2nd Edition

Colloquial Icelandic The Complete Course for Beginners

By Daisy L. Neijmann Copyright 2014

    Colloquial Icelandic provides a step-by-step course in Icelandic as it is written and spoken today. Combining a user-friendly approach with a thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Icelandic in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

    Key features include:

    • progressive coverage of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills
    • structured, jargon-free explanations of grammar
    • an extensive range of focused and stimulating exercises
    • realistic and entertaining dialogues covering a broad variety of scenarios
    • useful vocabulary lists throughout the text
    • additional resources available at the back of the book, including a full answer key, a grammar summary, bilingual glossaries and English translations of dialogues

    This second edition has been extensively updated and revised throughout, and includes up-to-date cultural information, an enhanced index, an expanded glossary and completely new audio recordings.

    Balanced, comprehensive and rewarding, Colloquial Icelandic will be an indispensable resource both for independent learners and for students taking courses in Icelandic.

    Audio material to accompany the course is available to download free in MP3 format from www.routledge.com/cw/colloquials. Recorded by native speakers, the audio material features the dialogues and texts from the book and will help develop your listening and pronunciation skills.

    By the end of this course, you will be at Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages and at the Intermediate-High on the ACTFL proficiency scales.

    Acknowledgements. Abbreviations. Introduction.  The sounds and letters of Icelandic.  1 Velkomin til Íslands!Welcome to Iceland! 2. Hvaðan ert þú?Where are you from? 3. Hvert förum við? Where are we going? 4 Ég ætla að fá . . . Hvað verður þetta mikið? I would like to get . . . How much will that be?  5. Föt Clothing  6. Á ferð og flugi On the move  7. Daglegt líf Daily life 8. Verði þér að góðu! Enjoy your meal!  9. Fjölskyldur  Families  10. Stefnumót  Appointments  11. Gisting Accommodation  12. Tómstundir Spare time  13. Ísland  Iceland  14. Saga og þjóð Story, history and people  15. Höfuð, herðar, hné og tær  Head and shoulders, knees and toes  16. Gangi þér vel! Good luck!Grammar Summary. Glossary of grammatical terms. Key to exercises. Glosses of reading passages. Icelandic-English glossary. English-Icelandic glossary. Index

    Biography

    Daisy Neijmann

    "Ideal for beginners and brushers-up alike, this enlarged and updated edition is a comprehensive, user-friendly guide to the essentials of Modern Icelandic, combining the teaching of the language at every stage with useful tips on day-to-day living in Iceland: food and drink, where to stay, how to get about, and how to ask intelligent questions about Icelandic history, culture, and geography. An undoubted ‘must’ for travellers to Iceland, whether as first-time or returning visitors!" Rory McTurk, University of Leeds, UK

    "Neijmann's Colloquial Icelandic will both navigate you towards advanced communication skills and familiarize you with many specific Icelandic language concepts. It is comprehensive and extremely user-friendly at the same time—a must for a language as complex as Icelandic. For a self-study kit, it is as close as you can get to having your own private teacher and native guide to the local culture." Silvie Cinkova, Charles University in Prague, The Czech Republic