Icelandic language basics for travellers
Do I need to learn Icelandic to travel in Iceland?
No. English is universally spoken in Iceland, even in very small towns and remote guesthouses. However, knowing a few Icelandic words earns genuine appreciation from locals and helps with road signs, menus, and geography. It also helps with pronouncing place names correctly.
A quick introduction to Icelandic
Icelandic is a North Germanic language descended from Old Norse, the language of the medieval Vikings. It is remarkably similar to written Old Norse from the 12th century — more so than any other living language. Icelanders can read medieval sagas in the original with only modest difficulty.
This linguistic conservatism means Icelandic has preserved sounds and grammatical structures that other Nordic languages have simplified. For English speakers, the sounds are the biggest challenge; the Latin alphabet is almost the same but with a few additions.
The good news for travellers: every single person working in Icelandic tourism speaks fluent English. You will not be stranded by a language barrier. But the sounds of the place — names of waterfalls, mountains, towns — are worth understanding. Getting “Jökulsárlón” approximately right is more satisfying than pointing at a picture.
The alphabet and special characters
Icelandic uses the Latin alphabet plus several additional letters:
Þ / þ (thorn): Pronounced like the English “th” in “think.” Example: Þingvellir = Thingvellir. This letter appears in old English texts but dropped out of English usage centuries ago.
Ð / ð (eth): Pronounced like the English “th” in “the” (voiced). Example: Ðettifoss — in practice, the “D” is used in road signs.
Æ / æ: Pronounced like “eye” or the “i” in “I.” Example: Æðey.
Ö / ö: Pronounced like the “u” in “burn” or the German ö. Example: Möðrudalur.
Á / á: Pronounced like “ow” in “how.” Example: Ísafjörður has both á and ö.
Pronunciation survival guide
Icelandic pronunciation is challenging, but a few rules help:
- LL (double l): Pronounced like “tl” — so “Gullfoss” is roughly “Gootl-foss,” not “Gull-foss.”
- HV: Pronounced “kv” — so “Hveragerði” starts like “kver.”
- J: Pronounced like English “y” — so “Jökulsárlón” starts with a “y” sound.
- R: Slightly trilled, especially at the start of words.
- G: Hard “g” (as in “good”) in most positions.
- KK: A sharp, clipped double “k.”
The stress in Icelandic almost always falls on the first syllable of a word. This is consistent and helps.
Example place name: Eyjafjallajökull (the 2010 eruption volcano)
- Eyja = islands (AY-ya)
- fjalla = mountains (fyat-la)
- jökull = glacier (YOH-kootl)
- Whole word: AY-ya-fyat-la-YOH-kootl
You do not need to say it perfectly. Icelanders have enormous patience for foreign attempts at their place names.
Essential words and phrases
Greetings and basic courtesy
| Icelandic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Halló | HA-loh | Hello |
| Góðan dag | GOH-than dakh | Good day |
| Gott kvöld | gott kvold | Good evening |
| Góða nótt | GOH-tha noht | Good night |
| Bless / Bless bless | bless | Goodbye |
| Já | yow | Yes |
| Nei | nay | No |
| Takk / Takk fyrir | tahk / tahk FIR-ir | Thank you / Thank you (more formal) |
| Fyrirgefðu | FIR-ir-yev-thu | Excuse me / Sorry |
| Vinsamlegast | VIN-sam-le-gast | Please |
Getting around
| Icelandic | English |
|---|---|
| Vegur | Road |
| Brú | Bridge |
| Þjóðvegur | National road |
| Fjall | Mountain |
| Jökull | Glacier |
| Foss | Waterfall |
| Vatn | Lake / Water |
| Vik | Bay |
| Nes | Peninsula / Headland |
| Sandur | Sand / Sandy plain |
| Hraun | Lava field |
| Dalur | Valley |
| Gil | Canyon / Ravine |
| Höfn | Harbour |
| Bær | Farm |
Understanding these suffixes helps with maps enormously. Skógafoss = “Forest waterfall” (skógar = forest, foss = waterfall). Þingvellir = “Parliament plains” (þing = parliament, vellir = plains). Vatnajökull = “Water glacier” (vatn = water, jökull = glacier).
At a restaurant or café
| Icelandic | English |
|---|---|
| Matseðill | Menu |
| Kvöldmatur | Dinner |
| Hádegismatur | Lunch |
| Morgunmatur | Breakfast |
| Vatn | Water |
| Bjór | Beer |
| Vin | Wine |
| Kaffi | Coffee |
| Te | Tea |
| Brauð | Bread |
| Fiskur | Fish |
| Lamb | Lamb |
| Kjúklingur | Chicken |
| Grænmeti | Vegetables |
| Skyr | Skyr (yoghurt-like dairy) |
| Reikningurinn, takk | The bill, please |
Common road signs
Road signs in Iceland use standard European symbols but some text signs appear in Icelandic:
| Sign text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hætta | Danger |
| Lokað | Closed |
| Opið | Open |
| Engin þjónusta | No services |
| Einbreið brú | Single-lane bridge |
| Malbik endar | Paved road ends |
| Blindheið | Blind rise / hidden dip |
| Hraðatakmarkið | Speed limit |
| Bílsstæði | Parking |
| Beint áfram | Straight ahead |
| Til vinstri | To the left |
| Til hægri | To the right |
Speed limit signs in Iceland: 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on gravel roads, 90 km/h on paved roads. These are maximum limits, not target speeds in adverse conditions.
