Hvað heitir þú?
Hvað heitir þú? is the Icelandic phrase for "what is your name?"
This phrase is used to ask someone for their name. When someone asks you this, the standard way to respond is to say Ég heiti… followed by your name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "What is called you?" The verb heitir is the third-person singular form of heiða, used here because the subject is the name itself (the thing that is called).
How does it change in a sentence?
You can adapt this question to ask about others by changing the pronoun. To ask for a male's name, replace the pronoun þú (you) with hann (he) to get Hvað heitir hann? To ask for a female's name, replace the pronoun þú (you) with hún (she) to get Hvað heitir hún?
Did you know?
- Icelandic naming customs often use a patronymic system rather than family surnames. A person's last name is typically their father's name followed by -son or -dóttir.
- The word þú shares an ancient root with the archaic English word 'thou'. While 'thou' has disappeared from common English, it remains a fundamental part of everyday Icelandic.
- The pronoun þú is used in Iceland to address almost everyone, including teachers and strangers. This is much more informal than the polite 'you' forms found in many other European languages.
Examples in context
- Hvað heitir þú?What is your name?
- Ég vildi bara vita, hvað heitir þú?I just wanted to know, what is your name?
Example conversation
A social gathering where two people meet for the first time.
- SigríðurHæ, hvað heitir þú?Hi, what is your name?
- SigurðurÉg heiti Sigurður. Og hvað heitir þú?My name is Sigurður. And what is your name?
- SigríðurÉg heiti Sigríður. Gaman að kynnast þér.My name is Sigríður. Nice to meet you.
- SigurðurGaman að kynnast þér líka.Nice to meet you too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hvað, þú, CC BY-SA 4.0.
