Icelandic online course
Questions about this Icelandic online course? (+34) 644016219 (phone and WhatsApp) (+354) 8462553 | [email protected] | Messenger | Hours: Mo-Fr: 14:45-22:15 CET/CEST
Online Icelandic lessons
This course’s online format allows you to take one class at a time. This allows you to assimilate the content gradually and give each class your full attention.
Onsite courses often teach two classes or more in a row (intensive Icelandic courses) because it doesn’t make sense to teach only one when you have already made a trip to the school.
Teaching more than one class at a time is not the most optimal arrangement from a pedagogical point of view. As teachers, this is one of the first things we learn as students of Education in Psychology. However, schools insist on offering intensive courses and double and triple classes for organizational reasons (not because it’s the best way to learn). Keeping your attention for that long and using the following classes well is challenging. Concentration drops after 40 minutes.
Also, the course finishes too quickly, but you need more time to digest what you are learning. Icelandic is a language that requires time to assimilate.
With online teaching, you just need to click on a link to enter the class. Say goodbye to using time and money to commute to a brick-and-mortar language school.
ℹ This Icelandic online course is taught in English but is open to people whose primary language may be another. Spanish speakers: You may want to join this same course taught in Spanish.
ℹ Este curso se enseña en inglés pero está abierto a personas cuya primera lengua puede ser otra. Alumnos hispanohablantes: quizá queráis apuntaros a este mismo curso impartido en español.
- Unit 1: Hvað heitir þú? Theme: Greetings and farewells, personal introductions, nationalities, and languages. Skills: Introducing oneself and others, asking and answering about names and origins.
Grammar: Basic verbs (að heita and að vera), personal pronouns ég, þú, hann, hún, and það. Self-assessment: Conversation questions to practice introductions.
Unit 2: Íslenska stafrófið. Theme: The Icelandic alphabet, spelling, and pronunciation. Skills: Correctly pronouncing Icelandic letters and spelling Icelandic words. Grammar: None. Self-assessment: Pronunciation and spelling exercises.
Unit 3: Hvað ert þú að gera? Theme: Daily activities, occupations, and hobbies. Skills: Describing daily activities, asking and answering about occupations. Grammar: Verbs in the present continuous tense and questions with hvað. Self-assessment: Conversations about daily routines.
Unit 4: Hvað kostar þetta? Theme: Shopping, prices, products, and stores. Skills: Talking about shopping, asking and answering about prices and products. Grammar: Numbers, quantities, and sentence structure with verbs related to shopping. Self-assessment: Conversations about shopping and products.
Unit 5: Hvenær áttu afmæli? Theme: Dates, birthdays, celebrations, and events. Skills: Talking about important dates, asking and answering about birthdays. Grammar: Ordinal numbers, days of the week, temporal expressions, and the use of að vera for dates. Self-assessment: Conversations about birthdays and celebrations.
Unit 6: Hvað er klukkan? Theme: Telling the time and daily routines.
Skills: Asking and telling the time, describing daily routines according to the time. Grammar: Using klukkan er for telling the time; time expressions. Self-assessment: Conversations about schedules and routines.
- Unit 7: Hvað gerir þú? Theme: Professions, occupations, and work-related tasks. Skills: Talking about jobs and responsibilities, asking and answering about occupations. Grammar: Verbs related to work and sentence structures with the simple past and future compound tenses for discussing past and future plans.
Self-assessment: Conversations about work and tasks. - Unit 8: Hvað er í matinn?
Theme: Meals, drinks, and food preferences. Skills: Talking about meals and recipes, asking and answering about food preferences.
Grammar: Food and drink vocabulary (accusative case) and sentence structures with verbs of preference.
Self-assessment: Conversations about meals and recipes.
Unit 9: Hvar er bankinn? Theme: Directions, locations, and places in the city. Skills: Asking for and giving directions; describing the location of important places. Grammar: Prepositions of place and sentence structures with directions.
Self-assessment: Conversations about locations and directions.
Unit 10: Hvernig líður þér? Theme: Feelings, moods, health, and well-being.
Skills: Talking about emotions and health, asking and answering about moods. Grammar: Verbs related to feelings and sentence structures with state-related adjectives. Self-assessment: Conversations about feelings and well-being.
