Icelandic phrases | Most common phrases for everyday life

Icelandic phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Icelandic with translation. | Free & useful

Icelandic phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.

They are an important part of Icelandic culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.

Icelandic phrases you should know

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Greet someone in Icelandic

If you want to greet someone in Icelandic, it’s actually quite easy:

English	Icelandic	IPA
Welcome!	Velkomin!	[ˈvɛlˌkʰɔːmɪn]
Good day to you!	Góðan daginn!	[ˈkɔːðan ˈtaijɪn]
Good morning to you!	Góðan morgun!	[ˈkɔːðan ˈmɔr̥kʏn]
Good evening!	Gott kvöld!	[kɔht kʰvœlt]
Good to see you.	Gott að sjá þig.	[kɔht að ˈsjaʊ θɪɣ]
I’m glad to see you.	Ég er glaður að sjá þig.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈklaːðʏr að ˈsjaʊ θɪɣ]

If you are greeted in Icelandic, the best way to respond is as follows:

English	Icelandic	IPA
Have a nice day too!	Njóttu dagsins líka!	[ˈnjouhtʏ ˈtaixsɪns ˈliːka]
Thanks, it’s nice to see you too.	Takk, gaman að sjá þig líka.	[tʰahk ˈkaːman að ˈsjaʊ θɪɣ ˈliːka]

How is my dialogue partner?

As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:

English	Icelandic	IPA
How are you doing?	Hvernig hefur þú það?	[ˈkʰvɛrtnɪk ˈhɛːvʏr θuː ðaːð]
Are you doing well?	Hefurðu það gott?	[ˈhɛːvʏrðʏ ðaːð kɔht]

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

English	Icelandic	IPA
Thank you for asking, I am fine.	Takk fyrir að spyrja, mér líður vel.	[tʰahk ˈfɪːrɪr að ˈspɪrja ˈmjɛːr ˈliːðʏr vɛːl]
Thank you, I am fine.	Takk, mér líður vel.	[tʰahk ˈmjɛːr ˈliːðʏr vɛːl]
Thank you, I am not doing so well.	Takk, mér líður ekki svo vel.	[tʰahk ˈmjɛːr ˈliːðʏr ˈɛhcɪ svɔː vɛːl]
Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing?	Takk, mér líður vel. Hvernig hefur þú það?	[tʰahk ˈmjɛːr ˈliːðʏr vɛːl ˈkʰvɛrtnɪk ˈhɛːvʏr θuː ðaːð]

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More information about the Icelandic Language Course.

How do I say goodbye to someone in Icelandic?

Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Icelandic is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:

English	Icelandic	IPA
Goodbye!	Bless!	[plɛs]
Take care of yourself!	Passaðu þig!	[ˈpʰasaðʏ θɪɣ]
Goodbye	Vertu sæll / Vertu sæl	[ˈvɛr̥tʏ saitl̥ / ˈvɛr̥tʏ saitl]
See you tomorrow	Sjáumst á morgun	[ˈsjauːmst au ˈmɔr̥kʏn]
See you soon	Sjáumst fljótlega	[ˈsjauːmst ˈfljoutlɛɣa]
See you later	Sjáumst seinna	[ˈsjauːmst ˈseihtna]
Good night	Góða nótt	[ˈkouːða ˈnoust]
Sleep well	Sofðu vel	[ˈsɔvðʏ vɛːl]
Talk to you later.	Við heyrumst seinna.	[vɪð ˈheiːrʏmst ˈseihtna]
Nice to have met you!	Gaman að hitta þig!	[ˈkaːman að ˈhɪhta θɪɣ]

How do I introduce myself in Icelandic?

When travelling in Iceland, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Icelandic and know who you’re talking to.

English	Icelandic	IPA
My name is Jonas.	Ég heiti Jónas.	[jɛɣ ˈheiːtɪ ˈjouːnas]
What is your name?	Hvað heitir þú?	[kʰvaːð ˈheiːtɪr θuː]
What is your surname?	Hvert er eftirnafn þitt?	[kʰvɛr̥t ɛr ˈɛftɪrˌnapn θɪht]
What is your first name?	Hvert er skírnarnafn þitt?	[kʰvɛr̥t ɛr ˈscirnarˌnapn θɪht]
What is your surname?	Hvað heitir þú í eftirnafni?	[kʰvaːð ˈheiːtɪr θuː iː ˈɛftɪrˌnapnɪ]

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

English	Icelandic	IPA
Where do you come from?	Hvaðan ert þú?	[ˈkʰvaːðan ɛr̥t θuː]
I am from London.	Ég er frá London.	[jɛɣ ɛr frau ˈlɔnˌtɔn]
Are you from Birmingham?	Ertu frá Birmingham?	[ˈɛr̥tʏ frau ˈbœrːmɪŋham]
No, I’m from Madrid.	Nei, ég er frá Madríd.	[neiː jɛɣ ɛr frau maˈdriːð]
Great, I’m from Madrid too.	Frábært, ég er líka frá Madríd.	[ˈfrauːpairst jɛɣ ɛr ˈliːka frau maˈdriːð]
Where do you live?	Hvar býrðu?	[kʰvar ˈpʏrðʏ]
I live in Berlin.	Ég bý í Berlín.	[jɛɣ piː iː ˈpɛrˌliːn]

