Icelandic Citizenship Language Test flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Pre-aspiration of p, t, k

After a vowel, written p, t and k are pronounced with a preceding [h]-like breath, as in 'kaka' and 'hús'. Written b, d, g lack it, so hearing the breath identifies the letter.

Hálf tvö

Icelandic clock expression meaning half past one (1:30). 'Hálf' counts toward the next hour, so 'hálf þrjú' is 2:30, the opposite of English 'half two' meaning.

Voiceless l, m, n, r

After aspirated p, t or k these sonorants are whispered, as in 'hlaupa', 'hneta' and 'hrafn'. They are allophones, not separate letters, and signal that the preceding stop is p, t or k.

Jæja as discourse filler

A common Icelandic filler meaning roughly 'well' or 'right then'. It carries no propositional content, so in listening tasks it should not be taken as an answer or a change of topic.

Suffixed definite article

Icelandic marks 'the' with an ending on the noun: -inn, -in, -ið in the nominative, with case variants such as -inum, -inni, -inu. There is no separate word for 'the'.

V2 word order

In main clauses the finite verb occupies second position. If an adverb or time phrase comes first, the subject follows the verb: 'Í gær fór ég heim', never 'Í gær ég fór'.

No inversion in subordinates

After conjunctions such as 'að', 'þegar', 'ef' and 'því að', the subject precedes the verb. 'Ég veit að hann kemur' is correct; inversion there is an error.

Compound head position

In long Icelandic compounds the final element is the grammatical head and determines gender and meaning. In 'ferðamannastaður' the head is 'staður', a place, modified by travel-and-tourist elements.

Með kveðju

Standard formal closing in Icelandic letters and emails, roughly 'with regards'. 'Virðingarfyllst' is more formal, while 'Kveðja' or 'Bestu kveðjur' suits informal messages.

Icelandic comma before að

A comma commonly precedes the conjunction 'að' introducing a subordinate clause, and also precedes 'en' and 'því'. This differs from English practice and is expected in formal writing.

Predicate adjective agreement

A predicate adjective agrees with the subject in gender, number and case: 'Húsið er gamalt', 'Bókin er gömul', 'Þeir eru gamlir'. Mismatch is a frequent written-production error.

Lowercase days and months

In Icelandic, days of the week, months and derived nationality adjectives are lowercase: 'mánudagur', 'janúar', 'íslenskur'. Only sentence starts and proper nouns are capitalised.

Þ sound

The letter þ is a voiceless dental fricative, like English 'th' in 'think'. It occurs at word start in 'þú' and 'þetta' and never as the voiced sound of 'this'.

Ð sound

The letter ð is a voiced dental fricative between vowels, as in 'maður'. Word-finally it weakens or becomes a glide, as in 'góður', and it never starts a native word.

RL and RN assimilation

The clusters rl and rn are pronounced as voiceless [tl] and [tn]: 'karl' sounds like [kʰatl] and 'barn' like [patn]. The r is not articulated separately.

Gj and kj pronunciation

Written gj and kj represent the palatal stop [c], as in 'gjöf' (gift) and 'kirkja' (church). The following j is not pronounced as a separate glide.

Afsakið, má ég spyrja?

Polite formula meaning 'Excuse me, may I ask?'. It is a standard way to open a request for clarification in conversation and is followed by 'þú' address, not formal 'þér'.

Vowel length rule

A vowel is long before a single consonant or word-finally ('gata', 'tala') and short before a consonant cluster ('gras'). Length is predictable from spelling, not marked with accents.

Four-case system

Icelandic nouns, adjectives, pronouns and articles inflect for nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. Case is governed by grammatical role and by the preposition used with the phrase.

Strong versus weak verbs

Strong verbs change the stem vowel in the past tense, as 'fara – fer – fór – fórum'. Weak verbs add a dental suffix, as 'talaði', 'keypti' and 'lærði'.

Middle voice -st

The ending -st makes a verb reflexive or reciprocal: 'þvo' means wash something while 'þvost' means wash oneself, and 'hittast' means meet each other.

Number agreement 1 to 4

'Einn, ein, eitt' and 'tveir, tvær, tvö' and 'þrír, þrjár, þrjú' agree in gender with the noun. From four upward the form is invariable: 'fjórir menn', 'fjórar konur', 'fjögur börn'.

Í with accusative or dative

'Í' takes the accusative for motion into a place ('í búðina') and the dative for location inside ('í búðinni'). The same contrast applies to 'á' with onto and on.

Ó- prefix

The prefix ó- corresponds to English 'un-' and negates the base word: 'óvinur' (enemy), 'ólíklegur' (unlikely), 'ókeypis' (free of charge). It is highly productive in Icelandic word formation.

Kennitala

The ten-digit Icelandic personal identity number. The first six digits encode date of birth in DDMMYY order, and the number is used for public services, banking and official identification.

Althingi

Iceland's parliament, traditionally founded in 930 at Þingvellir and among the oldest surviving assemblies. It now sits in Reykjavík and shares power with the government and president.

17 June

Iceland's National Day, marking the 1944 founding of the republic. It is celebrated with parades and ceremonies, and the Prime Minister and President appear publicly.

Þjóðskrá Ísland

The national registry of persons and real property in Iceland. It records identity numbers and addresses, and official letters from it typically state a required action.

Grunnskóli

The compulsory Icelandic school level for children aged roughly six to sixteen, run by municipalities. It precedes framhaldsskóli (upper secondary) and háskóli (university).

Tölva

The Icelandic word for computer, coined from 'tala' (number) and 'völva' (seeress) rather than borrowed. It illustrates the language-planning preference for native coinages over loanwords.

Sýslumaður

The district commissioner, a local official handling permits, civil registration matters, inheritance and some police administration. Candidates encounter the office in everyday civic procedures.

Verslunarmannahelgi

The first weekend of August, a long-standing Icelandic holiday weekend with festivals and travel. It is one of the cultural dates a candidate should recognise in reading and listening texts.