Recap of Íslenska fyrir alla 1 (Hvað kann ég?) Self-assessment and summary: Additional self-assessment section to review and consolidate knowledge from all previous units.
Unit 1 of Colloquial Icelandic: Velkominn til Íslands!
Contents: Singular nominative nouns, pronouns, and articles. Gender. Greetings and courtesies. Word order: questions and answers. Vera/heita in the singular present. Present continuous (-ing). Icelandic names.
Unit 2 of Colloquial Icelandic: Hvaðan ert þú? - Asking for information and giving information about yourself. Countries, nationalities and colours. Singular nominative adjectives/gender. Professions. Negation já/jú. Verbs in the singular present.
Level 1 is the first part of the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students complete the A1 level when they finish Icelandic 2. So, you will get started in the following skills (which you will hone in Icelandic 2).
The general description of the A1 level as it appears on Wikipedia is this:
- Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
- Can introduce themselves and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know, and things they have.
- Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
And specifically for each ability:
👂 Listening:
I can recognize familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family, and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly
📖 Reading:
I can understand familiar names, words, and very simple sentences, for example, on notices, posters, or in catalogs.
💬🗨 Spoken interaction:
I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I’m trying to say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.
🗯 Spoken production:
I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know.
✍ Writing:
I can write a short, simple postcard, for example, sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for example, entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.
Teacher
My name is Fernán González Domingo, and I teach this Icelandic course. I hold a BA in Icelandic as a Second Language, a three-year diploma as a Specialist Teacher in Foreign Language (English), and an MA in Intercultural Communication, Interpretation, and Translation in Public Services (Spanish<>English). The Icelandic Ministry of Education certified me in 2008 as a Primary school teacher (validation of my teacher diploma from Spain). I am also a sworn translator from Icelandic into Spanish (Icelandic certification). I have been an interpreter for multinationals and in public services in Iceland (hospitals, health clinics, schools, municipal service centers, police stations, courts, etc.)
At the moment, I teach Icelandic full-time.
I have years of experience as a teacher, both on my own and as an employee, and have worked as a freelancer since 2012. I am always studying a language (or something else, to remind me what being a learner is) and learning about Second Language Acquisition to improve my training as a teacher. I no longer translate or interpret; all my work (full-time) is in the language education sector—more information.
Why should you take this Icelandic course with me?
Because I have walked the path you have in front of you and reached professional proficiency in Icelandic.
And because I am going to accompany you personally during at least 250 hours from Icelandic 1 to Icelandic 5, if you want 🙂. You’ll also have the opportunity to take other specialized courses between those courses or after them.
Derek Sivers (former student and TED speaker) left this comment:
«GREAT teacher. Very helpful teaching Icelandic. The fact that it’s not his mother tongue makes him better at this, because he has really thought about the subject.»
I started studying online on my own in 2006, a few months before moving to Iceland. I learned all I could at university and outside. Years later, I started interpreting from and into Icelandic for corporations (consecutive and simultaneous interpreting).
I am a realistic optimist. Everyone can learn Icelandic, but I’m not going to lie to you like ads that say, “Learn X quick and easy.” The hardest part is in the beginning, making Icelandic less rewarding than English or Spanish, which start easy but get harder after some time. Because of this, many students quit Icelandic before they progress significantly. It’s not strange. I wanted to quit two or three times. But I didn’t throw in the towel.
Don’t give up. If you strengthen that base and keep moving forward, you’ll be able to communicate in Icelandic, live your daily life in Icelandic, and become part of a society that works, with its advantages and disadvantages, as happens in all neighboring countries. And this is very gratifying. The experience of living in Iceland, with or without Icelandic, is radically different.
Other teachers can teach you Icelandic, but they haven’t gone through the path you have to walk to learn it. In many cases, they haven’t learned a language with similar complexity and experienced the process you will go through. This makes a difference because, in the end, the materials you will see are similar, but understanding the learning process and developing attitudes that will help you learn matters the most. You’ll spend a few hours with me, but each week has 165 hours more, and because of this, you must be as independent as possible.
Besides teaching you Icelandic in class, I’ll help you learn how to learn and understand the process. I encourage and challenge you to become better. You will also see different approaches about how to learn a language that may be helpful to you.
