Were you excited to learn Icelandic online, only to realize there are very few options available?
Even the popular language-learning app Duolingo doesn’t have it.
Well, don’t despair, you still have some options!
I’m guessing you’re looking for a simple yet effective way to learn the language.
Perhaps you want a gamified teaching style, like the one Duolingo uses, or are interested in short and engaging lessons that keep you motivated.
If that’s the case, I have good news: the Ling app is going to launch its Learn Icelandic course real soon!
I’ll tell you all about it, but first, let’s try to figure out why there’s no Icelandic on Duolingo.
Table Of Contents
A Bit About The Icelandic Language
Icelandic is a North Germanic Language, which means it’s most closely related to Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Faroese.
But it also has similarities with German and English, which is great news for English speakers who want to learn it.
Around 314,000 people speak Icelandic. Most of them live in Iceland, where it’s the official language, but there are a few speakers in Denmark and North America as well.
An interesting fact about this language is that it’s the closest living language to Old Norse, the language of the Vikings.
That’s because other Scandinavian languages like Swedish and Norwegian evolved and became simpler, while Icelandic kept many elements of Old Norse grammar.
So even if you don’t have any family in Iceland, nor are moving over there anytime soon, you might want to learn it if you’re interested in Norse Mythology!
When it comes to writing, the Icelandic alphabet is somewhat similar to the English one, using a Latin script of 32 letters.
What are the differences with English? Icelandic has the letters Ð, Þ, Æ, and Ö, but lacks C, Q, W, and Z.
It also uses accents for the letters Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, and Ý.
Why Icelandic Deserves A Spot On Duolingo
So, should Icelandic be on Duolingo? Of course it should!
Even when it has few speakers and is quite localized to Iceland, it should definitely be among the languages Duolingo offers.
For one, Icelanders are very proud of their language and make serious efforts to preserve it.
Having such a popular platform to teach it could greatly aid those efforts.
More so, like I mentioned, its proximity to Old Norse can make it a very interesting language to learn for those interested in the Vikings and Norse Mythology.
Even more if they want to learn a language they’ll actually be able to speak, since no one has used Old Norse in a very long time.
But sadly, there’s no news on whether Icelandic will ever be on Duolingo. Luckily, our alternative is just as good (dare I say better?).
Let’s see how hard it can be to learn Icelandic, then we’ll move on to how to do that online.
Is Icelandic Hard To Learn?
Now, I already mentioned Iceland’s relative closeness to the English language, which can make learning it a bit easier.
The fact that you’ll recognize most of the language’s letters can be a game-changer, for once.
More so, you’ll even find some similar words! Here are a few of them.
| English | Icelandic | Pronunciation | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| father | faðir | [fa-theer] | faðir |
| mother | móðir | [mo-theer] | móðir |
| milk | mjólk | [myol-k] | mjólk |
| house | hús | [hoos] | hús |
| hand | hönd | [hond] | hönd |
| name | nafn | [nah-vn] | nafn |
| thank you | takk / takk fyrir | [tahk / tahk feer-ir] | takk / takk fyrir |
| good day | góðan dag / góðan daginn | [goh-than dahg / goh-than dah-gin] | góðan dag / góðan daginn |
Also, since Icelandic has few speakers and is very localized, there are not many variations when it comes to dialects, which is one less thing to worry about.
But I won’t lie to you, learning Icelandic isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
It has some difficulties you’ll have to overcome (but nothing some perseverance can’t handle, right?).
For one, even when you might find familiar words, there’s a lot of unique Icelandic vocabulary.
English and Icelandic are close, but not that close.
And there’s the fact that Icelanders, in an effort to preserve their language, try to avoid borrowing words from other languages.
Instead, they form new ones, like telephone – sími, video – myndband, and computer – tölva.
There are also many sounds in Icelandic that are unfamiliar to English speakers and can be somewhat hard to pronounce.
Furthermore, the language has a four-case system, which means words change according to their function in a sentence, which can take some getting used to.
And finally, there are the very long words. Some of us still remember (but can’t pronounce) the volcano that erupted in 2010: Eyjafjallajökull.
And Icelandic even has one of the longest words in the world: Vaðlaheiðarvegavinnuverkfærageymsluskúraútidyralyklakippuhringur, which can be roughly translated as “A key ring for the outdoor door of the tool shed used by the road workers on Vaðlaheiði”.
But don’t worry too much, I’m sure you won’t be needing that word any time soon!
No Icelandic On Duolingo: Why?
There are several reasons that could explain why there’s no Icelandic on Duolingo.
