# Icelandic: Happy National Day!



## Grefsen

Today is Iceland's National Day and I was wondering what a typical Icelandic greeting would be on this special day?


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## butra

Gleðilega hátíð!


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## Grefsen

butra said:


> Gleðilega hátíð!



Thanks so much for the help *butra* and welcome to the Nordic Forum.   

*Gleðilega* is very similar to *Gledelig* in Norwegian which I believe can mean"happy" or  "joyful."  So what would be the English translation of *hátíð*?


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## butra

hátíð = festival


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## Grefsen

butra said:


> hátíð = festival



Thanks again for your help *butra*.  Would it also be possible to say the following as an National Day Greeting?

*Til hamingju með Þjóðhátíðardagurinn.*


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## butra

You would say: Til hamingju með þjóðhátíðardaginn. 
( not ...dagurinn ). You would use the accusative case, not the nominative case 
and that would sound perfectly normal by a foreigner or a person on the radio speaking to the audience. 
When Icelanders meet on the street they just say: Til hamingju með daginn or gleðilega hátíð. National Day is þjóðhátíðardagur in Icelandic so it is a hátíð and I believe most people would say: Gleðilega hátíð.


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## Grefsen

butra said:


> You would say: Til hamingju með þjóðhátíðardaginn.
> ( not ...dagurinn ). You would use the accusative case, not the nominative case
> and that would sound perfectly normal by a foreigner or a person on the radio speaking to the audience.
> When Icelanders meet on the street they just say: Til hamingju með daginn or gleðilega hátíð. National Day is þjóðhátíðardagur in Icelandic so it is a hátíð and I believe most people would say: Gleðilega hátíð.


Thanks again for the help butra.  

 I wrote *"Til hamingju með þjóðhátíðardaginn"* earlier today in an SMS and would like to send my Icelandic friend an email later that includes the following in Icelandic:

 "I hope you had a nice National Day."


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## butra

Grefsen said:


> "I hope you had a nice National Day."


 
Ég vona að þú hafir átt ánægjulegan þjóðhátíðardag.
or
Vonandi áttir þú ánægjulegan þjóðhátíðardag.


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## Grefsen

butra said:


> Ég vona að þú hafir átt ánægjulegan þjóðhátíðardag.
> or
> Vonandi áttir þú ánægjulegan þjóðhátíðardag.


I used *"Ég vona að þú hafir átt ánægjulegan þjóðhátíðardag"* in a SMS to one of my Icelandic friends and received a very positive reply.  

He was quite surprised and very impressed because I normally write to him mostly in English with some Norwegian.  Thanks again for helping me on Iceland's National Day.


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