Learn Icelandic: Easy Words & Basic Phrases (From a Local!) 🇮🇸

[@greppurtorfason4216]

Another great Icelandic swear line I taught all my friends in Montréal: "Þú ert drullusokkur" (Yo're a dirty sock!). It was funny well into happy hour, listening to them call each other dirty socks 😆

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Haha that is a great one! 😅

[@FrozenMermaid666]

The big superiority term Meistari only reflects me and cannot be misused by ppl and the words friend / friends only reflect my pure protectors aka the alphas, but the others are spot on! But the word einn should be used before the word drullusokkur because logically it makes no sense not using the word that means a / one, so the words einn / ein / eitt should always be used as indefinite articles in both Icelandic / Old Norse / Faroese like in Norwegian / Swedish / Danish and Dutch / German etc! So, one should say, þú ert einn drullusokkur!

[@rafalkaminski6389]

Your sock is more dirty than mine! 😅

[@skaulsaa]

hálvítí is a classic, i think it meant dimwhitted or half-brained but my memory is foggy

[@maryfaqih9403]

Persian here. Probably will never have the chance to visit iceland. But i'm learning iclandic PURELY due to my obsession with icelandic music and history!😌🙌🏻

[@Zzzkimiya]

Samurais' language is very difficult (🇯🇵⛩) so we learn the Vikings' language 🇮🇸😂

[@yahyaakkusak7638]

@@ZzzkimiyaI am from turkiye and i think japanese is very easy if we omit hiragana, katagana and kanji. :D

[@aselle1709]

@@Zzzkimiya 🤔 Huh? Your own language is too difficult for you?

[@Zzzkimiya]

@@aselle1709 I don't think for someone own language is too hard and I didn't understand what u want to tell me 😁

[@tadija2-si4yv]

Me as well! Altrgough I am Serbian and I am planning to move onto Iceland ❤

[@lexieslarksandcrafts]

I am visiting Iceland for the first time in November so this is very useful. Also if all the men are as handsome as you I might want to stay forever 😁

[@TNTnor]

I died laughing of the remembering rule for Good day in icelandic. "Go on dying"?????!!!! Hilarious!!

[@kaunas88]

Some of these Islandic letters also existed in old English.

[@johnthedoe051]

As an icelandic person this is very useful

[@Kjetil-wn6ls]

@@johnthedoe051 I find it quite easy to read Icelandic, but it is difficult when you talk fast.

[@Kjetil-wn6ls]

@@johnthedoe051 some of the words I have to read a couple of times, but then I get it. Usually.

[@seiph80]

Every chance I had to thank someone, I always did it in Icelandic, and sure enough, I got many smiles and responses back. And on the plane, I read a phrase book on how to ask for a drink to the flight attendant, and she was so surprised and overjoyed that a passenger at least made an attempt to speak her language. Just got back from Iceland four days ago, and it definitely was an experience of a lifetime.

[@justinrodriguez5999]

That's awesome! What were some of your favorite memories of visiting Iceland itself? Were there any places you wish you had visited but didn't get the chance to? I'm going there in November to celebrate my birthday and would love to learn some of the most fun things to do there! Thanks in advance if you see this! :)

[@yappingmatt]

I have no Icelandic in me whatsoever, but when I heard it was the closest living language to the Vikings, I’m just completely hooked

[@skaulsaa]

having been born in iceland and having grown up there, i used to be fluent in icelandic, at the young age of 9 i moved to estonia and have since forgotten icelandic after 10 years not having spoken a single word of icelandic. its cool to me that i still have some proper pronounciation in me and i know a few words

[@nataliegolemienko]

So icelandic wasn't your native language if you forgot it right?

[@y-tiplex]

@@nataliegolemienko after learning a new language and only using the new one you can lose your native one. like any language a native one also needs to stay in practice and use to stay comfortably fluent.

[@algobo]

Ahaha! I love how the second volcano has an even more difficult name! Brilliant! 😂

[@TierchenF95]

Two Footballplayers from Iceland joined 'my' football team lately. Ever since I saw the status pictures of one of the players visiting his home country, I've been absolutely hyped. I really want to go to Iceland and watch a football match there. Furthermore, I have rarely met such likeable people as Isak Johannesson and Valgeir Lundal. So incredibly warm and lovable. Isak instantly became one of the most popular players. Quite simply through his behavior on the pitch after the games. No half measures! He celebrates from the heart, he gets genuinely annoyed or suffers with us when things aren't going well. Valgeir is still too new to say much about him. Anyway, I'm just starting to save up to travel to Iceland. What's it like as a woman alone? Will I end up in a volcano, or is that not a problem? How much money should a normal holidaymaker budget per day and how do I get a ticket for a football match in your country?In the Netherlands or Belgium, for example, it is extremely complicated.

