sæll / sæl
Greetings That Agree (Sæll, Sæl)
In Komdu sæll (hello) and Vertu blessaður (goodbye), the last word changes to match the person you are talking to: sæll for a man, sæl for a woman.
How It Works
Many Icelandic greetings are small wishes. Komdu sæll literally means come happy, and Vertu sæll means be happy. The adjective at the end describes the person you are talking to, so it changes to match them, just like any adjective agreement.
Hello:
- to a man: Komdu sæll, or just Sæll
- to a woman: Komdu sæl, or just Sæl
- to a group: Komið þið sæl, or Sæl öll
Goodbye:
- to a man: Vertu blessaður or Vertu sæll
- to a woman: Vertu blessuð or Vertu sæl
- to a group: Verið þið blessuð
Look at the listener, not at yourself. A woman greeting a man says Komdu sæll, and a man greeting a woman says Komdu sæl. For a group of men you can say Sælir, for a group of women Sælar, and for a mixed group the neuter Sæl.
Komdu and vertu are commands with þú joined on, as in joined forms. For more than one person, use the plural commands komið and verið.
You can also join the two words: Komdu sæll og blessaður is a warm hello, and Blessaður! or Blessuð! on its own is a friendly hi or bye. Emails often open the same way: Sæll Jón to a man, Sæl Anna to a woman. The double ll in sæll is said like tl, as in ll nn rl rn.
Examples (6)
- Komdu sæll, Jón!
Hello, Jón!
Word by Word: Come happy, Jón!
Jón is a man, so the greeting uses sæll.
- Komdu sæl, Anna!
Hello, Anna!
Word by Word: Come happy, Anna!
Anna is a woman, so the greeting uses sæl.
- Sæl öll!
Hello, everyone!
Word by Word: Happy all!
Sæl and öll are neuter plural, used for a mixed group.
- Vertu blessaður, pabbi.
Bye, Dad.
Word by Word: Be blessed, Dad.
- Vertu blessuð og takk fyrir mig.
Bye, and thanks for having me.
Word by Word: Be blessed and thanks for me.
Said to a woman host when leaving.
- Sæl Sigrún, takk fyrir tölvupóstinn.
Hi Sigrún, thanks for the email.
Word by Word: Happy Sigrún, thanks for the email.
A common way to open an email to a woman.
Common Mistakes
Matching the greeting to your own gender instead of the listener's.
Komdu sæl, Jón!Komdu sæll, Jón!The adjective describes the person you greet. Jón is a man, so every speaker, woman or man, says sæll to him.
Using the one-person command for a group.
Komdu sæl, krakkar!Komið þið sæl, krakkar!Komdu speaks to one person. For a group, use the plural command komið and the plural adjective sæl.
Using the masculine goodbye for a woman.
Vertu blessaður, Anna.Vertu blessuð, Anna.Blessaður is the masculine form. To a woman, say blessuð.
How It Connects
Learn This First
sæll and sæl build on greetings and adjective agreement.
Related Patterns
- ertu / viltu / talarðuJoined Forms (Ertu, Viltu, Talarðu)
Komdu and vertu are commands with þú joined to the verb in the same way.
Level 1 - Commands (komdu, farðu)
Komdu, vertu and their plurals komið and verið are ordinary command forms.
Level 2 - Letters and Emails (kæri, kær kveðja)
Kæri and kæra are the other adjective greetings that agree with the person, used to open letters.
Level 3 - takkThanks (Takk)
Takk fyrir mig often follows a goodbye like Vertu blessuð when you leave someone's home.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice sæll / sæl in Bubblegum
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