# Icelandic: Hello, How are you?



## Grefsen

I have some Icelandic friends and wanted to surprise them by attempting to use some Icelandic words in my next email to them.  

When I did a search for Icelandic threads in this forum I found one where it appeared that the translation for "hello" was "Komdu sæl/sæll." 

Then when I looked at another site, here was the Icelandic translation for  "hello:"

"Halló, Góðan daginn"

http://www.travlang.com/languages/cgi-bin/langchoice.cgi

At this same site here is the translation given for "How are you?:"

"Hvernig hefur þú það."

Would the following be an acceptable way of saying "Hello (friend's name), How are you?

"Halló (friend's name), Góðan daginn.  Hvernig hefur þú það."


----------



## Alxmrphi

*Hæ* (pronounced like "Hi") is more informal than "*Hallo*", 
"*Góðan daginn*" is like "*Good day *shopkeeper, it's nice weather outside"

For a man, a good way is "*Komdu sæll*", and "*Komdu sæl*" - you said you were using these in an email so I don't have to explain the pronunciation differences?

But the correct "*How are you?*" you are looking for, I think is this *"Hvað segirðu?*"


----------



## Grefsen

Alex_Murphy said:


> *Hæ* (pronounced like "Hi") is more informal than "*Hallo*",
> "*Góðan daginn*" is like "*Good day *shopkeeper, it's nice weather outside"
> 
> For a man, a good way is "*Komdu sæll*", and "*Komdu sæl*" - you said you were using these in an email so I don't have to explain the pronunciation differences?
> 
> But the correct "*How are you?*" you are looking for, I think is this *"Hvað segirðu?*"



So a good informal way of simply writing "Hi (friend's name), How are you?" would be:

*"Hæ (friend's name),  **Hvað segirðu?"  

*What would be the direct English translation of "*Komdu sæll*"?


----------



## Alxmrphi

It would be (according to my published book on Icelandic) 'How are you" (to a male)

Komdu sæl - to a woman


----------



## Earth Intruder

I believe that the literal English translation of *'**Komdu sæll' *is *'Greetings'*


----------



## LukeyoHallevichs

The literal meaning of komdu saell is "come happy", but it basically means "hello/how do you do".

"Hae, hvad segirdu" would be perfect for an e-mail to a friend!


----------



## Alxmrphi

Just curious as you why you used "d" instead of ð ?


----------



## LukeyoHallevichs

Basically I just got a new computer and have not discovered (yet) the way to do it without pasting it from somewhere.


----------



## Alxmrphi

Ah, I use alt+0240, when it's in muscle memory it's only takes like 1sec to do.
But for all I know you might have a completely different computer from me.


----------



## LukeyoHallevichs

Ah yeah, that doesn't work sadly. Thanks anyway though! I just keep forgetting to look it up.. nothing is simple on Windows compared to Mac : X


----------



## USB-anslutning

LukeyoHallevichs said:


> Ah yeah, that doesn't work sadly. Thanks anyway though! I just keep forgetting to look it up.. nothing is simple on Windows compared to Mac : X


Make sure you do it on the numpad as that's the only place it will work.


----------



## Alxmrphi

Woops, forgot to mention that!


----------



## radiotelemetry

Laptop users:

If you don't have a number pad (as most laptops don't), notice somewhere around the right of the letters, there will be numbers on the keys. You usually have to hit some sort of function ("fn") key as well as alt, THEN do the alt code. I can't believe it took me so long to figure this out but it's incredibly useful.


----------



## draugurinn

Or, even easier, just switching your keyboard from English to Icelandic. In which case [ is where the ð key is at, ; is where the æ key, amongst others.

Also old topic is old.


----------