[@L-mo]

I heard that cheers in Islandic and Scandinavian (Skål, Skál, Skaal, Skoal, Skol etc) derives from the word "skull" and bowl (Old Norse word skalli, meaning bald head) because the Vikings took drink from a communal beer bowl.

[@tadija2-si4yv]

It is typed Skál but I feel like I have to pronounce it like SkaucL or smt

[@daphnefournier2392]

Well, that's mighty ironic, I'm going to Iceland very soon and my first day starts with Wake Up Reykjavik food tour.

[@user-mrfrog]

Gott kvöld frá Québec-fylki! Þetta myndband var æðislegt. Takk fyrir.

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Gott kvöld meistari! Frábært, Takk fyrir!

[@Hava_Hadi]

The stormtroopers helmet won me over. I need a refresher. Skal!

[@Jjk1a3Tb]

Takk for the video. I love it. I'm traveling to Iceland this July and am super excited. Love the stormtrooper helmet in the background. My only question is how do you say, "May the force be with you" in Icelandic?

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Hey there! So glad you enjoyed the video and how exciting to hear that you will be here in Iceland soon 🥳 May the force be with you = Megi mátturinn vera með þér ⚡️ You would pronounce it like: me-ghi mow-tur-inn ve-ra med ther Hope that helps!

[@bobby49ist]

OH BROTHER!!! I have never tried it but will see how it goes

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Please do!

[@rjanaugedal7661]

You icelandic is flawless!

[@gregorahellus7230]

Great video !!! Thanks from Germany

[@alenalinevich6244]

Thank you for your video! I'm visiting Reyjkavik (it is my first time, I cannot wait!) at the end of April. I'm sure your survival courses help me to learn some Icelandic;)

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Hey Alena! Awesome. I'm sure you'll love it! Glad these videos are coming in handy 🇮🇸

[@akjoseblessed7108]

Thank you sir,am called Jessica and am here to learn Iceland language

[@lowkeyliesmith3795]

As a a Scot I can totally relate to the swears 😂

[@jasonlove8733]

Eth and thorn are very similar but not the same. Like the subtle difference between the “th” in the word “the” and the “th” in the word threw. Eth is a soft th sound and thorn is a hard th sound👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😎😎😎Takk meistari😊😊😊😊

[@Black_Dawn]

Other way around. Þ is "th" in "threw", and Ð is "th" in "the".

[@Vikudagur_Íslenskursvartmálmur]

Takk fyrir!

[@AngelaKFC499]

Thank you so much , i'm find video teach Icelandic for a long time i'm from thailand and i have a plan to live in iceland im 10 or 15 year your video is helpful thanks

[@ajs11201]

Thanks for this great lesson. Especially given the words you chose to teach us, it's a clear reminder that the Icelandic language has Germanic roots as does English. And of course when toasting a drink, the Skoal is ubiquitous Scandanavian--part of your Danish ancestry no doubt.

[@illalima6670]

As an Icelander I really rarely hear "takk takk" 🤔 I say the "conservative" "takk fyrir" almost every day for simple things, as do most people I know.

[@sigridvanosch1990]

Soo, rassgatid is basically asshole. Good one to know. I have been exposed to Icelandic for a bit since I was little. We had Icelandic horses and when a foal was born the fun began. I would pick a name for the little one with the Icelandic horse name book. It was a book full of pronunciation and meanings to the names. It was always fun for me and my family to find the best name. One of my favorites was ''Flugar'' and ''Tyr''. Badass names for 2 badass horses, born and raised in the Netherlands but with a whole lot of amazing history behind their names.

[@hazyisdead]

Takk takk!!

[@jonkirk2118]

Takk fyrir! In Britain we also say "ta" for thanks. Maybe it's related to takk.

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Interesting! It very well could be :)

[@FulmineNero]

I am very happy and above all fortunate to come to Iceland, thanks to my company that allows every employee to go to a new country for three days every year.

[@RCon25]

I just got more interested in learning Icelandic after watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and you even mentioned the volcano's name that he long-boarded to in the movie. Awesome little surprise mention!

[@fredfullerton7662]

Love the tongue twisters, but reading and understanding is easier considering English and Germanic cognates.

[@Friendlyghost50]

Super cool this channel!! Thanks teacher!! You're so calm to explain the lesson. You make Icelandic easy 😊 . I've just found it. I love studying languages. Greetings from Brazil!

