hvad
[ʋæð̠˕ˠ]
The English word 'what' is translated into Danish as hvad.
hvad is an interrogative pronoun.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Which one should you use?
Use hvad when asking about an object or an action. In contrast, use the related forms hvilken, hvilket or hvilke when choosing between specific options (equivalent to 'which').
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word hvad is indeclinable, meaning it does not change its form based on gender or number.
When do people say it?
The phrase Hvad så? is an informal way to say 'what's up?'
Did you know?
- A common way to say 'What?' when you did not hear someone is simply to repeat the word hvad?, but it can sound quite blunt or impatient without a softening tone.
- The word hvad is a direct linguistic sibling to the English 'what' and the German 'was', all descending from the Proto-Germanic *hwat.
- In spoken Danish, the word hvad often undergoes 'lenition' and is pronounced more like 'va', losing the 'h' sound entirely.
Examples in context
- Hvad er 2 + 2?What is 2 + 2?This sentence shows how to use hvad in a simple mathematical question.Tatoeba #8196411 by danepo, translation #3758680 by Wuzzy
- Hvad er der nu?What is it now?This sentence demonstrates using hvad to ask what is happening.Tatoeba #2250840 by danepo, translation #1937392 by Beatminister
- Hvad har I set?What did you see?This sentence shows hvad being used to ask about a past action.Tatoeba #3704850 by danepo, translation #1886778 by CK
- Hvad er dit navn?What is your name?
- Hvad så, har du lyst til at gå ud?What's up, do you want to go out?
- 1080 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mette and Mads are talking in the kitchen.
- MetteHvad laver du, Mads?What are you doing, Mads?
- MadsJeg laver mad.I am cooking.
- MetteHvad laver du til aftensmad?What are you making for dinner?
- MadsJeg laver pasta.I am making pasta.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries hvad, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hvad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