If you have problems with your Icelandic, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:

English	Icelandic	IPA
Do you speak English?	Talarðu ensku?	[ˈtʰaːlarðʏ ˈɛnskʏ]
Yes, I speak English.	Já, ég tala ensku.	[jauː jɛɣ ˈtʰaːla ˈɛnskʏ]
Yes, I speak some English.	Já, ég tala smá ensku.	[jauː jɛɣ ˈtʰaːla ˈsmauː ˈɛnskʏ]
No, I do not speak any English.	Nei, ég tala ekki ensku.	[neiː jɛɣ ˈtʰaːla ˈɛhcɪ ˈɛnskʏ]
I only speak English.	Ég tala bara ensku.	[jɛɣ ˈtʰaːla ˈpaːra ˈɛnskʏ]
I understand some Icelandic.	Ég skil smá íslensku.	[jɛɣ skɪl ˈsmauː ˈistlɛnskʏ]

Useful sentences with ‘I am…’

The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Icelandic and express your wishes and concerns:

English	Icelandic	IPA
I am English.	Ég er Englendingur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈɛɪŋlɛnˌtɪŋkʏr]
I am injured.	Ég er slasaður.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈslaːsaðʏr]
I am here.	Ég er hér.	[jɛɣ ɛr çɛːr]
I am hungry.	Ég er svangur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈsvauŋkʏr]
I am thirsty.	Ég er þyrstur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈθɪr̥stʏr]
I am a single person.	Ég er einhleypur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈeiːn̥l̥eiːpʏr]
I need help!	Ég þarf hjálp!	[jɛɣ θarf çal̥p]
I am tired.	Ég er þreyttur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈθreihtʏr]
I am happy.	Ég er glaður.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈklaːðʏr]
I am sad.	Ég er sorgmæddur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈsɔrkmaiðʏr]
I am in love.	Ég er ástfanginn.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈaustˌfauŋkɪn]
I am ill.	Ég er veikur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈveiːkʏr]
I am ready.	Ég er tilbúinn.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈtʰɪlˌpuɪn]
I am busy.	Ég er upptekinn.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈʏhpˌtʰɛːkɪn]
I am lost.	Ég er týndur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈtʰiːntʏr]
I am a tourist.	Ég er túristi.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈtʰuːrɪstɪ]
I am new here.	Ég er nýr hér.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈniːr çɛːr]
I am confident.	Ég er sjálfsöruggur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈsjalsˌœːrʏkʏr]
I am proud.	Ég er stoltur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈstɔltʏr]
I am a teacher.	Ég er kennari.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈcʰɛnːarɪ]
I am late.	Ég er seinn.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈseihtn]
I am 30 years old.	Ég er þrítugur.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈθriːtʏɣʏr]
I am in a hurry.	Ég er að flýta mér.	[jɛɣ ɛr að ˈfl̥iːta ˈmjɛːr]
I am happy.	Ég er glaður.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈklaːðʏr]
I am surprised.	Ég er hissa.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈhɪsa]
I am angry.	Ég er reiður.	[jɛɣ ɛr ˈreiːðʏr]

Apologising in Icelandic

Here’s how to apologise to a Icelandic speaker:

English	Icelandic	IPA
I apologise.	Ég biðst afsökunar.	[jɛɣ ˈpɪðst ˈafˌsœːkʏnar]
Sorry, that was not the intention.	Afsakið, það var ekki ætlunin.	[ˈavˌsaːcɪð ðaːð var ˈɛhcɪ ˈaihtlʏnɪn]
Sorry, I did not do it on purpose.	Afsakið, ég gerði það ekki viljandi.	[ˈavˌsaːcɪð jɛɣ ˈcɛrðɪ ðaːð ˈɛhcɪ ˈvɪljantɪ]
Sorry, that was very clumsy of me.	Afsakið, þetta var mjög klaufalegt hjá mér.	[ˈavˌsaːcɪð ˈθɛhta var mjœːɣ ˈkʰlœiːvaˌlɛxt çau mjɛːr]

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More information about the Icelandic Intermediate Course.

Useful signs and notices in Icelandic

Useful signs and messages in Icelandic that you will often see.