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Thank you! 😃

[@ninnghizhidda93]

This lenguaje is gorgeous!! It reminds me a little to feroes. Gonna learn both I think.

[@rebeccamaher2932]

Takk takk meistari 😁

[@Pickchea]

Go on dying😂 thats brilliant, what a greeting

[@ivanmcdrago]

Great swear phrase. Off to Iceland today. Going to try to at least make the effort to use some of these.

[@ramfontanilla5480]

see you next year. will be studying in haskoli islands. takk

[@marisaflores-march7112]

Tak tak!

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Takk takk Marisa, you truly are a ... meistari ❤️🇮🇸

[@rickthibodeau9172]

Great video! Thank you. We are visiting Reykjavik in June. Looking forward to it. Takk Takk

[@anelisamorgan8590]

How was your visit?

[@rickthibodeau9172]

@@anelisamorgan8590 our flight in was delayed by a couple of days, so we missed out on doing much in Reykjavik. We landed at 1:00 am the day the ship was supposed to sail. When the bus from the airport arrived in Reykjavik at 2am, we walked around the city a checked out a few sights before taking a nap in the hotel. Our first stop on the cruise was Akureyi. We loved the quaint town. The ship stayed there overnight, so we visited the Forest Lagoon hot spring spa there. We loved it! I highly recommend checking it out.

[@rockymorgs8705]

Thank you for this video, I sell New Nordic patisserie and have a regular Icelandic customer, looking forward to greeting him in Icelandic at my next local market :)

[@headshotheadshot8526]

Going to move to Iceland next year. Language is beautiful. I know a couple of words but want to speak fluently in the future.

[@Kjetil-wn6ls]

My Norwegian dialect, I am from Haugesund in Norway, still have many similarities with Icelandic.

[@Kjetil-wn6ls]

I find it quite easy to reed Icelandic, but it is difficult when you talk fast.

[@witchcerridwen]

You make learning so much fun.thanks

[@jasonlove8733]

Sæll og takk fyrir🎉

[@Colin3360]

Thanks , that was fun and taught me a few words see you on Thursday

[@QoheletMentorship]

A few things I’ve observed as a native English speaker who is also familiar with a handful of other languages. You explained it, but yeah, I hear the Þ and Ð being pronounced like TH in English and the Æ sounding like “ai.” Like the other Uralic languages, your J’s are pronounced like Y’s in English, as are your soft G’s, usually occurring when succeeded by an E or I. The double L’s are most peculiar, and sound exactly like the last two letters of the word “macuahuitl,” an Aztec wooden weapon affixed with obsidian blades. Most English-speakers would probably pronounce it like, “mă-qua-heetle,” with the emphasis on the first syllable, but I remember learning somewhere that it’s actually pronounced more like, “mah-qua-wheat,” with the stress on the second syllable. The T-L sound is made by basically pushing air on either side on your tongue while making a flat shape with it and gently touching the roof of your mouth, making a gentle click of the tongue, followed by a sort of soft hiss. It’s hard to explain, but you can look up the word’s proper pronunciation. In Icelandic, double L’s seem to be pronounced the exact same way!

[@L-mo]

Like other Uralic languages? Icelandic isn't Uralic.

[@baseerehsan]

Pakistani and i am learning because i love iceland so much

[@jasonlove8733]

LL in Icelandic is pronounced like the tl in the English word battle but faster. TL TL TL

[@walterallen4069]

Whenever I come across the Icelandic LL, I remember to say it like Sid the Sloth in the movie "Ice Age." It was a long difficult road trying to get it right until that mental image clicked. Now it's easy and fun. Jæja! Thanks, John Leguizamo!

[@stevenschilizzi4104]

Takk fyrir meistari!!

[@vikibobula8930]

Great Clip, and fun to watch and learn!

[@sarahdouglas9119]

Good teacher

[@johnbuterbaugh]

Your mnemonic phrases are so funny! 🤣

[@dianenichols5190]

This is so awesome. Thank you.

[@akwasiboateng]

Awesome 👏

[@lardhead4935]

This guy is great! I’d watch him explain how to change a battery!😅 (it’d be informative AND funny!). Spectacular tips on how to remember words, phrases. We’re headed there in late May. Can’t wait for the next lesson.

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

hahah thank you my friend. I appreciate it! Best regards, Dan :)

[@lardhead4935]

Dan Am watching volcanic activity in SSE Iceland. Wishing the very best for all those people and animals in and around Grindavík. Dan, hope all goes well for you and your fellow Icelanders. We are arriving in late May. If things do go well there, we will meet you for a round of beer, wherever you are! Please stay safe.❤️. And we’ll buy!👍

[@RaptorValen]

Thank you!