By teaching and speaking with other foreigners, I’ve seen students often significantly influenced by the marketing of language classes and other products. It reminds me of TV ads with gadgets to achieve a six-pack while you watch TV sitting. Nobody with a six-pack uses those products (or not exclusively). These trends are sometimes ineffective, or worse, they are an obstacle because they waste your time with fantasy instead of doing what you have to do to reach your goal. They also give you unreal expectations, which will frustrate you when you don’t see results. If you want to learn how to learn, pay attention to someone who has learned, not the TV ad.
Clear pronunciation
I emphasize pronunciation. It is essential for the other person to understand you and to minimize the number of times an Icelander switches to English when speaking with you. You don’t need to speak like a native speaker; you need clear Icelandic. Having clear pronunciation also helps you to understand others.
As an additional benefit, you’ll learn about the pronunciation of other languages and understand why you pronounce things the way you do (this is important to know what to do).
Materials
This Icelandic online course uses:
– Íslenska fyrir alla 1 as its textbook. Students can view it electronically for free, but having a copy to write on is recommended. If you live in Iceland, Bóksala stúdenta sells this book, already bound. You can also ask Penninn Eymundsson. If you’d like to buy it as cheaply as possible, you can get a black and white copy for about half the price from Háskólaprent. If you live in another country, I recommend having it printed and bound at a copy center (I’ll send you the PDF).
– Units 1 and 2 in Colloquial Icelandic. We use this book from Icelandic 1 to Icelandic 5. Students in Iceland can get it at Bóksala stúdenta (you can order it online). If you often travel abroad, it may be cheaper to buy it in another country (for example, from your local Amazon). Students in other countries can buy it on their local Amazon or any other bookstore.
Students buy their materials (the tuition doesn’t include them).
The course uses English as the language of instruction. Language classes involve easy but abstract concepts and therefore you need an upper-intermediate level of English. To take this course, you need to be a native English speaker or have a B2 level.
If you’re unsure about your English level, fill in the form anyway (checking the box about language requirements) and ask me about it.
⭐ Advantage 1: Free access to Snara during the course
Snara offers monolingual and bilingual dictionaries from and into Icelandic with the following languages: Danish, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, and Spanish. It also has a database with recipes in Icelandic so that you can test your cooking and Icelandic skills at the same time. The key you will receive will work throughout the course until thirty days after the last class. Still, you may have access for an entire year, depending on when you sign up and Snara renews our key. Save up to ISK 8,800 (ca. EUR 58) yearly.
⭐ Advantage 2: A native revisor will correct your assignments
As the number of students has grown and I teach more groups weekly, it’s become more difficult for me to correct my students’ homework promptly. A native revisor can do this much quicker, which means you’ll receive personalized feedback earlier. Value: ISK 10,000 (ca. EUR 66).
✅ Bonus 1: A planning tool for you to succeed 🚀
Many students have good intentions and want to work on their own. However, the course flies by, and they realize they couldn’t do as much as they wanted due to a lack of planning. This bonus lets you plan everything you want to do outside the virtual classroom (listen to podcasts, watch movies and series in Icelandic, etc.)
Value: ISK 10,000 (ca. EUR 66).
✅ Bonus 2: A list of resources in Icelandic you can enjoy on your own 📺📓
You will receive a PDF with links to resources to watch Icelandic movies and series, etc. You’ll also discover where you can find free ebooks in Icelandic (also audiobooks) or how to buy ebooks in Icelandic for your ebook reader (Kindle).
Value: ISK 14 000 (ca. EUR 93).
✅ Bonus 3: An accountability buddy 👦👩
I pair each student with another so that they share their progress and what they have done in Icelandic each week. An accountability buddy helps you remain accountable to yourself and motivates you to do more. Many people set learning a language as a New Year resolution, but only 8% reach their goal. An accountability buddy helps you turn the tables, making things go in your favor and making you responsible for your progress. Many start an Icelandic course, and suddenly, they’ve reached the last class without doing as much as they wanted.
Value: ISK 14 000 (ca. EUR 93).
