Learn Icelandic: Hvað heitir þú?

When asking for someone's name using the verb heita, Icelandic always uses Hvað (what). Literally, the sentence translates to "What are you called?".

Where are the words for "is" and "name" in this sentence?

They aren't there! Instead of translating "What is your name?" word-for-word, Icelandic uses the single verb heita, which means "to be named" or "to be called". heitir is the "you" form of this verb.

Why does the verb heitir come before þú (you)?

This is a rule called "V2 word order." In question sentences starting with a question word like Hvað, the verb must be the second piece of information. So, the verb heitir directly follows Hvað, pushing the subject þú to the third spot.

How do I pronounce the hv at the beginning of Hvað?

In standard Icelandic, the letter combination hv is pronounced exactly like "kv". So Hvað sounds like "kvað" (with a soft "th" sound at the end for the ð).