[@WCL31986]

Great video! Thank you for adding the sounds of the non-English letters. Also, I like to try to be as exact as possible in my pronounciation, but the background music is distracting and makes it hard to hear the words well. Takk maesteri!

[@jasondunwoody1318]

What skills are the most needed in Iceland? I want to leave America, it's insane here. People are horrible to eachother. Iceland looks magical, and the people seem like they generally care. Any information is appreciated. Thank you.

[@vesasavikko5075]

The word meistari must have a very old origin, as the same word (mestari in Finnish) is used in Finland in a similar context. Mestari and meistari both translate directly into English as "master." Mestari is used both humorously and in its literal sense, though the latter is much less common.

[@brandonatoms]

I feel like you're setting me up with "Meistari" lol, but I am going to try to use it.

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Hahaha! I promise you that I am not 😅

[@circuitd942]

I speak Polish and English. People say Polish is hard but hearing this I’m perplexed lol. I just need a few phrases for my trip in August lol I can’t say the swear sentence at all no I guess my learning will be pretty clean.

[@SS-bg5hj]

This is really helpful thank you!

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Glad it was helpful! 🧡

[@martinkullberg6718]

I'm gonna visit Iceland with my mom and dad, the food tour sounds like fun! Further what does 'draumar getta raest' mean? It's from a song.

[@a90.a.todas.partes]

How long do you think it takes to learn the language? I am from Argentina, and Spanish is one of the languages with the most tenses and conjugations. My plan is to migrate to Iceland to work and thrive.

[@gigiscrafts1259]

Lol “Go on dying” 🤣

[@BlazeLeeDragon]

This is a really solid video, I'm gonna drop a follow. I always felt like þú sounds like you. and even though "en" basically means but I like to think of it sounding similar to and "en þú?" "and you?". Not sure if that is exactly a trick though...just where my mind goes :D

[@polyglotwave]

If you say 'crusader' quick enough with emphasis on the second syllable it sounds a bit like hvað segirðu

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

aah nice! That's a good one!

[@timc5499]

Loved the lesson! Quick question...Can "meistari" be used when addressing females too, or just males? Takk Takk!

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Yes, absolutely! Everyone can be a meistari 😎

[@undertaken101]

​​​​​@@WakeUpReykjavik.Funny enough we have a similar word in Romanian (meştere which sounds like meshtere, very close pronounciation to meistari) and it basically means the same (respectful and cheeky) thing but we address it to males only. Thanks for your useful tips, I just came back from beautiful Iceland determined to learn more of your musical language. I absolutely loved the nature and the people of course, just like everyone else, I presume:)

[@tasfyramusic3339]

Takk meistari

[@biaberg3448]

As Norwegian, most of these words were very simple to understand.

[@HS-iv8wr]

To say goodbye my folks would always say Bless Bless. It just means bye bye

[@eriks265]

Takk fyrir.❤

[@beserkman5809]

bro what is the background music its getting my hyped?

[@brandonkohl6970]

preciate the vid brodie

[@susanneostermann5774]

Das war sehr interessant, nur die laute Hintergrundmusik war sehr störend

[@Rymomen]

Is English popular among native Icelanders? I would like to emigrate to Iceland to work and learn at least Icelandic to be able to have simple conversations. However, it is not as easy as I thought, even though I know German, English and a little Spanish.

[@calummunn]

Are you able to translate English to icelandic for an important tattoo to my heart? Any help would be amazing. Love from scotland

[@3gge]

For me as a german some phrases are easy. Sounds like german. Dor example, we say Guten Tag. But that double L still confuse me. Is there any rule about it or is it always thath Chi/Ki Sound?

[@delnitap]

Is it weird I was watching a movie that was in Icelandic and without subtitles I understand some of the words 😅

[@carl0telli]

"go on dying"😂

[@nicholasdoyle7342]

As an American, if I were interested in learning the language correctly before studying abroad at UI, what would you recommend? (because I don’t have a lot of confidence in any translation apps when it comes to Icelandic 😅) Kær kveðja

[@Darknie666]

As a native spanish i would say make á try but it will be hard for you. Icelandic has male, female and neutral nouns, which spanish does but english doesnt. Also english is soft, you need to roll your tong with strong rrrr and the doble ll is atl, but can sound like akl, very harsh. Verbs can also be confusing, as they have 3 person singular and plural, another thing spanish does and english does not. But in my class we are 20 stúdents living in reykjavik from all over the world, from 4 continents, and 2 americans are trying and doing it fine so.... what to loose?

