spyrð

Spyrð is a grammatical form in Icelandic, specifically the second-person singular present tense of the verb spyrja. Spyrja means to ask or inquire, so spyrð is used when addressing someone as "you" in the present time.

In use, spyrð governs a direct object in the accusative, conveying the act of asking something. For example, one might say, Þú spyrð mig spurningu, meaning “You are asking me a question.” The form is typically combined with an explicit subject (þú) or is understood from context, and it can appear in questions as well as statements: Spyrð þú spurningar? or Ég heyri að þú spyrð spurningu, “Are you asking a question?”

Phonology and spelling are distinctive in Icelandic, with ð representing a voiced dental fricative. The form spyrð is thus a characteristic second-person marker in the present tense, setting it apart from other persons and tenses of spyrja, such as spyr (he/she asks) or spyrjum (we ask).

Etymology and related forms: spyrð derives from the infinitive spyrja, which itself comes from Old Norse spyrja and related Germanic roots. The pair spyrja/spyrð illustrates how Icelandic verb conjugation marks person and number in the present tense.

See also: Icelandic grammar, Icelandic verbs, spyrja.