Icelandic at Work Day Course

A practical course for people who want to start using Icelandic in everyday life – not just study it.

Starting to speak Icelandic can feel like a big step. Many people understand more than they feel confident saying, and as a result, conversations often quickly switch back to English.

Icelandic at Work is designed to help break that pattern.

Participants practise Icelandic in real-life situations: introducing themselves, talking about their day, taking part in conversations, asking for clarification and explaining when something goes wrong.

The goal is not perfect Icelandic. The goal is to start using the language.

Who is the course for?

The course is designed for people living in Iceland who want to become more confident using Icelandic in everyday communication.

It is suitable both for people who are just beginning to learn Icelandic and for those who have lived in Iceland for some time, understand quite a bit, but have not yet made Icelandic a natural part of their daily lives.

You will learn how to

• introduce yourself and explain what you do
• talk about what you are doing and your plans for the day
• ask someone to repeat themselves, slow down or explain something differently
• take part in simple conversations and meetings
• express an opinion and agree or disagree
• explain a problem and discuss what happens next
• keep a conversation going even when you do not understand every word

How the course works

The course consists of six three-hour sessions, held twice a week over three weeks.

This is not a course where participants spend three hours sitting and watching slides.

A large part of each session is spent speaking Icelandic.

The instructor provides short, practical introductions, followed by pair work and small-group exercises involving conversations, games, problem-solving and realistic situations.

Each session follows a similar structure: review, a short introduction, speaking practice, group work and a short summary where participants reflect on what they have learned.

The six sessions

• The first five minutes
  • Introducing yourself, explaining what you do and starting a simple conversation.
• Your day
  • Talking about what you are doing today, when things are happening and who you are with.
• When you do not understand everything
  • Keeping a conversation going even when you do not understand 100%. Asking someone to repeat themselves, slow down and checking that you have understood correctly.
• In a meeting
  • Following the discussion, speaking up, expressing an opinion and agreeing or disagreeing.
• When something goes wrong
  • Explaining a problem, describing what happened and discussing or agreeing on the next steps.
• Keeping the conversation going
  • Bringing everything together in practical situations and assessing how much progress has been made over the three weeks.

Take Icelandic into everyday life

Between sessions, participants receive simple tasks to try in their own environment.

For example, they might be asked to use three new Icelandic sentences with an Icelandic-speaking colleague, acquaintance or someone else before the next class. The following session then begins with a discussion about how it went.

This means the learning does not stay in the classroom. Icelandic becomes part of everyday life from the very first week.

Content tailored to the participants

Before the course begins, participants complete a short questionnaire about the situations in which they are most likely to need Icelandic.

The instructor uses this information to adapt exercises, vocabulary and examples to the real-life needs of the group.

Participants also receive preparation material before the first session. After each session, they receive a one-page summary, audio material and a practical task to try in their daily lives.

Progress you can see

At the beginning of the course, participants assess what they currently feel able to do in Icelandic. The same assessment is repeated at the end of the course.

The question is simple:

Can I do this now, when I could not do it three weeks ago?

At the end of the course, each participant receives a personal one-page overview of what they can now do in Icelandic and suggested next steps for continuing their progress.

The teacher

Óskar Bragi Stefánsson has taught Icelandic since 2014. He is the founder of Speak Viking and has taught over 1.000 students from more than 30 countries. In his private lessons he works with professionals living and working in Iceland, heritage learners with Icelandic roots, and language enthusiasts from all over the world. He has published online courses for beginners and intermediate learners, and creates content about Icelandic language and culture for more than 45.000 followers on social media. Óskar takes a personal approach, gives his students strong support, and connects the language to everyday life. In his classes, you start speaking right away, with Icelandic you can use at work.

Duration: 18 hours
Format: 6 sessions × 3 hours
Course length: 3 weeks, twice a week
Teaching days: Taught on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00-12:00 for 3 weeks.
Price: 299.000isk for the course and all teaching material.

Payment can be made by credit card or via an invoice sent to your online bank. It is also possible to spread payments over a period of up to 6 months. Please contact bokhald@akademias.is to arrange a payment plan.

Many trade unions provide grants through the Vocational Education Fund (Starfsmenntunarsjóður), covering up to 90% of the tuition fee. In addition, other funding opportunities are available for companies (see www.attin.is). Feel free to contact us for assistance at akademias@akademias.is.