Travel phrases

Essential Icelandic travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Icelandic phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Halló to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Icelandic speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Icelandic travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Halló (hello), Afsakið (excuse me), Takk fyrir (thank you), and Hvar er klósettið? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Icelandic phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Icelandic speakers really use, not an English list translated into Icelandic, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Icelandic phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Halló Hello HAHL-loh Neutral hello to anyone, in a shop or on the phone
  2. 2 Hæ Hi HYE The short everyday hello, and what most people actually say
  3. 3 Góðan daginn Good day GOH-than DAH-yin The polite daytime greeting you get in shops, offices and hotels
  4. 4 Bless Goodbye BLESS Usually doubled to Bless bless, which sounds friendlier
  5. 5 Hvað segirðu gott? How are you? kvath SEH-yir-thu GOT The standard Icelandic greeting question; answer Allt gott, takk
  6. 6 Já / Nei Yes / No YOW / NAY The já you hear said on an in-breath is agreement, not alarm
  7. 7 Takk fyrir Thank you TAHK FIH-rir Fuller than takk alone; takk also stands in for please inside a request
  8. 8 Afsakið Excuse me AHF-sah-kith How you open a question to a stranger, or get past someone in a doorway
  9. 9 Ég skil ekki I don't understand yekh SKIL eh-ki
  10. 10 Talarðu ensku? Do you speak English? TAH-lar-thu EN-sku Everyone does, but Icelanders notice and warm up when you try theirs
Show

All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Halló Hello HAHL-loh Neutral hello to anyone, in a shop or on the phone
Hæ Hi HYE The short everyday hello, and what most people actually say
Góðan daginn Good day GOH-than DAH-yin The polite daytime greeting you get in shops, offices and hotels
Bless Goodbye BLESS Usually doubled to Bless bless, which sounds friendlier
Hvað segirðu gott? How are you? kvath SEH-yir-thu GOT The standard Icelandic greeting question; answer Allt gott, takk

Basics

Já / Nei Yes / No YOW / NAY The já you hear said on an in-breath is agreement, not alarm
Takk fyrir Thank you TAHK FIH-rir Fuller than takk alone; takk also stands in for please inside a request
Afsakið Excuse me AHF-sah-kith How you open a question to a stranger, or get past someone in a doorway
Ég skil ekki I don't understand yekh SKIL eh-ki
Talarðu ensku? Do you speak English? TAH-lar-thu EN-sku Everyone does, but Icelanders notice and warm up when you try theirs
Geturðu hjálpað mér? Can you help me? GEH-tur-thu HYOWL-path myer

Getting around

Hvar er klósettið? Where is the toilet? kvar er KLOH-set-tith Klósett is what people say; the sign on the door reads salerni
Er vegurinn opinn? Is the road open? er VEH-gur-in OH-pin Roads close for weather with no warning; check road.is before you drive
Hvar er næsta bensínstöð? Where is the next petrol station? kvar er NAI-sta BEN-seen-stuth They are far apart outside the southwest, so fill up while you can
Hvenær kemur strætó? When does the bus come? KVEH-nair KEH-mur STRYE-toh Strætó is the city bus in Reykjavik, and the driver gives no change
Hvernig verður veðrið á morgun? What will the weather be tomorrow? KVERT-nikh VER-thur VETH-rith ow MOR-gun A planning question here, not small talk; the day's plan follows the answer

Eating out

Takk fyrir mig Thanks for having me TAHK FIH-rir MIKH Said as you get up from the table or leave after a meal or a visit; the host answers Verði þér að góðu
Ég ætla að fá þetta I'll take this one yekh AIT-la ath FOW THET-ta Point at the menu as you say it; the safest way to order anything
Er hægt að fá kranavatn? Can I get tap water? er HAIKHT ath fow KRAH-na-vatn Tap water is superb and free; nobody here buys it in a bottle
Hverju mælirðu með? What do you recommend? KVER-yu MYE-lir-thu meth
Má ég fá reikninginn? Could I have the bill? mow yekh fow RAYK-ning-in Tipping is not expected; rounding up is more than enough

Shopping

Hvað kostar þetta? How much is this? kvath KOS-tar THET-ta You can pay by card for everything, down to a shower or a toilet at a petrol station
Viltu poka? Do you want a bag? VIL-tu PO-ka What the cashier asks at every till; bags cost extra, so Nei takk is the usual answer
Ég er bara að skoða I'm just looking yekh er BAH-ra ath SKO-tha
Er þetta íslensk ull? Is this Icelandic wool? er THET-ta EES-lensk UL Worth asking before you buy a lopapeysa; plenty of jumpers are imported

Emergencies

Hjálp! Help! HYOWLP
Hringdu á sjúkrabíl! Call an ambulance! HRING-du ow SYOO-kra-beel 112 covers ambulance, police and rescue; the 112 app sends your location
Ég þarf lækni I need a doctor yekh tharf LYKE-ni
Ég veit ekki hvar ég er I don't know where I am yekh vayt EH-ki kvar yekh ER

Locals say

Þetta reddast It will work out THET-ta RED-ast The national motto, said about weather, plans and anything gone wrong
Gjörðu svo vel Here you go GYUR-thu svo VEL Handing something over, and the go ahead to start eating or come in
Verði þér að góðu Enjoy your meal VER-thi thyer ath GOH-thu Said by whoever served the food, and back to anyone who thanks you for it
Takk fyrir síðast Thanks for last time TAHK FIH-rir SEE-thast Greeting for anyone you last saw at a meal or a party; skipping it is noticed
Skál Cheers SKOWL Glasses up together before the first sip, and the host starts it off

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Halló next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Afsakið and Takk fyrir feel automatic, the next step is a real Icelandic sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

Start reading Icelandic with Lingo7 →

What Icelandic book fits your level? See the picks →

Not sure of your Icelandic level? Take the CEFR test (A1-C2) →

How long does it take to learn Icelandic? →

Compare Icelandic to other languages by difficulty →

More free Icelandic tools

Icelandic CEFR level testCommon Icelandic idiomsIcelandic false friendsIcelandic starter flashcardsHow long to learn IcelandicIcelandic IPA translatorIcelandic books by levelIcelandic verb conjugatorIcelandic vocabulary size test

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Icelandic phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Halló (hello), Afsakið (excuse me), Takk fyrir (thank you), Hvar er klósettið? (where is the toilet?), and Hjálp! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Icelandic locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Icelandic for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Þetta reddast (it will work out), Gjörðu svo vel (here you go), Verði þér að góðu (enjoy your meal). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Icelandic phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Halló and Takk fyrir a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Icelandic?

In Icelandic, hello is Halló (pronounced HAHL-loh) and thank you is Takk fyrir (TAHK FIH-rir). Add Afsakið (excuse me) and Bless (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Icelandic?

Ask Hvar er klósettið? (pronounced kvar er KLOH-set-tith), which means "where is the toilet?" in Icelandic. If you only catch part of the reply, Ég skil ekki (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Icelandic before traveling?

No, but a dozen Icelandic phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Halló and Takk fyrir instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Icelandic is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.