Place names worth knowing how to pronounce
Reykjavik (RAY-kya-veek): “Smoky bay” — named for the steam rising from geothermal vents when Norse settlers arrived.
Þingvellir (THING-vet-lir): “Parliament plains” — site of the ancient Alþingi parliament.
Gullfoss (GOOTL-foss): “Golden waterfall.”
Geysir (GAY-sir): The original — English borrowed this word directly from Icelandic.
Skógafoss (SKOH-ga-foss): “Forest waterfall” (skógar = forests).
Seljalandsfoss (SEL-ya-lands-foss): “Seljaland’s waterfall.”
Jökulsárlón (YOH-kootl-sow-rl-ohn): “Glacial river lagoon.”
Snæfellsnes (SNYE-fetls-nes): “Snow mountain peninsula.”
Kirkjufell (KIRT-kyu-fetl): “Church mountain.”
Ísafjörður (EES-a-fyur-thur): “Ice fjord.”
Akureyri (AH-kur-ay-ree): No obvious translation — a personal name from settlement times.
Icelandic in daily travel: where it actually helps
You will encounter Icelandic in these practical situations:
Supermarket products: Product labels are in Icelandic. Knowing basic food vocabulary (mjólk = milk, brauð = bread, smjör = butter, egg = egg, kjöt = meat, fiskur = fish) helps navigate the Bónus aisle.
Guesthouse communications: Some guesthouses send text or email in Icelandic. Machine translation handles this well, but knowing common phrases speeds things up.
Road signs at junctions: In remote areas, road signs may only show Icelandic place names without phonetic guidance. Having the Icelandic name of your destination learned in advance (or written down) matters when you are standing at a fork in the road.
Menus at local eateries: Small-town cafés and petrol station cafés may have Icelandic-only menus. The food vocabulary section above covers the essentials.
Conversations with older Icelanders in rural areas: While everyone speaks English, older residents in small towns may speak less confident English. A Icelandic greeting (Góðan dag) and a thank you (Takk) is received warmly.
Using Google Translate in Iceland
Google Translate’s Icelandic support is good and improving. The camera translate feature (point camera at text for instant translation) works reliably with Icelandic menus, signs, and product labels.
Offline Google Translate for Icelandic can be downloaded to your phone — useful in dead zones when you encounter a sign you need to understand.
One caveat: Machine translation of Icelandic literary or historical texts can be misleading — the language’s grammatical complexity and archaic vocabulary defeat standard NLP models in non-standard contexts. For tourist use (menus, signs, guesthouse notices), it is entirely adequate.
Icelandic etiquette and culture notes
First names: Icelanders use first names universally, including in formal settings. Iceland’s phone book is alphabetised by first name. There are no “Mr.” or “Mrs.” conventions in common use.
Patronymic surnames: Icelandic surnames are typically patronymic — derived from the father’s first name plus -son (son) or -dóttir (daughter). Jón Sigurðsson’s daughter is Sigurðardóttir, not Sigurðsson. This is still the living standard, not a historical relic.
Elf lore: Icelanders have complex views on huldufólk (hidden people / elves). Many Icelanders acknowledge the tradition; a minority actively believe. Treat it with respect rather than mockery.
See elves and folklore in Iceland and Icelandic etiquette for more cultural context.
Icelandic names: how the patronymic system works in practice
When you meet an Icelandic person, their surname tells you their parent’s first name, not their family name. This is not a quirk — it is the living standard for virtually all Icelanders.
Jón Sigurðsson: His father was named Sigurður. He is Sigurðsson (son of Sigurður).
Guðrún Sigurðardóttir: Her father was named Sigurður. She is Sigurðardóttir (daughter of Sigurður).
Implications for visitors:
- Searching for Icelanders by “last name” in a directory returns nothing useful — always search by first name
- Booking reservations: if you book at a guesthouse run by “Jón Sigurðsson,” the confirmation email address will be Jón’s first name, not a family name
- Most guesthouses and small businesses are effectively named after their owner’s first name or patronymic
Married Icelanders do not share a surname (there is no surname to share). Parents and children may have different last names. This is entirely normal and not a sign of a complicated family situation.
Learning resources if you want to go further
For visitors who want to go beyond basic phrases, several resources are worth knowing:
Drops app: A gamified vocabulary-building app with Icelandic language support. Good for building basic vocabulary in 5-minute daily sessions. Free tier is sufficient for travel preparation.
Memrise (Icelandic courses): Spaced repetition vocabulary. The user-created Icelandic for Travellers course covers the most relevant vocabulary.
Textbooks: “Icelandic: An Introduction” by Sigríður Sigurjónsdóttir is the standard academic introduction. More than most visitors need.
YouTube: The University of Iceland has published free Icelandic language introduction videos. For pronunciation specifically, hearing native speakers is invaluable — written guides capture only part of the reality.
