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Erika Mačková
Kindergarten assistant
Serena Dz
Lens-based artist
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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, 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.
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.
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.
The materials
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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.
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.