Learning Icelandic can be an incredibly rewarding experience, giving you access to the rich culture and history of Iceland. If you’re already at the B1 level, you’re likely familiar with basic grammar and vocabulary. To continue advancing, it’s essential to expand your vocabulary with words that are frequently used in everyday conversation. In this article, we’ll cover 50 essential words you need to know for Icelandic at the B1 level. These words will help you communicate more effectively and understand more of what you hear and read.

Nouns

1. **Bíll** – Car
– Understanding transportation vocabulary is crucial. For example, “Ég á bíl” means “I have a car.”

2. **Veður** – Weather
– Icelandic weather can be quite variable, so this is an important term. “Veðrið í dag er gott” means “The weather today is good.”

3. **Matur** – Food
– Food is a universal topic of conversation. “Hvað er í matnum?” translates to “What is in the food?”

4. **Vinna** – Work
– Work is a common topic of discussion. “Ég fer í vinnuna” means “I am going to work.”

5. **Skóli** – School
– If you’re studying or have kids, this word is essential. “Skólinn byrjar á morgun” means “School starts tomorrow.”

6. **Heimili** – Home
– Everyone talks about their home. “Ég er heima” means “I am at home.”

7. **Fjölskylda** – Family
– Family is a common subject in conversations. “Ég elska fjölskylduna mína” means “I love my family.”

8. **Verslun** – Store
– Knowing this word will help you when you go shopping. “Ég er að fara í verslunina” means “I am going to the store.”

9. **Hundur** – Dog
– Many people talk about their pets. “Hundurinn minn er vinur minn” means “My dog is my friend.”

10. **Bók** – Book
– Useful for anyone who loves reading. “Ég les bók á kvöldin” means “I read a book in the evenings.”

Verbs

11. **Að fara** – To go
– This verb is very versatile. “Ég ætla að fara í sund” means “I am going to swim.”

12. **Að koma** – To come
– Another essential verb. “Hvenær kemurðu?” means “When are you coming?”

13. **Að eiga** – To have
– A fundamental verb in any language. “Ég á bíl” means “I have a car.”

14. **Að elska** – To love
– Frequently used in personal conversations. “Ég elska þig” means “I love you.”

15. **Að borða** – To eat
– Essential for everyday conversations. “Ég ætla að borða núna” means “I am going to eat now.”

16. **Að drekka** – To drink
– Useful for talking about beverages. “Viltu drekka vatn?” means “Do you want to drink water?”

17. **Að tala** – To speak
– Communication is key. “Ég tala íslensku” means “I speak Icelandic.”

18. **Að skrifa** – To write
– Useful for both work and personal life. “Ég þarf að skrifa bréf” means “I need to write a letter.”

19. **Að lesa** – To read
– Essential for students and avid readers. “Ég elska að lesa” means “I love to read.”

20. **Að hlusta** – To listen
– Important for understanding others. “Ég hlusta á tónlist” means “I listen to music.”

Adjectives

21. **Fallegur** – Beautiful
– Commonly used to describe people and places. “Reykjavík er falleg borg” means “Reykjavík is a beautiful city.”

22. **Stór** – Big
– Useful for describing size. “Húsið er mjög stórt” means “The house is very big.”

23. **Lítill** – Small
– The opposite of “stór”. “Fyrirtækið er lítið” means “The company is small.”

24. **Góður** – Good
– A versatile adjective. “Maturinn er góður” means “The food is good.”

25. **Slæmur** – Bad
– The opposite of “góður”. “Veðrið er slæmt í dag” means “The weather is bad today.”

26. **Heitur** – Hot
– Useful for discussing temperature. “Kaffið er heitt” means “The coffee is hot.”

27. **Kaldur** – Cold
– The opposite of “heitur”. “Vatnið er kalt” means “The water is cold.”

28. **Nýr** – New
– Useful for talking about recent changes. “Ég á nýjan bíl” means “I have a new car.”

29. **Gamall** – Old
– The opposite of “nýr”. “Bókin er gömul” means “The book is old.”

30. **Fyndinn** – Funny
– Useful for describing people and situations. “Hann er mjög fyndinn” means “He is very funny.”

Adverbs

31. **Vel** – Well
– Often used to describe how something is done. “Hún syngur vel” means “She sings well.”

32. **Oft** – Often
– Useful for discussing frequency. “Ég fer oft í ræktina” means “I go to the gym often.”

33. **Aldrei** – Never
– The opposite of “oft”. “Ég fer aldrei í ræktina” means “I never go to the gym.”

34. **Alltaf** – Always
– Another frequency adverb. “Ég er alltaf sein” means “I am always late.”

35. **Núna** – Now
– Useful for discussing the present moment. “Ég er að borða núna” means “I am eating now.”

36. **Áður** – Before
– Useful for discussing time. “Ég hef gert þetta áður” means “I have done this before.”

37. **Seinna** – Later
– Another time-related adverb. “Ég kem seinna” means “I will come later.”

38. **Þarna** – There
– Useful for indicating location. “Hann er þarna” means “He is there.”

39. **Hér** – Here
– The opposite of “þarna”. “Hún er hér” means “She is here.”

40. **Aftur** – Again
– Useful for repetition. “Geturðu sagt það aftur?” means “Can you say that again?”

Prepositions

41. **Í** – In
– Commonly used preposition. “Ég er í bílnum” means “I am in the car.”

42. **Á** – On
– Another frequently used preposition. “Bókin er á borðinu” means “The book is on the table.”

43. **Með** – With
– Useful for indicating accompaniment. “Ég fer í búðina með þér” means “I am going to the store with you.”

44. **Frá** – From
– Useful for indicating origin. “Ég er frá Íslandi” means “I am from Iceland.”

45. **Til** – To
– Another preposition related to direction. “Ég fer til Reykjavíkur” means “I am going to Reykjavik.”

Conjunctions

46. **Og** – And
– The most basic conjunction. “Ég á epli og banana” means “I have apples and bananas.”

47. **Eða** – Or
– Useful for offering choices. “Viltu te eða kaffi?” means “Do you want tea or coffee?”

48. **En** – But
– Useful for contrasting ideas. “Ég vil koma, en ég er veikur” means “I want to come, but I am sick.”

49. **Þegar** – When
– Useful for discussing time. “Ég kem þegar ég get” means “I will come when I can.”

50. **Ef** – If
– Useful for conditional statements. “Ég kem ef þú kemur” means “I will come if you come.”

Conclusion

These 50 essential words will significantly enhance your ability to communicate in Icelandic at the B1 level. Practice using them in sentences and conversations to better integrate them into your vocabulary. Remember, the key to language learning is consistent practice and usage. By incorporating these words into your daily conversations, you’ll be well on your way to achieving greater fluency in Icelandic. Happy learning!