Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Hvað gerir þú?
Why does the verb gerir come right after Hvað?
In Icelandic questions that start with a question word like Hvað (what), the verb must come in the second position, followed by the subject. So the order is always "Question word + Verb + Subject", which gives us Hvað gerir þú?.
Does this mean "What do you do?" or "What are you doing?"
It can mean both! Icelandic does not have a separate "-ing" tense (present continuous) like English does. Hvað gerir þú? can mean "What do you do?" (like asking about someone's profession) or "What are you doing?" (right in this moment), depending on the context.
I often hear people say this ending like it's one word. Is that right?
Yes! In spoken Icelandic, the verb and the pronoun þú are very frequently merged together. Gerir þú becomes gerirðu (the þ softens into a ð sound). You will hear and even see Hvað gerirðu? written all the time in casual texts.
What is the dictionary form of the verb gerir?
The infinitive (dictionary form) is að gera (to do or to make). Gerir is the conjugated form used with þú (you), as well as with hann/hún/það (he/she/it).