Word
Hver er kennarinn?
Meaning
Who is the teacher?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about Hver er kennarinn?
Why do we use hver instead of hvað here?
Hver translates to who and is used to ask about people. Hvað translates to what and is used for things or actions. Because we are asking about a person's identity, we use hver.
Does hver change if the teacher is a woman?
No. When asking a general question about a person's identity, you use the standard form hver, regardless of the actual gender of the person you are asking about.
Why is the word kennarinn and not just kennari?
In Icelandic, the definite article (the equivalent of the English word the) attaches to the end of the noun rather than being a separate word. Kennari means a teacher, and adding -nn makes it kennarinn, meaning the teacher.
Is the word order exactly the same as in English here?
Yes! Just like in English, the question word hver comes at the very beginning of the sentence, followed immediately by the verb er, and then the subject kennarinn.