Breakdown of Hvað eruð þið að hugsa um?
vera
to be
þið
you (plural)
hvað
what
að
to (infinitive marker)
hugsa
to think
um
about
Questions & Answers about Hvað eruð þið að hugsa um?
How is the "are thinking" part formed in this sentence?
This sentence uses the present continuous pattern: the verb vera (to be) + að + an infinitive verb. Here, eruð is the "are" part matching þið (you all), and að hugsa is "to think". Together, eruð ... að hugsa translates to "are thinking".
Why are eruð and að hugsa separated by þið?
In Icelandic questions, the first verb switches places with the subject. So the statement Þið eruð að hugsa (You are thinking) becomes Eruð þið að hugsa? (Are you thinking?). The að hugsa part stays where it was, which is why þið lands right in the middle.
Why is it eruð þið instead of ert þú?
Þið is the plural "you" used when talking to more than one person (like "you guys" or "y'all"), and eruð is its matching form of "to be". If you were asking just one person, it would be Hvað ert þú að hugsa um?.
Why does the word um (about) go at the very end of the sentence?
Just like in English, Icelandic often leaves the preposition at the end of a question when asking "What... about?" or "Who... with?". The basic phrase is hugsa um (to think about), so um stays at the end of the sentence while hvað (what) moves to the front.
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