Level A1

Lesson 2 – Basic Greetings and Words

Learn how to greet others in Icelandic, introduce yourself briefly, and respond with yes/no. Practice pronunciation and get used to simple Icelandic sentence rhythm.

New Vocabulary

Hæ – Hi

Halló – Hello

Góðan dag – Good morning (lit. good day)

Gott kvöld – Good evening

Takk – Thanks

Já – Yes

Nei – No

Og – and

Bæ – Bye

Bless – Bye

Hvernig hefur þú það? – How are you?

Ég hef það gott/fín – I’m good/fine

Hvað heitir þú? – What’s your name? 

Ég heiti… – My name is…

Gaman að kynnast þér – Nice to meet you

Sömuleiðis – Likewise

Audio Practice

Listen to each new word spoken by a native speaker. Repeat aloud several times.

Coming soon…

Writing Practice

Let’s practice writing Icelandic.

1. Vocabulary Table

Fill in the blanks.

IcelandicEnglish
 
 Hello
Góðan dag 
 Good evening
Takk 
 Yes
Nei 
 Bye
Bless 
 How are you?
Ég hef það gott 
 What’s your name?
Ég heiti… 
 And you?
Gaman að kynnast þér 
 Likewise
2. Dialogue Completion

Complete the dialogue in these simple conversations with missing words.

A: Góðan dag! Hvað ______ þú?

B: Hæ, ég heiti _______. En _____?

A: ________ heiti Anna. Gaman að __________ þér.

B: Já, ______________!

A: Bless.

B: __________!

D: Hæ Einar, ______________ hefur þú það?

E: Halló Dagmar, ég ________ það fínt. En þú?

D: Ég hef ______ gott. Takk.

3. Matching Exercise

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1 Góðan dag

2 Ég heiti

3 Nei

4 Sömuleiðis

5 Halló

6 Ég hef það fínt

7 Takk

8 Gaman að kynnast þér

a Thanks

b No

c Nice to meet you

d Good morning

e My name is

f I’m fine

g Hello

h Likewise

4. Writing Task

Write a dialogue in Icelandic with the words you have learnt.

Speaking Practice

Practice with this simple dialogue. Try reading it aloud with a friend or to yourself.

   A: Hæ! Hvað heitir þú?
   B: Hæ, ég heiti [Anna]. En þú?
   A: Ég heiti [Jón]. 
   B: Gaman að hitta þig!
   A: Sömuleiðis!
   B: Hvernig hefur þú það?
   A: Ég hef það fínt, takk. En þú?
   B: Ég hef það gott. Bless.
   A: Bæ.

Grammar tips

Icelandic yes/no questions often start with a verb:


Heitir þú Jón? = “Are you called Jón?”

Culture Note: Greetings in Iceland

Icelanders don’t usually say “How are you?” as a formality like in English — if they ask, they really want to know.


Góðan dag” is very common during the day, even between strangers. This is the standard greeting in shops and in the workplace first thing in the morning.

Good job! Vel gert!

Here you can find the answers to the written practices.

Answers

1 Vocabulary Table

Hæ – hi, hello – halló, góðan dag – good morning (good day), takk – thanks, yes – já, nei – no, bye – bæ, bless – bye, how are you? – hvernig hefur þú það?, what’s your name? – hvað heitir þú?,  ég heiti – my name is / I am called, and you? – en þú?, gaman að kynnast þér – nice to meet you, likewise – sömuleiðis

2 Dialogue Completion

heitir, any name, þú, Ég, kynnast, sömuleiðis, bless/bæ
hvernig, hef, það

3 Matching Exercise

1 – d | 2 – e | 3 – b | 4 – h | 5 – g | 6 – f | 7 – a | 8 – c

4 Writing Task

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