[@absgg7837]

Do you have any winter promo codes? hehe

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Heeeey! Yes the ‘december’ promo code is still active and will give a discount on all our tours ❤️🇮🇸

[@appleyeoman]

Ekkert mál fyrir Jón Pál.

[@Darknie666]

Hi! I've been living in iceland for 13 days now, (I'm from Spain) This country is amazing!!!! I've already have an appartment and a job. But one thing I must say, be ready with savings, 1st month you'll spend a ton of money. I have to say I love the energy that this island brings, and be carefull with the earthquaques!!. One thing to point out is that... Your Icelandic its pretty bad, and my icelandic is really bad. I know you're trying to teach the locals but... Native icelandics wont understand you. Godain and Takk Fyrir are the go to, but you have to practice them a lot. No once says Skal here.

[@eelnorris8196]

As a silly little monolingual English-speaking American, the complexity of Icelandic is truly overblown. The pronunciation is actually extremely consistent, especially compared to MOST languages (definitely including English). Once you learn the rules for pronunciation, you're pretty much set. Admittedly, yes, the grammar can be nightmarish for foreigners (again, especially as an English speaker, because we don't use gender and we don't understand cases). Nonetheless, you can very much make yourself understood even with poor grammar. Icelandic syntax is more similar to that of English than many languages, because they are somewhat distantly related. Also there is plenty of vocabulary that is actually quite similar. And of course, when all else fails, it has been my experience that Icelanders are often happy to oblige when you make the effort to speak with them in Icelandic. People were incredibly gracious with me in Reykjavík when I spoke with questionable grammar and incorrect genders or cases. Icelanders know that their language has many complex elements, and furthermore, they know what it's like to speak English, so they're aware of the challenges of tackling it from an English perspective. 11/10 country, would eagerly visit again, and gladly practice more Icelandic with local people.

[@womandela7225]

I'll just say it in English! It's hilarious!

[@leventevarga]

Funniest tutorial ever..is it typical Icelandic humour or is it you only? 😂😂

[@MertSu66]

dude when u said 'go on dying' for good day substitute i expected the video to turn into midsommer type ritual violence

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Maybe the next one!

[@relacionomia]

How to make a clickbait for swear words and make the swear so complicated that noone will speak and still be friendly: mastered

[@kannarrinho5715]

Tak in Polish = yes 😂 svo auðvelt að muna það

[@paperclips1306]

Why isn't script matching what we are reading in Icelandic.

[@evakendoll4233]

Would it be weird to just call someone "meistari" when saying thanks for a coffee? Sure they won't look at me funny? 😂

[@luzpintero1088]

5:57. "Jump up your a**hole" is a COMPLIMENT on Rainbow Street, Reykjavik

[@mrnnhnz]

Or, for "æ" you could see that it looks like an "a" and an "e." An "a" can sound like "ah," and the "e" sounds like "ee." Put those sounds together, much like the "æ" looks like it's made of an "a" and an "e" squashed together, and bam - that's how it's said. I can't really speak Icelandic, but I can say Eyjafjallajökull. Now you have to learn how to pronounce the name of the Chilean volcano Puyehue-Cordón Caulle 😀 (It's pu-YAY-way kor-DOHN KOR-yay. The DOHN rhymes with phone.) Incidentally, no "Komdu sæll og blessaður," "Gaman að hitta þig," or "Fyrirgefðu"? I've not actually been to Iceland yet though, so maybe you don't use those phrases often? Still, a tourist might...

[@TheGrmany69]

I'm freaking out, the prosody is like Venezuelan/Canarian Spanish or Galician/Catalonian... more conservative forms of Spanish, much more true to the original thing Cervantes spoke.

[@zofa8572]

can not learn any thing while seeing the helmet from behind

[@iiTzLurks]

Probably won't use it yeah because I can't pronounce it at all right lol

[@vyrnius]

why does it sound like "thingvetlir"? there is no "t" at all T_T

[@kaedromarks4834]

It´s because the letter "Þ" makes the sound of "the" as in english. He explained that at the minute 6:24 in the video.

[@Frag_Limit]

Are you a native speaker?

[@WakeUpReykjavik.]

Born & raised in Iceland yes 🇮🇸

[@Frag_Limit]

@@WakeUpReykjavik. I am shocked that your english accent is very much American.

[@Marshmallow_theog]

My family and I just returned from vacationing in Iceland, and I was blown away by how much they sounded like Americans and Canadians when speaking English.