Icelandic is part of the North Germanic branch of languages, and so is most closely related to Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Faroese.
280,000 speakers
Icelandic is spoken in Iceland, where it is the official language.
Icelandic is based on the Latin alphabet, with the addition of Þ, ð, æ, á, é, í, ó, ú and ö.
Icelandic developed into a distinct Scandinavian language around the 12th century. The texts that date from this period are religious manuscripts and records. In the 13th century, the first original Icelandic prose, the sagas, are produced.
Since 1925 Icelanders have been obliged by law to give their children patronyms: surnames created by the addition of -son (son) or -dóttir (daughter) to either the mother or the father's name. Therefore almost all Icelanders have a surname such as Benediiktsson (son of Benedict), Olafsdóttir (daughter of Olaf), Gudmundsdóttir (daughter of Gudmundar).
Key Phrases
Já.
Yes.
Nei.
No.
Velkomin!
Welcome!
Gaman að hitta þig.
Pleased to meet you.
Hallo.
Hello.
Bless.
Goodbye.
Takk fyrir.
Thank you.
Ég heiti ...
My name is ...
Talar þú ensku?
Do you speak English?
Því miður, ég tala ekki íslensku.
I'm sorry, I don't speak Icelandic.
Ég þarf hjálp.
I need help.
Fyrirgefðu, hvar er klósettið?
Where is the toilet, please?
