Today’s update is in two parts, since we split into two groups. I was part of the group which stayed in Akureyri all day. Here are some highlights!
Thursday, May 26 Update
Today, we spent a lot of time driving and only some of that time doing things, which is unfortunately true of a lot of parts of Iceland! We’re still staying in Höfn, but we drove for over an hour to get to the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon (a lake left behind by melting pieces of glacier ice).
Icelandic with Blaer 2: Essential Phrases
Welcome to another installation of Icelandic with Blaer! I know it’s been a while, but since we’re actually in Iceland now, I can’t let my parents steal all the thunder! I’m going to share with you a bit of what I’ve learned so far: the most essential parts of Icelandic. (If you only read one post, make it this one.)
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Icelandic With Blaer 1: Pronunciation
If you’re planning to go to Iceland, it might be useful to learn a bit of Icelandic first! A lot of Icelanders speak English, but you’ll be able to go to more places and learn more things with at least basic knowledge of Icelandic. I don’t know much Icelandic yet, so I’m going to be learning as I post!
I have found Memrise, an online flashcard and memorization tool, to be useful for language learning (my favorite is Duolingo, which doesn’t yet offer Icelandic). I have made an account here and will hopefully be posting Icelandic flashcards as I go.
Here‘s the link to the course for this post, in case you don’t want to read the whole thing. And here are some resources if you want more information:
Halló!
Hi! I’m Blaer. I’m the oldest sister (14) and I’ll be posting about the Icelandic language, as well as managing some social media accounts. Here’s a little factoid to get you started:
In Iceland, many last names will be in the form [name]sson or [name]sdóttir. As you may have guessed, “son” and “dóttir” mean “son” and “daughter.” (Almost) everyone’s last name is based off of their father’s. Imagine you have a father named Erik. Then your last name will either be Eriksson or Eriksdóttir, depending on your gender. (Some celebrities in Iceland have a family name which is inherited, but the norm is these kinds of names, called “patronymics.”) If my family had been Icelandic, I would be Blaer Ericsdóttir. What’s your Icelandic name?