✅ Bonus 4: Badges related to Icelandic
Show the world 🌍 you’re learning Icelandic. While supplies last (hurry up!) Eight different models (colors are random; I’ll try to send you the most varied kit possible 🙂).
They are sent anywhere in the world for free. However, if you live outside the EU, the customs in your country may charge you some fee or tax; check with the authorities before placing your order to avoid surprises 🙂. I can’t be responsible for customs/import fees.
Value: 3800 ISK (ca. 25 EUR).
✅ Bonus 5: Networking event
We celebrate a networking event every four months. You’ll meet students from the other groups. Whether you live in Iceland or another country, this event can help you meet like-minded people and plan things together. A solid social circle is essential for those who have moved to Iceland. Also, you can speak about what you do in the event, which may open doors for you in the Icelandic labor market, find a rental through another student, etc.
Value: priceless.
✅ Bonus 6: Alumni page
Students and alumni may appear on an alumni webpage where they can promote what they do and display the field they work in. It’s the perfect place to let everyone see what you sell, offer, etc. You can include links and contact information. Thanks to the alumni page, someone may find you and become a lifetime customer.
Value: priceless.
✅ Bonus 7: Answers to the grammar exercise book
We start doing a grammar exercise book in Icelandic 2, but there are things you can do in Icelandic 1 (if you want!) The book has an answer key at the end, but going back and forth can be uncomfortable. This bonus is a printable PDF you can have on hand to correct your exercises without moving between parts of the book.
Value: ISK 4500 (ca. €30).
- Live classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Hours: 20:00-20:55 CET/CEST. The official timezone for this course is Central European (Summer) Time. This means that for Iceland students, the hours will be from 19:00 to 19:55 until the end of Mars. After that date, the EU changes the clock, and the Icelandic time will be 18:00-18:55. If you live in another country, check this converter for the wintertime and this one for the summertime. Not every country changes the time (the case of Iceland). Nothing will change for countries that change the clock on the exact dates as the EU, but please note that some countries/states do it on dates different from the EU. Contact me if you have any questions. In any case, Google Calendar will handle everything and show you the right time for each class.
- The equivalent of six students must sign up for the course to start. Students will receive a refund if the group doesn’t have enough participation.
- There’s a maximum of ten live attendants.
- If you are reading this after the start date, don’t worry. You can watch the recordings of the previous classes and attend the rest.
The round starts on January 9, 2024, and ends when we finish the 43 classes. Sign up in the form below.
If you are at work at that time, ask your supervisor if it is possible to attend class. From experience with other students, many employers in Iceland are willing to allow some flexibility or that lessons are included in the work schedule as many employers are interested in you learning Icelandic.
🟢 Guidelines about the course’s calendar:
Start and end dates are flexible. The course should finish at the start of July. However, Icelandic 1 may take longer: there are public holidays, and I may take my days off during the course.
More factors can affect the dates, such as when the group needs more classes (at no cost) to finish the official material, technical issues, sick days, the teacher’s personal or professional commitments, etc.
In the same way that there is flexibility and students will receive free extra classes if necessary to finish the official material, the teacher expects students to be flexible regarding dates. You’re here for the long run in your global Icelandic journey.
One of this course’s features is that students can watch the recordings of the classes, which can help if the course’s extension happens when you are traveling (many of my students travel during the course, which works for them).
Nevertheless, if you have much availability and can do more than the official material, I can assign you more materials to help you solidify what you’ve learned and keep moving forward.
I follow Castile and León (Spain) school calendar and Burgos’s work calendar (Spain). Since this course starts in January 2025, these are the most relevant dates for public holidays:
- Carnival: March 4.
- Easter: April 15-22 .
- International Worker’s Day: May 1.
Tuition
How much is this Icelandic online course? With all the bonuses, its value is up to ISK 105,000 or EUR 711, but you don’t have to pay that.
ISK 105,000 or 711 € ISK 67,000 or €459
The course has 43 50-minute classes and a cost of ISK 67,000 (or EUR 459).
Contract conditions for this Icelandic course
- Students pay for the course in advance, and the payment formalizes reserving a seat. As soon as the course is confirmed (when the equivalent of six students has paid), students will receive an invoice and receipt in their email as proof of charge ). Places are granted depending on who makes the reservation earlier (on a first-come, first-served basis).