English	Icelandic	IPA
Entrance	Aðgangur	[ˈaðˌkauŋkʏr]
Toilet	Snyrting	[ˈstnɪr̥tiŋk]
Exit	Útgönguleið	[ˈuːtˌkœŋkʏˌleiːð]
Attention!	Athugið!	[ˈaːtʰʏˌjɪːð]
Police	Lögregla	[ˈlœːɣrɛkla]
Emergency services	Neyðarþjónusta	[ˈneiːðarˌθjouːnʏsta]
Fire brigade	Slökkvilið	[ˈslœhkˌvɪˌlɪːð]
Passage forbidden.	Óheimilt að fara hér um.	[ˈouːˌheiːmɪlt að ˈfaːra çɛːr ʏm]
Caution!	Varúð!	[ˈvaːruð]
This building is under video surveillance.	Þessi bygging er undir myndavélareftirliti.	[ˈθɛsɪ ˈpɪkcɪŋk ɛr ˈʏntɪr ˈmɪntaˌvjɛːlaˌrɛftɪrlɪtɪ]

Numbers to 25 in Icelandic

Counting in Icelandic is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Icelandic from 1 to 25.

English	Icelandic	IPA
1	Einn	[ˈeitn̥]
2	Tveir	[ˈtʰvɛiːr]
3	Þrír	[θriːr]
4	Fjórir	[ˈfjouːrɪr]
5	Fimm	[fɪmː]
6	Sex	[sɛks]
7	Sjö	[sjœː]
8	Átta	[ˈauʰta]
9	Níu	[ˈniːʏ]
10	Tíu	[ˈtʰiːʏ]
11	Ellefu	[ˈɛtlɛvʏ]
12	Tólf	[tʰoulv]
13	Þrettán	[ˈθrɛhtauːn]
14	Fjórtán	[ˈfjouːr̥tauːn]
15	Fimmtán	[ˈfɪmːtauːn]
16	Sextán	[ˈsɛkstauːn]
17	Sautján	[ˈœiːtjauːn]
18	Átján	[ˈauːtjauːn]
19	Nítján	[ˈniːtjauːn]
20	Tuttugu	[ˈtʏhtʏɣʏ]
21	Tuttugu og einn	[ˈtʏhtʏɣʏ ɔɣ ˈeitn̥]
22	Tuttugu og tveir	[ˈtʏhtʏɣʏ ɔɣ ˈtʰvɛiːr]
23	Tuttugu og þrír	[ˈtʏhtʏɣʏ ɔɣ θriːr]
24	Tuttugu og fjórir	[ˈtʏhtʏɣʏ ɔɣ ˈfjouːrɪr]
25	Tuttugu og fimm	[ˈtʏhtʏɣʏ ɔɣ fɪmː]

The colours in Icelandic

The most common colours in Icelandic with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.

English	Icelandic	IPA
Red	Rauður	[ˈrœiːðʏr]
Blue	Blár	[plauːr]
Green	Grænn	[kraitn̥]
Yellow	Gulur	[ˈkʏːlʏr]
Black	Svartur	[ˈsvar̥tʏr]
White	Hvítur	[ˈkʰviːtʏr]
Orange	Appelsínugulur	[ˈahpɛlˌsiːnʏˌkʏːlʏr]
Purple	Fjólublár	[ˈfjouːlʏˌplauːr]
Pink	Bleikur	[ˈpleiːkʏr]
Brown	Brúnn	[pruːtn̥]

Days of the week, months and seasons in Icelandic

Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Icelandic and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Icelandic.

English	Icelandic	IPA
Monday	Mánudagur	[ˈmauːnʏˌtaːɣʏr]
Tuesday	Þriðjudagur	[ˈθrɪðʏˌtaːɣʏr]
Wednesday	Miðvikudagur	[ˈmɪðvɪkʏˌtaːɣʏr]
Thursday	Fimmtudagur	[ˈfɪmːtʏˌtaːɣʏr]
Friday	Föstudagur	[ˈfœstʏˌtaːɣʏr]
Saturday	Laugardagur	[ˈlœiːɣarˌtaːɣʏr]
Sunday	Sunnudagur	[ˈsʏnʏˌtaːɣʏr]
January	Janúar	[ˈjaːnuˌar]
February	Febrúar	[ˈfɛpruˌar]
March	Mars	[mar̥s]
April	Apríl	[ˈaːpril]
May	Maí	[maiː]
June	Júní	[ˈjuːni]
July	Júlí	[ˈjuːli]
August	Ágúst	[ˈauːkʊst]
September	September	[ˈsɛptɛmˌpɛr]
October	Október	[ˈɔkʰtouˌpɛr]
November	Nóvember	[ˈnouːvɛmˌpɛr]
December	Desember	[ˈtɛːsɛmˌpɛr]
Spring	Vår / Vor	[voːr]
Summer	Sumar	[ˈsʏːmar]
Autumn / Fall	Haust	[hœyst]
Winter	Vetur	[ˈvɛːtʏr]

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More information about the Icelandic Business Course.

Additional links

• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
• Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
• The different types of learners when learning languages

More information about the Icelandic Course for Children.