The Icelandic Language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language descended from Old Norse, brought to Iceland by Norse settlers beginning around 874 CE. Icelandic has fewer than 400,000 native speakers, making it one of the smaller living languages in Europe. Iceland's geographic isolation is credited with Icelandic changing more slowly than other Scandinavian languages since the settlement era.
English Prevalence in Iceland
English is taught as a compulsory subject in Icelandic schools. English is widely spoken in tourism, hospitality, and retail settings across Iceland.
Reading Icelandic Place Names
The Icelandic word "foss" means waterfall and appears in names such as Gullfoss and Dettifoss. The Icelandic word "jokull" means glacier and appears in names such as Vatnajokull and Eyjafjallajokull. The Icelandic word "vik" means bay or cove and appears in names such as Reykjavik and Vik. The Icelandic word "fjordur" means fjord and appears in names such as Seydisfjordur and Isafjordur. Reykjavik translates roughly to "smoky bay," a name settlers gave after observing geothermal steam rising from the area. Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano and glacier whose 2010 eruption disrupted European air travel, translates roughly to "island mountains glacier."
Useful Words and Phrases
Icelandic retains letters not used in modern English, including thorn and eth, both representing "th" sounds. The Icelandic alphabet guide lists all 32 letters with a plain-English approximation for each, along with the place names visitors most often stumble over.
Packing for Your Trip
Use the Packing List to help plan your trip.
Compare Tour Options in Reykjavik
You can compare Reykjavik tours to see the current options.
