Breakdown of Vad löjligt det låter!
det
it (neuter)
låta
to sound (like)
vad
how (in exclamations)
löjlig
ridiculous
Questions & Answers about Vad löjligt det låter!
Why is vad translated as "how" here instead of "what"?
In Swedish, exclamatory sentences often start with vad followed by an adjective or adverb to express strong emotion. In this structure, vad translates to "how". So, vad löjligt means "how ridiculous!".
Can I use hur instead of vad since the English translation is "how"?
No, hur is generally only used for asking actual questions (like Hur mår du? - "How are you?"). When making an exclamation like "How [adjective]!", you must use vad.
Why is the word order det låter instead of låter det?
Even though vad usually starts a question (which would force the verb to come before the subject), this is an exclamation. In exclamatory clauses, you don't use inverted word order. The subject and verb keep their normal straight order: subject (det) followed by the verb (låter).
Why does löjligt end in a -t?
It is acting as an adverb here because it describes the verb låter (how it sounds). In Swedish, you generally create an adverb from an adjective by adding a -t to the end. It also matches the neuter subject det, which requires the -t form anyway.