- Due to the course’s fixed costs, tuition refunds are unavailable once the seat is reserved unless other students are on the waiting list and their registration is formalized. If the course has already started, the return of the tuition will be proportional to the unused part of the course if another person substitutes for the person leaving.
- We offer this course on-demand, which ends when the 40 classes are over or when we finish the material if we need more classes. There is no official end date.
- The teacher of this Icelandic course is Fernán González Domingo. However, if he is ill or has professional or personal commitments, another teacher can replace him. If no teacher is available or the course dates need an extension, the teacher will try to find a solution, taking into account the students’ schedules so that all students receive the classes they have contracted.
- Etiquette: Out of respect for your classmates and the teacher, we ask you to attend classes alone in a room without noise and with your camera on. By default, all attendees have their microphones open to ask questions when they want, as in a face-to-face classroom. Still, if there is noise, you must turn your microphone off (or we’ll do it for you; you can turn it on again to participate at any point). The virtual classroom has a feature to raise your hand. Private classes may fit your needs better if your situation makes participation impossible. Photographing, copying/reproducing, recording, or distributing the content of the classes is not allowed. Failure to follow these instructions or being disrespectful to other students or the teacher may result in the student’s expulsion from that class or the course (no refund).
- If no student shows up, the teacher will teach the class with no students. The students will be able to watch the recording afterward.
If you have any questions, you can contact me via email, Messenger, Telegram, or WhatsApp. You can also call me at +354 846 25 53 (Iceland) or +34 644 01 62 19 (Spain).
💰 Grants and easy payment terms
If you live in Iceland:
ℹ All employees in Iceland are unionized, and most unions offer reimbursements for courses taken by their members. Ask your union about your situation and how much you could receive before signing up for the course. The reimbursement can be up to 100% of the price of the course, so hopefully, money is not an obstacle for anyone who lives in Iceland and wants to learn Icelandic. With the grants and all the bonuses, it’s almost like getting paid for learning Icelandic 😉.
Putting grants in perspective: with a 75% refund, this 43-lesson course would cost ISK 16,750 (each class would be ISK 390); with a 50% refund, the course would cost ISK 33,500 (about ISK 780 per class).
Other countries:
Check with your union or other institution. You may have access to some scholarships. I also offer scholarships (partial grants) for students in some countries. Please read below.
If you can’t access any grant from your union or other institution, these options can help:
- Students in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Finland, France, Greece, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, the US can use buy now pay later options that let them pay in 3-4 installments without interest (selecting more installments may add interest) through Affirm, Afterpay/Clearpay, Klarna, PayPal (ES), Meses Sin Intereses (MX), Sequra (ES) and Zip. The availability of these platforms depends on your location and the currency for the payment. Let me know if you need any accommodations to use these services (such as using another currency). I’ll see if it’s possible 🙂. Filling in the form doesn’t commit you to anything. It can be an excellent opportunity to get in touch and see what’s available.
- If you live outside Iceland, besides the buy now pay later plans, I also have partial grants for students in some countries. The idea is that the course’s price is in line with the prices in other countries, according to an economic index. You’ll need to prove you live in the country you say you live in. Feel free to fill in the form (no commitments); we can go from there. You can also email me or send me a line on Messenger, and I’ll provide more information. Using these grants excludes other promotions. If there are different promotions and discounts available, I’ll help you choose the best one.
- Remember that if it is hard to pay at once, you can use a credit card or consumer credit. Ask your bank or another institution that provides loans (but please avoid falling into a credit trap).
Bring a friend
Bring a friend who has never been my student, and both of you will receive a 10 % off discount. You must pay simultaneously (depending on the situation, a different time would be okay). This promotion/discount excludes any other promotion/discount. If you could benefit from various promotions/discounts, I’ll help you choose the best one.
Partners’ and families’ plan
Partners and family members who learn Icelandic together have 10 % off for each signup as long as at least another relative is enrolled. Family covers up to fourth-degree relatives (parents and children; grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings; uncles and aunts; great-grandparents and great-grandchildren; first cousins and great-uncles and great-aunts). This promotion/discount excludes any other promotion/discount. If you could benefit from different promotions/discounts, I’ll help you choose the best one.