For starters, it’s not the most popular language, and it has a relatively small number of speakers.
This means the number of people interested in learning it probably isn’t as big as those who want to learn, say, Japanese or Hindi, for example.
Also, Duolingo had an “Incubator Program” some years back, where people could help make new courses for the app.
That was discontinued in 2021, and all new courses are now made by the Duolingo team, without outside volunteers.
This means it has fewer resources to work on new language courses.
So the reason there’s no Icelandic on Duolingo might be a mix of available resources and the number of people who would use the app to learn it.
Even so, Duolingo could consider adding it. There’s even a petition to add Icelandic to Duolingo!
The Ling App: The Best Alternative To Duolingo For Learning Icelandic
Now, let’s get to the good news. If you’re looking for a fun and engaging app that can teach you Icelandic online, you’ve found it.
The Ling app is a fantastic resource for language learners that has short and gamified lessons, much like Duolingo does. But it’s a lot more than that.
Ling has all the must-have features in language-learning apps, including:
- Native speaker audio to ensure correct pronunciation.
- Voice recognition to improve your speaking skills.
- A gamified and engaging interface, plus points and leaderboards, to keep you motivated.
- Streaks and reminders so you don’t forget to study.
- Flashcards to review everything you’ve learned.
- A chatbot to practice your conversational skills.
- Dialogues that show you what you’ve learned in context.
And Ling doesn’t just teach Icelandic. It also explores Asian and Eastern European languages, which means you have more languages to learn!
So, even when there’s no contest between who teaches Icelandic better, and since Duolingo doesn’t, let’s compare the Ling app and Duolingo when it comes to language learning in general.
Duolingo Vs Ling: An Overview
Here are some of Duolingo and Ling’s main features compared.
| Features | Ling | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| Gamified lessons | ✔ | ✔ |
| Speech recognition | ✔ | ✔ |
| Leaderboards | ✔ | ✔ |
| Points for completing lessons | ✔ | ✔ |
| Streaks | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reading, writing, listening, and speaking practice | ✔ | ✔ |
| A friendly mascot | ✔ | ✔ |
| Android and iOS app | ✔ | ✔ |
| Native speaker audio lessons | ✔ | ✖ |
| Icelandic course | ✔ | ✖ |
| Thai, Telugu, Punjabi, Yoruba, and several other language courses | ✔ | ✖ |
| Flashcards | ✔ | ✖ |
| Real-life dialogues | ✔ | ✖ |
Why Serious Learners Choose Ling
Many people use the Ling app every day to learn Asian and Eastern European languages.
Considering the many language-learning apps in the market, we must be doing something right.
Our short and engaging lessons, native-speaker audio, and chatbot are only some of the features our users find helpful for language learning.
But don’t take my word for it, here are a couple of reviews from Google Play:
“I’ve tried a lot of language apps, Duolingo, Drops, JumpSpeak, and more. Tagalog options are limited in most apps on the market. This is the first app that I’ve found with Tagalog that gives real, applicable conversational inputs. I love the real-life examples of sentences and conversations. I just tried the conversation simulator and am stoked!”
★★★★★
Patrick Hageman
“Seems brilliant so far. I have only just started but it is really engaging, straightforward and I’ve already learnt some very useful words and phrases!!! Highly recommend!”
★★★★★
Robert Wood
What You Can Achieve In Your First Week
Since the Ling app has a 7-day free trial, let’s see some of the things you can learn in your first week.
| Day | What You Can Learn |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Basic Icelandic words and phrases |
| Day 2 | Basic sentences |
| Day 3 | Numbers and family |
| Day 4 | Counting |
| Day 5 | Activities |
| Day 6 | Food and tastes |
| Day 7 | Vegetables and fruits |
But this is assuming you only do one unit per day.
You can learn much more in those seven days if you’re an overachiever!
Frequently Asked Questions When Learning Icelandic
No schema found.Start Learning Icelandic With Ling!
Even if there’s no Icelandic on Duolingo, don’t let that stop you from learning the language comfortably on your phone or computer.
You can use the Ling app and discover its engaging lessons, useful dialogues, flashcards, points, leaderboards, native-speaker audio, and many other features.
Soon, the Icelandic language will be in Ling, too! So stay tuned for that.
As I mentioned, you can try it for free for 7 days and see how you like it. If it’s not for you, you can cancel anytime.
But with over 15K reviews and 4.8 stars on Google Play, and almost 8K ratings and 4.6 stars on the App Store, something tells me you’ll want to keep using it.
Enjoy your learning! – Njóttu námsins!
