Questions & Answers about Heyrðir þú hvað hann spurði?
Why does the sentence start with Heyrðir instead of a word for "Did"?
Why does heyrðir end in -ðir?
This is the simple past tense of the weak verb heyra (to hear). It takes the -ði past tense marker. Because the subject is þú (you), we add an -r at the very end, making it heyrðir.
The dictionary form of "to ask" is spyrja. Why does it become spurði here?
Spyrja is a weak verb, but it belongs to a special group that drops the -j- and changes its vowel in the past tense (here, from y to u). It uses the -ði ending, so hann spyr (he asks) becomes hann spurði (he asked).
Why doesn't spurði have an -r at the end like heyrðir does?
The verb endings must match the subject! Heyrðir goes with þú (you), which requires the -r ending in the past tense. Spurði goes with hann (he), and in the past tense, the "he/she/it" forms of weak verbs just end in the plain past tense marker (like -ði), with no extra letters.
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