Icelandic is a North Germanic language, a distant cousin of English that has kept far more of its old word endings.
| Part | Easier for English Speakers | Takes Practice |
|---|---|---|
| “A” and “the” | There's no word for “a”, so a new noun needs nothing in front of it. | “The” is an ending joined to the noun, and it changes with the noun's gender and case. |
| Verb endings | In the plural, the endings are nearly always predictable: -um for “we”, -ið for “you all” and -a for “they”. | In the singular, they change from one group of verbs to another, so you learn each verb's pattern. |
| Word order | A plain statement starts the way English does: Ég veit það ekki (I don't know it). | The verb stays in second place, so “I” can come after it: Það veit ég ekki, word for word “it know I not”. |
| “You” | You say þú to any one person, friend or stranger, because the formal “you” dropped out of speech after the 1950s. | Even hello can change: you say sæll to a man and sæl to a woman. |
| New words | In conversation, many people use foreign words freely. | In writing, people try to avoid them, so you often need the Icelandic word for the same thing. |
For a study plan that changes as you go, read the fastest way to learn Icelandic.
Icelandic starts with a few new letters, and its endings build up from there.
- First Steps
I can't read the Icelandic alphabet yet.
The letters English doesn't have come first. Æ is the friendly one, since it sounds like the i in ride.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Greetings come first, and they already change: in the lesson below, Anna greets Óli with Sæll.
- Level 2
I can read simple sentences.
Nouns start to change their endings, so a word that looks new may be one you already know in another form.
- Level 3
I can read short stories and messages.
Stories are told in the past, and many common verbs change a vowel there, like fara and fór (go, went).
- Level 4
I can read longer texts about everyday life.
Verbs ending in -st turn up, and some mean something new: gera is to do, and gerast is to happen.
- Level 5
I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.
News uses Icelandic's own words for science and technology.
- Level 6
I can read almost anything.
Poems, which play with old words and endings, are what's left.
Hæ, Anna!
Hi, Anna!
Hello, Óli! How are you?
All good, thanks!
Bye-bye!
Bye!
This lesson comes from Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Icelandic lessons for each level.
For easy Icelandic to start with, read the easiest way to learn Icelandic.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Icelandic. You learn from Icelandic you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
- The Icelandic Alphabet course teaches þ, ð, and the other Icelandic letters from the first letter.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Icelandic about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki as flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- An Icelandic book or saga can't be turned into a lesson. Send Poppy a photo of a page, and she explains every line.
- 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 lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches the Icelandic Alphabet
Mobile
How Many Tenses Does Icelandic Have?
Only two tenses are single verb forms: the past and the present. Other ways of talking about time pair a helper verb with the main verb.
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.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Icelandic language (North Germanic; more conservative than most Germanic languages, with four cases and three genders; verb-second word order, Ég veit það ekki and Það veit ég ekki; the formal “you” disappeared from regular speech after the 1950s; purism and new native words, while many speakers use foreign words freely in speech; æ pronounced as in ride)
- Wikipedia: Icelandic grammar (no indefinite article; the definite article is usually joined to the noun; plural verb endings -um, -ið and -a are nearly always predictable; only two simple tenses, past and present, plus auxiliary constructions; middle voice in -st, gera and gerast)
- Wiktionary: sæll and sæl (hello, said to a man; hello, said to a woman or a mixed group); þú (you, singular); fór (past of fara)
