Culture & Etiquette

1. Hvernig er þetta orð borið fram?

   How is this word pronounced?

   Usage

   Used to ask how a written word is pronounced, handy for words with þ and ð

   Grammar Note

   "Er borið fram" is a passive meaning "is pronounced"; the participle "borið" is neuter to agree with the neuter noun "orð"

2. Hvað er þorrablót?

   What is a þorrablót?

   Usage

   Asks about the midwinter feast, held in the month of Þorri (mid-January to mid-February), where traditional foods (þorramatur) are eaten

   Grammar Note

   "Þorrablót" is a neuter compound of "þorri" (the name of a winter month) + "blót" (a sacrificial feast)

3. Hvað er föðurnafn?

   What is a patronymic?

   Usage

   In Iceland most people use their father's name plus -son (son) or -dóttir (daughter) instead of a family name; this asks how that works

   Grammar Note

   "Föðurnafn" is a neuter noun: "föður" (of the father) + "nafn" (name). Directories are usually sorted by first name

4. Hvað er lopapeysa?

   What is a lopapeysa?

   Usage

   The sweater knitted from Icelandic wool yarn called lopi, with a round patterned yoke

   Grammar Note

   A feminine noun: "lopa" (of lopi yarn) + "peysa" (sweater)

5. Hvar get ég keypt lopapeysu?

   Where can I buy a lopapeysa?

   Usage

   Asks where to buy the traditional sweater

   Grammar Note

   "Lopapeysu" is the accusative of the feminine noun "lopapeysa" (object of "buy"); "get ég keypt" = "can I buy"

6. Hvað er huldufólk?

   What is huldufólk?

   Usage

   The "hidden people" of Icelandic folklore, said in the stories to live in rocks and hills; presented as folklore

   Grammar Note

   A neuter noun: "huldu" (hidden) + "fólk" (people, a singular collective)

7. Hvað eru tröll?

   What are trolls?

   Usage

   The trolls of Icelandic folk tales; in the stories they turn to stone in sunlight, which is often how oddly shaped rocks are explained

   Grammar Note

   "Tröll" is a neuter noun with the same singular and plural form; here it is plural, so the verb is "eru"

8. Geturðu sagt mér frá íslenskum þjóðsögum?

   Can you tell me about Icelandic folk tales?

   Usage

   A polite way to ask someone to tell you folk tales and legends

   Grammar Note

   "Geturðu" is the short form of "getur þú"; "segja frá" takes the dative, so "íslenskum þjóðsögum" is dative plural

9. Hvað eru Íslendingasögur?

   What are the Íslendingasögur?

   Usage

   The group of prose narratives written around the 13th and 14th centuries about families and people of Iceland's settlement age (the sagas of Icelanders)

   Grammar Note

   A compound: "Íslendinga" (of Icelanders, genitive plural) + "sögur" (stories, plural)

10. Hver var Snorri Sturluson?

    Who was Snorri Sturluson?

    Usage

    Asks about the 13th-century scholar, poet and chieftain who is credited with writing Snorri's Edda

    Grammar Note

    "Var" is the past tense of "vera" (to be); it is used because the person is no longer alive

11. Hvað er Snorra-Edda?

    What is Snorri's Edda?

    Usage

    A prose work, thought to date from around 1220, that explains Norse myths and the craft of poetry

    Grammar Note

    "Snorra" is the genitive of the name Snorri; "Edda" is the title, so together "Snorri's Edda"

12. Hver var Halldór Laxness?

    Who was Halldór Laxness?

    Usage

    Asks about the Icelandic writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1955

    Grammar Note

    "Var" is the past tense of "vera". Laxness is not a patronymic but a family name the writer took himself

13. Hvar get ég séð gömul handrit?

    Where can I see old manuscripts?

    Usage

    Asks where medieval manuscripts, such as the sagas, can be seen

    Grammar Note

    "Gömul" is the neuter plural adjective; "handrit" is neuter and has the same singular and plural form

14. Hvað eru rímur?

    What are rímur?

    Usage

    A traditional Icelandic form of long rhymed narrative poetry that is chanted to a melody

    Grammar Note

    "Rímur" is the plural of the feminine noun "ríma" and is normally used in the plural

15. Hvað er glíma?

    What is glíma?

    Usage

    Iceland's traditional wrestling, in which the wrestlers wear belts and hold each other by them

    Grammar Note

    "Glíma" is a feminine noun, the name of the sport; the word also means to wrestle or grapple

16. Hvað er þjóðbúningur?

    What is a national costume?

