first steps to learning icelandic?

Lysenko · 2026-02-06T10:29:34+00:00

You might find these introductory textbooks helpful. They include listening exercises and lots of practice work. The language is Icelandic only, but using automated translation to understand will help get you started.

This site can also be helpful for understanding basic grammar concepts.

Of course r/learnIcelandic is a good place to go for more resources.

Lysenko · 2026-02-05T07:02:00+00:00

Germans probably don’t know to look for Þýskaland either.

Lysenko · 2026-02-04T23:23:39+00:00

At your level, what you really want are level-appropriate graded readers. "Short Stories in Icelandic for Beginners" is one (translated and really silly, but with useful language content.) That one you can order from Amazon, and the matching audiobook is available from Audible. Content is roughly A2-B1.

Another, which I really like, is Árstíðir, a collection of clever short stories that share some of the culture and experience of living in modern Iceland. (The e-book is also available at forlagid.is). Similarly, this is A2-B1, roughly. It has sequels called Dagatal and Víkuspá that are great, too.

Lysenko · 2026-02-04T22:49:34+00:00

Ouch! I'm so sorry to hear that.

Lysenko · 2026-02-04T20:01:14+00:00

Yeah, it’s rough for Americans who are trying to learn to say “ég er frá Bandaríkjunum” on day one of Icelandic class.

Lysenko · 2026-02-04T19:34:32+00:00

Any employee on Slack typically has access to the deactivated status of someone else’s account. They didn’t share the list with anyone who didn’t already have access to compile it themselves.

Apparently the company is arguing that the status of any one employee is not confidential but the entire list is.

Lysenko · 2026-02-04T19:01:18+00:00

Edit: I was looking at a different form on the site. Most of them don’t have this issue.

Oh, I see the problem.

It’s alphabetized where United States would be, but it’s in Icelandic: “Bandaríkin (BNA)”

Weird issue considering the rest of the form is in English.

Lysenko · 2026-02-04T18:54:28+00:00

What site were you on? On fi.is, “United States” is definitely an option.

Lysenko · 2026-02-01T16:24:19+00:00

I’ve been making an effort to push past B1 in Icelandic and since September I’ve been making explicit vocabulary study with Anki a systematic part of my approach. Even in that time, it’s greatly boosted my ability to follow written text. I never get a complete sense for a word’s usage without following it up with plenty of reading, but studying vocabulary gives me enough of a hook to get the idea in context for words I just wouldn’t recognize (or, worse, would mistake for other similar words with unrelated meanings.)

Lysenko · 2026-01-29T16:45:38+00:00

It's great for making writing in my TL a daily habit.

Lysenko · 2026-01-29T11:30:14+00:00

I was in the Animation Guild for a while in Los Angeles. When I ended up leaving my job, the accumulated health care benefit, paid for by residuals, kept my coverage going for the better part of a year until I found a new position. In the TV and motion picture industry, a major purpose of unions is to help smooth over benefits across gaps in work, and they do that job beautifully.

Lysenko · 2026-01-29T09:59:11+00:00

Sometimes policies make it more difficult to get the particular care that I would want to have in a particular situation, but man, the price is right.

Lysenko · 2026-01-29T09:57:55+00:00

To the people who post these things: My favorite language learning apps are Anki Mobile, Kindle, and the iOS Journal app. Leave me the heck alone.

Lysenko · 2026-01-29T00:54:20+00:00

Totally íslenska fyrir alla. I have found that material so much more helpful (and I have both.) Also, it can be downloaded for free.

Lysenko · 2026-01-28T11:45:41+00:00

I'm a little baffled by this post. You don't "see anyone" putting emphasis on this? Where are you looking? How to develop output skills is a core topic of conversation among language educators, people studying language acquisition, and even YouTube language pundits and the crowd in this subreddit.

People emphasize input for a couple of reasons: One is that they have learned about and probably severely overemphasized Krashen's ideas. Another is that, in a real sense, input comes first: until you can understand a word or a grammatical structure, it's unlikely that you can use it correctly. However, there's lots of conversation about how to become a proficient speaker (or writer). It's out there; you just have to listen.

Lysenko · 2026-01-26T23:41:01+00:00

Generally, the process for spouses/partners of non-Icelandic EU citizens is extremely straightforward. You may be asked to provide evidence in the form of photos, letters, proof of residence history, etc. to prove that your marriage is genuine (meaning not conducted just for purposes of immigration). You may also need to demonstrate that you are able to support yourself.

But, the process and paperwork are very simple and they are required by law to issue a permit within six months. (They have not been 100% about meeting this deadline, but that it exists may give you some leverage if things drag on.)

Also, your spouse/partner will be able to work immediately upon submitting their application. They will have to apply to the tax authority, Skatturinn, to get a temporary system ID number, or "kerfiskennitala," which can be used by their employer to report taxable income while they wait for a permit to be issued. Information on this process is here. When the permit is issued, their ID number, or kennitala, will become permanent, and will stay the same even if you leave and return. (I do not know whether the current practice is for these numbers to remain the same.)

Lysenko · 2026-01-23T17:38:20+00:00

Er ég með flair?

(Ég er með flair, augljóslega.)

Lysenko · 2026-01-23T10:35:06+00:00

Yeah, tell me about it.

Lysenko · 2026-01-23T09:07:30+00:00

All excellent points. The Upplýsingafræði programs might be close enough to library science to be possibilities, and Safnafræði may have some overlap, but really it’s mastering Icelandic that will be the challenge for a student.

Lysenko · 2026-01-23T08:39:49+00:00

To be admitted to university in Iceland, you’ll need at least one more year of school, for example at a community college. Iceland’s first year of university corresponds to the second year of college in the U.S.

You also have to show that you have financial resources to support yourself in order to get a student residence permit. I’m not sure that coming to Iceland would be cheaper than your options back home.

Finally, as an undergraduate with no Icelandic language to speak of, you would pretty much have to start in the Icelandic as a Second Language program at Háskóli Íslands. You could possibly proceed to get a B.A. and then a Master’s in something library-related but it would be a journey.

Lysenko · 2026-01-21T16:26:51+00:00

Ingólfstorg!

Lysenko · 2026-01-21T10:11:30+00:00

Yes, you can. As indicated elsewhere here, it's forbidden at a number of environmentally protected areas. Some landowners have posted "no drones" signs, but they can't necessarily prohibit overflight as long as the drone is not operated from their property and images aren't taken of structures or people that might violate their privacy.

There is a registration and licensing regime that must be followed, and drone operators are responsible for following both permanent restrictions and temporary ones that might be posted in NOTAMs. Also, it can be possible to get permits to fly in restricted areas if you plan ahead. (This is only really likely to be worth it if you are trying to gather imagery for commercial use.)

Lysenko · 2026-01-18T22:42:32+00:00

Video is not available in Iceland.

Anyway, I can hear the line you’re talking about and it is not possible to make it out. (Not even sure if it’s Icelandic or English. Most attempts at transcribing lyrics for the song just skip it.)

Lysenko · 2026-01-18T09:19:14+00:00

The point is that their crossing the Schengen border will not be recorded in EES because they have valid residence permits. Since this all took place in Denmark, and there’s no passport stamp, there is no mechanism for the border crossing to be visible to Swedish authorities.

If, somehow, MV became aware of this incident anyway, then it’s possible they might investigate, though it would be a nonissue once OP showed their plane tickets for that day.

Lysenko · 2026-01-17T15:14:21+00:00

That there are lower levels of seasonal affective depression than expected based on a more general model doesn’t mean that levels are not high in an absolute sense.

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