Breakdown of Hvaða stærð mátar maðurinn?
maðurinn
the man
máta
to try on
hvaða
which, what
stærðin
the size (f)
Questions & Answers about Hvaða stærð mátar maðurinn?
Why do we use hvaða here instead of just hvað?
You use hvað when asking 'what' all by itself. But when 'what' or 'which' is attached directly to a noun, like 'what size' (hvaða stærð) in this sentence, you must use the determiner hvaða.
Does the word hvaða change its ending depending on the noun?
No, and that is a great feature of hvaða! Unlike many other words in Icelandic, it never changes. It stays exactly the same no matter the gender, number, or case of the noun that follows it.
Why does the verb mátar come before the subject maðurinn?
Icelandic uses a strict 'verb-second' rule. The entire question phrase hvaða stærð counts as the first block of information. Therefore, the verb mátar must take the second slot, pushing the subject maðurinn until after the verb.
How does maðurinn translate to 'the man' instead of just 'man'?
The ending -inn is the attached definite article ('the'). In Icelandic, instead of using a separate word for 'the' before the noun, you attach a suffix to the end. So maður means 'a man' and maðurinn means 'the man'.