What better way to learn one of the world’s most complicated languages, than from your pooch.

A reader in the US wrote to me this weekend with an unusual request. It seems that she has been trying to learn Icelandic for years, but without the gentle pushes from local Icelanders (read: when the natives take it upon themselves to refuse you any English), this can be a formidable task.

So my reader’s proposition was this: since I have no reason to speak Icelandic daily, there is simply no way it’s going to stick in my head. So, I will train my dog with commands in Icelandic as a way to get into the language.

After doing some sleuthing on the internet, I have found that this is not such an uncommon practice. Indeed, there are websites dedicated to multilingual dog commands, so who am I to object. My favorite so far is Dr. P’s Dog Training Website, which runs the gamut from German and Dutch to Hungarian and even Finnish, for those who prefer to have loyal sidekick along in the sauna.

So without further ado, here is dog training, Icelandic style…

- Heel – Haell (HIGH-dl)
- Sit – Sestu (SES-tu)
- Stay – Kyrr (KIRR)
- Come/Here – Komdu (KON-du)
- Stand – Standa (STAN-da)
- Fetch – Saektu (SAIK-tu)
- Lie down – Leggstu (LIKS-tu)
- Go out – Út (OOT)
- Attack – Urrdan, bíttann (URRD-on, BEET-on)
- Speak – Gelta (GHEL-ta)
- Good (praise) – Gódur (GO-thur)
- Get in the car – Bíll (BEE-dl)
- No (correction word) – Nei (NAY)
- Don’t do that – Haettu (HIGH-tu)
- Eat food – Borda (BOR-tha)
- Roll over – Veltu (VEL-tu)
- Give us a kiss – Kyssa (KIS-sa)
- Shake hands – Saell (SIGH-dl)
- Play dead – Thykstu vera daudur (THIKS-tu VER-ah DOI-thur) – This one doesn’t really translate—not a command you really give an Icelandic dog. They are piss poor actors.

As long as you remember to roll your Rs you and Rover will be just fine. One more note, the Icelandic word for treat is “nammi”, which always sounds rather onomatopoetic. It is what Dórótea uxi (Dorothy the Ox), our future prize-winning English bulldog, gets whenever she does good.

So I hope this helps all you out there looking to have your dog teach you Icelandic. Now go out and unleash your language skills!

JM – jonas@icelandreview.com