Siggi is on paternity leave until Tuesday, 6 August.

Learn Icelandic through guided self-study

Empower yourself to learn Icelandic as efficiently and effectively as possible while staying accountable with expert support.

Siggi, the teacher, on Zoom with 3 students
Investment into the self-study course with Siggi was the best decision. Thanks to him, my Icelandic improved so much in the last 3 months. After attending classes in HÍ, I can say that he is the best teacher I've ever had and HÍ would be lucky to have him.
Red-headed woman looking slightly to the left and smiling.

Erika Mačková

Kindergarten assistant

I was concerned that I would stop being self-directed after the first week... kind of like buying a gym membership, but I went ahead anyway, and it helps you to stay focused and accountable for your own progress. It's a great supplement to self-directed learning.
Black-haired woman with wavy hair smiling to the camera.

Serena Dz

Lens-based artist

Man in a blue sweater smilng at the camera.
Meet the teacher

Siggi

A linguist with 7 years of experience teaching Icelandic, Siggi is an incorrigible language nerd. If he didn't teach Icelandic for a living, he would just be really annoying at parties talking about obscure language trivia.

Siggi launched the self-study course when he realised that his Icelandic teaching style boiled down to 'try to avoid teaching Icelandic'. He opts instead to empower his students to learn how to learn, relegating himself to the role of cheerleader and troubleshooter.

Instructions
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How it works

The self-study course isn't like your average classroom course. Here's how it works.

Free trial class

Learn the core of how to learn Icelandic and what resources to use. Siggi will also help you establish goals that suit you and help you adapt everything to your timetable and preferences.

This is all no-strings-attached: after the class you decide if you want to continue.

A man with a beard and a hair-bun sits in front of a white-board.

Free follow-up class

Well, 'free': it's included in the course. Once you start putting into practice everything you learned in the free trial class, you're going to have some questions, and Siggi will have answers. After this you'll be an expert in language learning, making the most out of every minute spent studying.

A student and teacher in front of a white board.

Weekly email check-ins

The hardest part about self-study is staying accountable. Stay on the straight and narrow with frequent check-ins. Any questions you want answered by email, this is also a great time to ask them.

The upper-left corner of a computer showing Gmail open.

Q&A sessions

Think of the question and answer sessions as office hours through video chat: they're there if you want to use them, but you don't have to. This is a great opportunity to connect with the other students in the course as well as getting your questions answered.

Siggi, the teacher, on Zoom with 3 students

Practice

Here's how the self-study course helps you improve.

Reading

Reading, along with listening, forms the the backbone of the course, so you’ll do a lot of it.

You’ll learn what resources to use and how to use them effectively, as well as various reading techniques. This will help you make the most of every minute you spend reading.

Listening

Listening, along with reading, forms the backbone of the course, so you’ll do a lot of it.

You’ll learn what resources to use and how to use them, as well as effective listening exercises. Once you’ve learned how to learn, your listening skills will skyrocket.

Speaking

Once I’ve answered every question in a Q&A session, we use the rest of the time for conversation practice. I can also teach you some speaking exercises you can do to improve your fluency.

Speaking-specific practice is not a focus of the course because speaking skills tend to improve naturally as you read and listen to the language.

Writing

For advanced learners, writing practice can be integral. We’ll share a Google doc where you can leave writing exercises for me to review and leave feedback on.

If you’re a beginner or intermediate learner, though, your time is probably better spent reading and listening.

Try a free class

Price

Most unions will reimburse you 75-100% of the cost. Check with your union!

Subscription
6,500 ISK / month
26,000 before union subsidy*
Get a monthly invoice in your online bank. Pay with two clicks.
This is assuming you only get 75% subsidy from your union. Many unions will reimburse you more.
3 month bundle
7,500 ISK / month
30,000 before union subsidy*
22,500 ISK total, or 90,000 ISK before union subsidy.
This is assuming you only get 75% subsidy from your union. Many unions will reimburse you more.
1 month
8,750 ISK / month
35,000 before union subsidy*
This is assuming you only get 75% subsidy from your union. Many unions will reimburse you more.

Frequently asked questions

Answering questions is kind of our thing.

How much will MY union pay?

Here is the percentage of the cost you can get back from various unions. If you can't find your union on the list, don't worry: it's not an exhaustive list.

  • 75%: Efling, Drífandi
  • 80%: SSF
  • 90%: VR, Framsýn, AFL, Báran, and Hlíf
  • 100%: BHM, FÍN, Fræðagarður, KÍ, Sameyki, and Stamos


Please note that while this is accurate to the best of our knowledge, always check with your union to be certain.

How long does it take to learn Icelandic?

It depends.

It can take as little as a day to be able to order at a café, if you’re Danish and have a good instructor. It will take multiple lifetimes to be able to write a doctoral thesis, if you’re Vietnamese and never read or listen to any Icelandic.

As a rule of thumb, though, it takes about 1-2 years to reach equal footing with natives for day-to-day communication, assuming you’re immersed in the language on a daily basis.

Should I take private classes or the self-study course?

It depends.

If you're an independent learner on a budget, the self-study course might be best for you.

If you'd like more hands-on expert guidance and don't mind paying for the expertise, private classes are your best bet.

Can I pause the self-study course?

For sure!

Vacation, crunch-time at work, alien attacks targeting your house specifically for unknown reasons... sometimes life just happens.

You can pause your participation in the self-study course for up to a month any time.

Still have a question?

Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask us directly!

Check out our other offerings

The self-study course isn't your speed? Want more support? Private lessons might be your cup of tea!

Private lessons

Flexibility is the name of the game, here. Enjoy your teacher's focused, undivided attention and benefit from the personal guidance of an expert, every step of the way.

Private lessons are perfect for:

  • Those who want personalised help
  • Learning whenever and however you want
  • Those who want to learn at their own pace