The easiest way to learn Icelandic is to learn the Icelandic alphabet, and then read and listen to short, easy Icelandic about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Leave case tables and long word lists for later, because easy Icelandic keeps showing you the most common words and endings. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Icelandic to start with.
Is Icelandic Easy to Learn?
Icelandic is easy to start, and it takes a long time to learn well. The alphabet takes a few short sessions, while the word endings take much longer. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute's current list does not include Icelandic, and an older version put it in the group it calls hard languages for English speakers. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- A Familiar AlphabetIcelandic uses the Latin alphabet, with four letters that English does not have: þ, ð, æ and ö.
- Words You Already KnowMany Icelandic words look like English ones, such as fiskur (fish) and systir (sister).
- The Same Sounds EverywhereIcelandic has only very small differences in sound from one region to another, so what you learn works all over Iceland.
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is to learn the letters, then spend your time on short Icelandic you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Learn the Alphabet FirstLearn the new letters and sounds in three short chapters of Bubblegum's free Icelandic Alphabet course.
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep from each lesson.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like Góðan daginn (good morning) or Bless (bye).
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Icelandic at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Icelandic.
What Makes Icelandic Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Icelandic feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Icelandic.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Four cases, as in á Íslandi (in Iceland) and til Íslands (to Iceland) | The small word in front often tells you which ending comes next, and easy reading shows you each pair many times. Look a word up in BÍN, which lists all of its forms, only when an ending puzzles you. |
| Three genders, each with its own ending for "the" | Nouns show their gender in the ending, as in hesturinn (the horse), sólin (the sun) and húsið (the house). Save nouns from sentences, and the ending you saw tells you the gender. |
| Letters with surprising sounds | In takk (thanks), a short h sound comes before the kk, and in nafn (name), the f sounds like p. Play the audio as you read, and each sound sticks to its spelling. |
| New words made from old Icelandic ones | Icelandic builds many new words from its own older words, so a computer is tölva and a phone is sími. Lessons about everyday life bring these words back again and again, until they feel normal. |
What Is Easy Icelandic to Start With?
Easy Icelandic to start with is short and slow, and it is about something you enjoy. Icelandic you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Ylhýra | Free texts start at level A1 and show a translation for each word and sentence. | ylhyra.is |
| LingQ's Mini Stories | A beginner course of short stories with audio, which you can read and hear together. | lingq.com |
| Auðskilið | RÚV's news in easy Icelandic uses short sentences, often one to a line. | ruv.is/audskilid |
| Árstíðir | Short stories in simple Icelandic come with symbols that show how hard each one is, once you know some words. | forlagid.is |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to learn the Icelandic alphabet?
Learn the new letters first, then the vowels with accent marks, which change how a vowel sounds: á sounds like the ow in cow. Bubblegum's free Icelandic Alphabet course works this way in your browser, with audio for every example word, and it also teaches the stress rule: the first syllable of an Icelandic word is the loudest.
Can I learn Icelandic just by watching RÚV?
Not at the start, because most of a show goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Shows help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with Icelandic subtitles on. Viltu læra íslensku? has TV episodes about everyday life in Iceland with Icelandic subtitles, and RÚV Orð lets you tap a word in RÚV's subtitles to see what it means.
Is Icelandic similar to Norwegian?
Yes. Icelandic's closest relatives are Faroese and the dialects of western Norway, so if you know Norwegian, many Icelandic words will look familiar. Icelandic has also kept much of its old grammar, so Icelanders can still read the sagas, their earliest stories.
Which Icelandic app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Icelandic, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Icelandic apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Icelandic Alphabet course on this site is also free and needs no account.
Sources
- Árni Magnússon Institute: The History of Icelandic (closest relatives, the letters þ and ð, and four cases)
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- U.S. Department of State, FSI language categories (archived May 2018, with Icelandic in Category III)
- Wikipedia: Icelandic language (four cases, three genders, closest relatives, new words coined from older Icelandic words)
- Wikipedia: Icelandic phonology (only very minor dialect differences in sounds; stress on the first syllable; an h sound before pp, tt and kk)
- Ylhýra: Icelandic texts from A1 to C1
- RÚV: Auðskilið, news in easy Icelandic
