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Icelandic

### Thanking Properly

You know **takk**. For thanking for something, use **takk fyrir** + accusative: *Takk fyrir matinn* — the fixed after-meal thanks every Icelandic household says.

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The reply when handing something over is **gjörðu svo vel** — *here you are, please* — and at the table **verði þér að góðu** — *enjoy your meal*. Both are fixed formulas.

When something is no trouble at all: **ekkert mál** — *no problem* — or the all-purpose **allt í lagi** — *okay, all right*.

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### Apologising

**Fyrirgefðu** is *sorry* — an apology, and also how you soften a question to a stranger. **Afsakið** is its slightly more formal sibling, *excuse me*. And **því miður** is *unfortunately* — the word for delivering bad news politely: *Því miður er búðin lokuð.*

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### The Happy Formulas

**Til hamingju** is *congratulations* — with birthdays, *til hamingju með afmælið* or the very Icelandic *til hamingju með daginn*. **Velkominn** welcomes a man, **velkomin** a woman. **Gaman** is the noun *fun, a joy* — *Það er gaman* (*it's fun*), and *Gaman að hitta þig* (*nice to meet you*). And **elskan** — *dear, darling* — is what Icelanders call the people they love: *elskan mín*.

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### Já or Jú?

Icelandic has TWO words for *yes*. **Já** answers an ordinary question. But when the question is NEGATIVE — *Aren't you hungry?* — and you want to contradict it, the word is **jú**:

| question | yes-answer |
|---|---|
| Ert þú svangur? | **Já.** |
| Ert þú **ekki** svangur? | **Jú!** (yes I am!) |

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Kurteisi — please, sorry, congratulations

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Presentative and the definite suffix (þetta er, -inn, -in, -ið)

Singular pronouns and to be (ég er, þú ert)

Singular adjective agreement

Yes/no questions (ert þú…?)

Basic negation (ekki)

Plural pronouns and to be (við erum, þeir eru)

Group 1 weak verbs (-ar)

Group 2 and 3 verbs (-ir, -ur)

Information questions (hvað, hver, hvar)

Expressing opinions (mér finnst, mér líkar)

Expressing desires (mig langar)

Numbers 1 to 10 (einn, tveir, þrír)

Direct objects on indefinite nouns

Direct objects on definite nouns

Singular object pronouns (mig, þig...)

Plural object pronouns (okkur, ykkur...)

Directional prepositions (um, í, á)

Verb-second word order

Expressing intentions (ætla að)

Needs and wants (þurfa, vilja)

Middle voice verbs (-st)

Possessive pronouns (minn, þinn)

Dative case with prepositions (í, á, frá)

Definite dative nouns (-num, -nni, -nu)

Dative personal pronouns (honum, henni, þeim)

Plural nouns (-ar, -ir, -ur)

Definite plural nouns (-nir, -nar, -in)

Accusative plural nouns

Number agreement 1 to 4 (einn, tveir…)

Singular commands

Past tense of the verb to be (var, vorum)

Present continuous (vera að)

Strong verbs in the present tense

Weather and dummy subjects (það)

Invariable possessive pronouns (hans, hennar, þeirra)

Accusative possessives (minn, þinn)

Accompaniment (með)

Dative plural (-um, -unum)

Compound sentences (og, en, eða)

"This" in the nominative (þessi, þessi, þetta)

"This" in the accusative (þennan, þessa, þetta)

Accusative adjectives (-an, -a, -t)

Numbers 1 to 4 in the accusative (einn, tvo, þrjá)

Third-person reflexive pronouns (sig, sér)

The preposition "to" with the genitive (til)

Subordinating conjunctions (að, af því að)

Simple past of weak verbs (-aði)

Question words (hvernig, hvaða)

Physical possession (vera með)

Abstract possession (hafa)

Telling time (hálf, korter)

Plural commands (-ið)

The simple past tense (-di, -ti, -ði)

Possessive noun endings (-s, -ar)

Days of the week (á mánudaginn, á mánudögum)

Kveðjur — greetings (halló, bless)

Um mig — where I am from

Ability and knowing how (kunna að)

Permission (mega)

Obligation (eiga að)

Plural strong verbs

Numbers 11 to 20 (ellefu, tólf...)

Counting by tens to 100 (þrjátíu, fjörutíu...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (fyrsti, annar...)

All / everything / everyone (allur)

The indefinite pronoun someone (einhver)

The indefinite pronoun no one (enginn)

Compound numbers from 21 (tuttugu og)

This in the dative singular (þessum, þessari, þessu)

These in the dative plural (þessum)

My and your in the dative (mínum, þínum)

Numbers 1 to 4 in the dative (einum, tveimur)

Adjectives in the dative singular (-um, -ri, -u)

Adjectives in the dative plural (-um)

Reflexive possessive in the accusative (sinn, sína, sitt)

Reflexive possessive in the dative (sínum, sinni)

Reflexive versus regular possessives (sinn, hans)

Demonstrative plural (þessir, þessar, þessi)

Definite genitive singular (-sins, -arinnar)

Indefinite genitive plural (-a)

Definite genitive plural (-anna)

Genitive prepositions (án, milli, vegna)

Prepositions of direction (yfir, undir, fyrir)

Prepositions of static location (yfir, undir, fyrir)

Weak adjectives in the nominative (-i, -a, -a)

Question	Answer
thank you for (takk fyrir matinn)	takk fyrir
Thanks for the food!	Takk fyrir matinn!
Thanks for the coffee!	Takk fyrir kaffið!
here you are; please (when offering)	gjörðu svo vel
Here you are, here is the food.	Gjörðu svo vel, hér er maturinn.
Please come in!	Gjörðu svo vel og komdu inn!
enjoy your meal	verði þér að góðu
Enjoy your meal!	Verði þér að góðu!
Here is the cake. Enjoy!	Hér er kakan. Verði þér að góðu!
sorry, forgive me	fyrirgefðu
Sorry, I don't understand.	Fyrirgefðu, ég skil ekki.
Sorry, where is the bathroom?	Fyrirgefðu, hvar er baðherbergið?
excuse me (polite)	afsakið
Excuse me, where is the restaurant?	Afsakið, hvar er veitingastaðurinn?
Excuse me, I don't speak Icelandic.	Afsakið, ég tala ekki íslensku.
okay, all right	allt í lagi
Is everything okay?	Er allt í lagi?
no problem	ekkert mál
All right, no problem!	Allt í lagi, ekkert mál!
This is no problem.	Þetta er ekkert mál.
unfortunately	því miður
Unfortunately I am sick.	Því miður er ég veikur.
Unfortunately the shop is closed.	Því miður er búðin lokuð.
congratulations	til hamingju
Happy birthday!	Til hamingju með afmælið!
Congratulations on the day!	Til hamingju með daginn!
welcome	velkominn
Welcome home! (to a man)	Velkominn heim!
Welcome to the party! (to a woman)	Velkomin í veisluna!
fun, a joy (það er gaman)	gaman
Nice to meet you!	Gaman að hitta þig!
It is fun to dance.	Það er gaman að dansa.
dear, darling (elskan mín)	elskan
Come here, my dear.	Komdu hérna, elskan mín.
Good night, my darling.	Góða nótt, elskan mín.
yes (contradicting a negative question)	jú
Aren't you hungry? Yes I am!	Ert þú ekki svangur? Jú!
Aren't you tired? Yes, I am tired.	Ert þú ekki þreyttur? Jú, ég er þreyttur.

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