    Usage

    Asks about the Icelandic national costume; the women's forms include upphlutur, peysuföt and skautbúningur

    Grammar Note

    A masculine noun: "þjóð" (nation) + "búningur" (costume)

17. Mig langar að fara í hestaferð

    I would like to go on a horse-riding trip

    Usage

    Said when you want to join a ride on Icelandic horses

    Grammar Note

    "Mig langar" takes an accusative subject; "ég langar" is wrong. "Hestaferð" = "hesta" (of horses) + "ferð" (trip). Riding can also be "fara á hestbak"

18. Hvað er sérstakt við íslenska hestinn?

    What is special about the Icelandic horse?

    Usage

    Asks about the small, sturdy Icelandic horse, which has special gaits such as the tölt in addition to the usual ones

    Grammar Note

    "Við" takes the accusative here: "íslenska hestinn" is masculine accusative (weak adjective, noun with the suffixed article)

19. Hvað er heitur pottur?

    What is a heitur pottur?

    Usage

    The hot tub at a swimming pool, heated by geothermal water, where people gather and chat

    Grammar Note

    A masculine pair: "heitur" (hot) + "pottur" (pot, tub). Visitors wash with soap before getting in

20. Hvernig á að haga sér í sundlauginni?

    How should one behave in the swimming pool?

    Usage

    Pools are a social space in Iceland. The best-known rule is to wash with soap without a swimsuit before entering; follow the staff and the signs

    Grammar Note

    "Haga sér" means to behave and takes the reflexive "sér"; "sundlauginni" is the dative of "sundlaug" with the article

21. Hvað er jarðhiti?

    What is jarðhiti?

    Usage

    Geothermal heat, widely used in Iceland for heating, hot water and heated pools

    Grammar Note

    A masculine noun: "jarð" (of the earth) + "hiti" (heat)

22. Hvar fæ ég áreiðanlegar upplýsingar um eldgos?

    Where can I get reliable information about eruptions?

    Usage

    For eruptions and access, rely on official sources such as the Icelandic Met Office (vedur.is) and safetravel.is; in an emergency call 112

    Grammar Note

    "Áreiðanlegar upplýsingar" is feminine plural accusative; "um" takes the accusative, and "eldgos" is a neuter noun

23. Hvenær sjást norðurljósin best?

    When can the northern lights be seen best?

    Usage

    The northern lights show best on dark, clear nights, mainly from autumn to spring; there is no guarantee of seeing them

    Grammar Note

    "Sjást" is the middle voice of "sjá" and means "can be seen"; "norðurljósin" is neuter plural with the article

24. Hvað er miðnætursól?

    What is the midnight sun?

    Usage

    The effect around midsummer when it hardly gets dark at night; with such bright summer nights, blackout curtains help with sleep

    Grammar Note

    A feminine compound: the first part means midnight and "sól" means sun

25. Hver var Leifur Eiríksson?

    Who was Leifur Eiríksson?

    Usage

    According to the sagas, the Norse explorer who reached North America around the year 1000

    Grammar Note

    "Eiríksson" is a patronymic: his father's name Eiríkur plus -son; it works as a surname-like part, but the first name is the one used for address

26. Hver var Ingólfur Arnarson?

    Who was Ingólfur Arnarson?

    Usage

    In tradition, the first settler of Iceland, said to have made his home near what is now Reykjavík

    Grammar Note

    "Arnarson" is a patronymic: the genitive of his father's name (Örn, gen. Arnar) plus -son

27. Hvað er landnám?

    What is the landnám?

    Usage

    The settlement of Iceland, which began in the late 9th century, and the age it names

    Grammar Note

    A neuter noun: "land" (land) + "nám" (taking): the taking of land

28. Hvað er Alþingi?

    What is the Alþingi?

    Usage

    The Icelandic parliament; by tradition it began at Þingvellir in 930 and is counted among the oldest parliaments in the world

    Grammar Note

    "Alþingi" is a neuter proper noun and is used without an article

29. Hvað er Ríkisútvarpið?

    What is Ríkisútvarpið?

    Usage

    The Icelandic national public broadcaster, with radio and television, abbreviated RÚV

    Grammar Note

    "Ríkis" (of the state) + "útvarp" (broadcasting) with the suffixed article "-ið"

30. Hvað eru álfar?

    What are álfar?

    Usage

    The elves of Icelandic folk tales; presented as folklore

    Grammar Note

    "Álfar" is the plural of the masculine noun "álfur"

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