Learn Old Norse for Beginners

Read the words behind the sagas. Start with your first Old Norse sentence.

Often called the Viking Language, Old Norse was spoken in Norway, Iceland, and Norse settlements across the North Atlantic. Its words bring you closer to the stories and everyday lives of the medieval world.

Learn Old Norse for Beginners introduces English speakers to the Old Icelandic Language tradition used in this guide, with manageable lessons that take you from unfamiliar letters to meaningful sentences.

What makes this guide useful:

• CEFR A1 and A2 learning goals adapted to Old Norse, with grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, and dialogue practice.
• English-friendly pronunciation guidance to help you read aloud.
• Everyday phrases and conversations with English translations.
• Exercises, answer keys, and a final review to check your progress.

Your journey through the 18 chapters:

1. Introduction to Old Norse: Learn the alphabet, sounds, and historical background.
2. Basic Greetings and Introducing Yourself: Greet someone and introduce yourself.
3. Talking About Yourself and Others: Build sentences with pronouns, cases, and possessives.
4. Everyday Life and Routines: Describe daily activities using present-tense verbs.
5. Describing People, Places, and Things: Make descriptions with adjective agreement.
6. Numbers, Dates, Time, and Money: Count and discuss time, dates, and value.
7. Food, Shopping, and Quantities: Talk about food, purchases, and amounts.
8. Abilities, Wishes, and Preferences: Express what you can do and want.
9. What Is Happening Now?: Describe current actions using Old Norse structures.
10. Talking About the Past: Tell what happened with strong and weak verbs.
11. Experiences and Completed Actions: Use perfect constructions to describe completed events.
12. Obligation, Permission, and Advice: Explain duties, ask permission, and offer guidance.
13. Talking About the Future: Express plans and predictions.
14. Comparisons and Opinions: Compare things and say what you think.
15. Health and Feelings: Describe physical conditions and feelings.
16. Travel, Directions, and Weather: Discuss journeys, locations, and weather.
17. Everyday Phrases & Conversations: Bring your learning together in short dialogues.
18. Review & Final Translation: Test your understanding with reading, translation, and writing.

Make your interest in Old Norse something you can put into words, one sentence at a time.