Talmálsfrasar Conversational Phrases · Cheat Sheet

Gaman að sjá þig · Bless · Takk fyrir
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Greetings

Phrases for meeting people and starting a conversation.

Phrase When meeting someone

Gaman að sjá þig! Nice to see you!
Gaman að sjá ykkur! Nice to see you! (addressing several people)
Gaman að hitta þig! Nice to meet you!
Takk fyrir síðast! Thanks for last time! (said when meeting again)

How are you?

Asking and answering how things are going.

Question How to ask "how are you?"

Hvað segirðu gott? How are you?
Hvað segirðu? How are you?
Hvernig gengur? How are things? (lit. "how is it going?")
Hvað er að frétta? How are you? What's new?

Reply How to say "I'm fine"

Ég segi allt gott. I'm fine / doing well.
Ég segi allt fínt. Everything's great.
Gengur vel. Things are fine. (lit. "it's going well")
Allt gott að frétta. All is well with me.
En hvað segir þú? And how are you?

Saying Goodbye

How to say goodbye, formally and informally.

Phrase Saying goodbye

(Vertu) blessaður! Goodbye! (said to a man)
(Vertu) blessuð! Goodbye! (said to a woman)
Bless! Bye!
Bless-bless! Bye-bye!
blessaður / blessuð — participle forms of blessa (to bless); in colloquial speech vertu is often dropped.

Thanking

How to say "thank you".

Phrase Thank you

Takk! Thanks!
Takk fyrir! Thank you! (lit. "thanks for")
Kærar þakkir! Many thanks!

Please

"Please" as a polite request and as a reply to "thank you".

Phrase Please / Here you are

Gjörðu svo vel! Please! / Here you are! (when offering or inviting)
Þú ert velkominn! You're welcome! (said to a man)
Þú ert velkomin! You're welcome! (said to a woman)

Construction Polite requests with viltu

Viltu + infinitive of the verb = "Please do …" (= Would you…)

Viltu sýna mér þetta? Would you show me this, please?
viltu = vilt þú (a contraction). A universal way to make a request polite.

You're Welcome

Replies to "thank you" — from the most common to the formal.

Phrase You're welcome

Það var ekkert. It was nothing. (ekkert — "nothing")
Það var lítið. Don't mention it. (lítið — "little")
Ekkert að þakka! You're welcome! (lit. "Nothing to thank for!")
Minnsta málið. No trouble at all. (lit. "the smallest matter")
Bara minnsta málið. It was nothing at all. (bara — "only, just")
minnsta — superlative of lítill (small), mál — matter, bara — only, just.

Apologizing

How to apologize or attract someone's attention.

Phrase Sorry / Excuse me

Fyrirgefðu! Sorry! / Forgive me!
Afsakið! Excuse me! (more formal)
Ég biðst afsökunar! I apologize!
Fyrirgefðu — imperative of fyrirgefa (to forgive). Afsakið — plural imperative of afsaka.