Learn Icelandic: Hver er þetta?

Hver er þetta?

Who is this?

Breakdown of Hver er þetta?

who / what / which (one)

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Questions & Answers about Hver er þetta?

Why do we use hver instead of hvað here?

In Icelandic, hver means 'who' and is strictly used when asking about people. If you were pointing at an object and asking 'what is this?', you would use hvað instead.

Since hver asks about a person, why do we use the neuter word þetta (this) instead of a masculine or feminine word?

When you are asking 'Who is this?', you do not know the identity or gender of the person yet. In Icelandic, you use the neuter form þetta as a default placeholder until you know who you are talking about.

Is the word order here different from a normal statement?

Yes! Just like in English, Icelandic question words like hver jump to the very front of the sentence. The verb (er) comes immediately after it, followed by the subject (þetta).

Would this sentence change if I were pointing at a group of people and asking 'Who are these people?'

The question word and verb would change to plural, becoming Hverjir eru... (Who are...). Surprisingly, the word þetta stays exactly the same, because it acts as a fixed pointing word here regardless of how many people you are pointing at.