30 videos to learn the basics of the Icelandic language
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Samsett gervihnattarmynd af Íslandi.Also on the subject of Icelandic, I just noticed a fairly large collection (thirty in total) of videos on the basics of Icelandic that you can find here. They're just based on a simple English - repeat twice - English - repeat twice format, but content on Icelandic is pretty rare so they're a good place to start. The second part of the repetition is especially important because without the slower speed it can sound like certain letters are silent when they're actually just pronounced very lightly, like ð at the end of a word.
- Good morning - Góðan daginn
- Good evening - Góða kvöldið
- Good night - Góða nótt
- Hello - Halló
- Hi - Hæ
- How are you? - Hvernig hefurðu það?
- How are things? - Hvernig gengur?
- Fine, thanks. And you? - Ég hef það fínt. En þú?
- I'm afraid I have to go now. - Ég verð því miður að fara núna
- Goodbye - Bless bless
- See you later - Séð þig seinna
- See you tomorrow - Sjáumst á morgun
- Bye - Bæ
- It was nice meeting you - Gaman að kynnast þér
- Have a good trip - Góða ferð
2 comments:
Having just returned from a trip to Iceland, I can assure you that the Expert Village series is definitely not reliable, and does not demonstrate how real Icelandic is spoke. Here are a few tips:
"Góðan daginn" has another similar variation, that is said quite commonly. This is "Góðan dag."
Halló is really only used as a telephone question. When starting a conversation, it would be best to use "góðan daginn" or something equivalent. By the way, if you are passing someone on the street or are just walking past, most people acknowledge each other by just saying "daginn"
Another, younger generation way of saying "how are you" is "hvað segirðu?" The usually response is "allt fínt," which means "everything fine."
Sjáumst also works fine as just "see you later."
When in doubt, it is always safer to say "bless bless" than "bæ or bæ bæ."
And by the way, if you every travel to Iceland, a real way to impress a host is by saying "takk fyrir mig," which means "thank you for the meal." This is traditionally said after the meal has been eaten.
Having just returned from a trip to Iceland, I can assure you that the Expert Village series is definitely not reliable, and does not demonstrate how real Icelandic is spoke. Here are a few tips:
"Góðan daginn" has another similar variation, that is said quite commonly. This is "Góðan dag."
Halló is really only used as a telephone question. When starting a conversation, it would be best to use "góðan daginn" or something equivalent. By the way, if you are passing someone on the street or are just walking past, most people acknowledge each other by just saying "daginn"
Another, younger generation way of saying "how are you" is "hvað segirðu?" The usually response is "allt fínt," which means "everything fine."
Sjáumst also works fine as just "see you later."
When in doubt, it is always safer to say "bless bless" than "bæ or bæ bæ."
And by the way, if you every travel to Iceland, a real way to impress a host is by saying "takk fyrir mig," which means "thank you for the meal." This is traditionally said after the meal has been eaten.
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