'How many centimeters', everyday Icelandic very often uses Hvað (literally 'What') paired with adjectives like marga to ask 'how many' or 'how much'.
Why is the phrase 'how many centimeters' split up by the subject kápan þín?
This happens because of the strict V2 (verb-second) word order in Icelandic questions. The question word Hvað takes the first position, so the verb er must come second, followed immediately by the subject kápan þín. The rest of the measurement phrase (marga sentímetra) is pushed after the subject.
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