Icelandic email and letter writing guide

This guide will teach you how to write an email or a letter in Icelandic . It will cover the relevant cultural norms and provide you with plenty of example phrases.

In case you didn’t know, Icelanders are very laid-back. The unofficial Icelandic motto is: “Þetta reddast” which translates to: “It’ll work out (somehow).”

Icelanders address one another not by official titles or last names, but by each other’s first names! (Yes, even teachers, members of Parliament, and the president).

When writing an email in Icelandic, it’s important for you to know about the cultural conventions common to Icelanders. Otherwise you run the risk of coming off tone-deaf.

Making an effort to address people in a way that’s familiar to them will in fact help them open up and receive your message in the best possible light.

How do you start an email or a letter in Icelandic?

The most common way to start an email or letter in Icelandic is simply with the opening: “Sæl/Sæll” followed by the recipient's name.

This translates to “greetings” in English, but be aware of the distinction of the single “l” and the double “ll”.

• “Sæl” with a single “l” is for when addressing someone who identifies as female.
• “Sæll” with the double “ll” is used for someone who identifies as male.

“Sæll” or “sæl” is a simple greeting, which is suited as an opener to an email that’s not super formal - but also not informal.

Icelandic formal email / letter openings

There are two main types of lines you can use to open a formal email or letter. These are:

1. Komdu sæl/l
2. Kæra/Kæri

1) « Komdu sæl/l » roughly translates to “how do you do?” and is a slightly more elevated and formal version of the simpler « sæl/l ».

Use « komdu sæl » (with one 'l') when addressing a female reader and « komdu sæll » (with two l’s) when addressing a male reader.

2) « Kæra/i…, » followed by the intended reader’s first name, translates to “Dear…”.

Use « Kæra… » (with an “a”) when addressing a female reader, and « Kæri… » (with an “i”) when addressing a male reader.

Icelandic informal email / letter openings

A single “hæ” (Icelandic for “hi”) is informal and endearing. A double “hæ, hæ” is doubly endearing (and still informal).

The single or double ”hæ” is usually followed by the reader's name. For example:

• Hæ Fríða
• Hæ hæ Máni

It bears mentioning again that Icelanders are very informal on the whole, and this has only increased as time goes on.

You could start addressing someone using “hæ” within a relatively short period of meeting them. Even if the person being addressed is an authority figure of some sort.

How to end an email or letter in Icelandic

Icelandic formal email / letter endings

The most formal way to end an email or letter is with « Virðingarfyllst » followed by your name. For example:

« Virðingarfyllst » literally means “respectfully”, and in the context of a letter is roughly equivalent to the English “sincerely”.

Here are some examples of when the Icelandic « Virðingarfyllst » sign-off would be used:

• when closing an email to a potential employer (if you are applying for a job)
• to a principal or the head of a school you are attending (or if you have children in school and are writing on their behalf)
• when contacting someone in a position of authority in government - if say, the potholes in your area haven’t been fixed in a long, long time.

The most common way to end a formal or relatively formal email or letter in Icelandic is with « Bestu kveðjur » followed by your name. This sign-off is equivalent to the English “best regards.”

Icelanders use a number of variations of « Bestu kveðjur ». These include:

• “Með bestu kveðju,” which is roughly equivalent to “with best regards”
• “Hlýjar kveðjur,” meaning “warm regards”
• “Kær kveðja,” meaning “kind regards”

Closing an email with any of these greetings signals respect for the reader.

Icelandic casual email / letter endings

The most common way to end any email, whether formal or informal, is with “Bestu kveðjur” followed by your name. As we saw above, “bestu kveðjur” is roughly equivalent to the English “best regards.”

“Bestu kveðjur” is appropriate for any kind of email. However, the following sign-offs should only be used when closing an informal email, usually to someone you know well.

“Heyrumst!” means “We’ll be in touch!” You can wrap up an email like this when you and the recipient have something to figure out or you’ll need to get back in touch about.

“Sjáumst!” means “see you!” and implies that you will see each other sometime soon. Maybe you’ve made plans to get together for coffee or dinner - in this case “sjáumst!” is in keeping with what comes next.

You can also end an informal email with a phrase like “Takk kærlega,” which means “thanks a lot,” or “Takk fyrir mig,” which means “thank you”.

Other useful Icelandic email phrases

Let’s touch on some of the most common Icelandic phrases used in emails.

In order to state the purpose of an email or letter, you could start like this:

• “Ég skrifa þér í tengslum við…”
  Translation: “I am writing to you in regards to…”

This is a great way to start off an email. You write “Ég skrifa þér í tengslum við…” and then you can touch on what it is that the email is regarding. “I am writing to you in regards to…”

There are a couple of ways you can let your reader know about an attachment…

• “*Sjá viðhengi”
  Translation: “*See attachment”
• “Hér í þessum pósti er skjal í viðhengi”
  Translation: “Here in this email is a document attached.”
• “Hér í viðhengi er skjal.”
  Translation: “ Here attached is a document (singular)”
• “Hér í viðhengi eru skjöl”
  Translation: “Here attached are documents”

And here are some other phrases that you might find useful when writing an email or letter:

• “Takk”
  Translation: “Thank you” - more specifically a less formal “thank you.”
• “Ekkert mál!”
  Translation: “No problem!”
• “Gjörðu svo vel”
  Translation: “You’re welcome”

Specific types of Icelandic letters

How to write a thank you card in Icelandic

You might find it necessary at some point to write a thank you note. A simple one might look like this:

And a more formal letter might look something like this:

How to write a birthday card in Icelandic

Here is an example of what a relaxed birthday card to a friend might read like:

And then there’s the slightly more formal one, maybe it’s a BIG birthday (something with a zero at the end!):

What do you write in an Icelandic wedding card

For a wedding card you can’t go wrong with short and simple. Wishing the newlyweds a long and happy life together.

Here are some examples of the types of phrases which you can use when you write an Icelandic wedding card:

• “Óskum ykkur hamingju, ástar og farsæls lífs saman.”
  Translation: “Wishing you happiness, love and a prosperous life together.”
• “Hamingjuóskir á þessum rómantíska gleðidegi - varðveitið og elskið ávallt hvort annað með ástina að leiðarljósi.”
  Translation: "Congratulations on this romantic day of joy - preserve and love each other always with love as your guiding light."
• “Til hamingju ástardúfur. Munið ávallt að hjónaband er stórkostlegt ferðalag sem endist alla ævi. Njótið þess!”
  Translation: "Congratulations lovebirds. Always remember that marriage is a wonderful journey that will last a lifetime. Enjoy it! ”

Icelandic email/ letter example

Let’s look at a couple of examples of short informal and formal letters:

Example of an Icelandic informal letter / email:

Example of an Icelandic formal letter / email:

Icelanders are a nation of informal and laid-back people, who are not terribly worried about being very formal at all. This is sometimes something we do to a fault.

Like most people, however, we have the best intentions and it has more to do with not making other people feel weird or awkward - and nothing to do with a lack of respect.

The laid-back-ness of Icelanders (in print and in person) speaks to their feeling that we’re all, more or less, equals.

Iceland is a tiny nation, and very few people beyond Icelanders actually speak the language. Writing an email or letter in Icelandic is something that will no doubt impress most Icelanders.