Practice: If you attempt Icelandic with locals and they respond in English (which they almost certainly will, because Icelanders are efficient communicators), do not take it as a rebuff. They are being helpful. Persist anyway: “Get þú endurtekið það?” (Can you repeat that?) followed by a laugh usually gets a warm response.
Numbers in Icelandic
Useful for prices, times, and quantities:
| Number | Icelandic | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | eitt | ayt |
| 2 | tvö | tvoh |
| 3 | þrjú | thryoo |
| 4 | fjögur | fyoh-gur |
| 5 | fimm | fim |
| 6 | sex | sex |
| 7 | sjö | shoh |
| 8 | átta | ow-ta |
| 9 | níu | nyoo |
| 10 | tíu | tyoo |
| 100 | hundrað | hoon-drath |
| 1,000 | þúsund | thoo-sund |
Icelanders use a period (.) as a thousands separator and a comma (,) as the decimal separator — opposite to the US/UK convention. So 1.500 ISK means 1,500 ISK (fifteen hundred). This causes occasional confusion at cash registers.
Days, months, and seasons
| Icelandic | English |
|---|---|
| Mánudagur | Monday |
| Þriðjudagur | Tuesday |
| Miðvikudagur | Wednesday |
| Fimmtudagur | Thursday |
| Föstudagur | Friday |
| Laugardagur | Saturday |
| Sunnudagur | Sunday |
| Janúar | January |
| Febrúar | February |
| Mars | March |
| Apríl | April |
| Maí | May |
| Júní | June |
| Júlí | July |
| Ágúst | August |
| September | September |
| Október | October |
| Nóvember | November |
| Desember | December |
| Sumar | Summer |
| Vetur | Winter |
| Vor | Spring |
| Haust | Autumn |
Useful Icelandic geography terminology for the map
Understanding these terms helps enormously when navigating Iceland’s maps, road signs, and guesthouse names:
| Icelandic | English |
|---|---|
| Reykja- | Smoky (geothermal steam) |
| Eldfjall | Volcano (eld = fire, fjall = mountain) |
| Lón | Lagoon |
| Eyja / Ey | Island(s) |
| Múli | Promontory |
| Fjörður | Fjord |
| Botn | Innermost part of a fjord |
| Skógar | Forest(s) |
| Mosi | Moss |
| Heiði | Heath / high plateau |
| Klettar | Cliffs |
| Strönd | Shore / coast |
| Múr | Wall (as in cliff face) |
| Kirkja | Church |
These compound words appear constantly in place names across all regions. Recognising them turns an incomprehensible map into a readable one.
Icelandic signs you will encounter
In outdoor areas:
- Hætta — Danger
- Bannað — Forbidden / Prohibited
- Gönguslóð — Hiking path
- Stígur — Trail
- Einungis á sumrin — Summer only
- Opið — Open
- Lokað — Closed
In towns:
- Sykurinn — Pharmacy (look for the pharmacy cross sign)
- Sjúkrahús — Hospital
- Lögregla — Police
- Bensínstöð — Petrol station
- Almenningssalur — Public toilets
- Þvottahús — Laundry
Frequently asked questions about the Icelandic language
Do I really need any Icelandic for a trip to Iceland?
No. Every tourist-facing worker speaks English. Even elderly Icelanders in very small towns typically have functional English. You could spend two weeks in Iceland and never need a word of Icelandic. But knowing a few words creates genuine moments of connection.
Why do Icelandic place names look so intimidating?
Icelandic place names are built from descriptive compounds. Once you know the component words (foss = waterfall, jökull = glacier, fjall = mountain), names that seemed alien suddenly make sense. The spelling follows consistent rules, which helps.
Is Icelandic related to Danish or Norwegian?
Yes, all three are North Germanic languages. Danish and Norwegian are more closely related to each other; Icelandic is more archaic. Icelanders can understand written Old Norse; Danes cannot. Spoken mutual intelligibility between modern Icelandic and Danish/Norwegian is minimal.
How do you pronounce Eyjafjallajökull?
AY-ya-fyat-la-YOH-kootl. The joke during the 2010 eruption that disrupted European air travel was that the word was harder to handle than the ash cloud itself. Try it slowly: Eyja (AY-ya) - fjalla (fyat-la) - jökull (YOH-kootl).
Are Icelandic menus in English?
In Reykjavik and tourist areas, nearly always. In small towns and off-route guesthouses, you may encounter menus in Icelandic only. Knowing the food vocabulary above (fiskur, lamb, kjúklingur) helps.
What does “bless bless” mean?
It is the common informal goodbye — similar to “bye bye.” You will hear it constantly. It is borrowed from English “bless” but used as a farewell rather than a blessing.
Is Icelandic a dying language?
No. Iceland has strong language preservation policies. Icelanders invent Icelandic words for new technologies rather than borrowing international terms. “Computer” in Icelandic is tölva (from tala = number, völva = prophetess). The language is actively protected and has about 370,000 speakers.
How should I address staff at a hotel or restaurant?
By first name, or just approach them directly. There are no formal title conventions. A smile and “halló” or “takk” will be well received.
