Language corner: Comparing proverbs

Let’s talk language

Icelandic, like most languages, has a range of proverbs and sayings that dictate how to model your life. Even though they’re not to be taken too seriously, these sayings permeate culture in subtle ways and provide clues to what was important to the nation in the past (i.e., before the Internet). Let’s explore a few.

TEXT: Edda Kentish ILLUSTRATION: Shutterstock

Here, we’ve compiled a few Icelandic proverbs and sayings that have English counterparts, because even though situations vary, solving problems and giving advice is a staple of the human condition.

ICELANDIC: ENGLISH COUNTERPART:

“Að haga seglum eftir vindi”

LITERAL MEANING: To adjust your sails to the wind. Related to seafaring life.

“Cut your coat to suit your cloth”

FIGURATIVE MEANING: To adjust to the situation at hand.

“Fjarlægðin gerir fjöllin blá” (og mennina mikla)

LITERAL MEANING: Distance makes the mountains blue (and men great). We see mountains every day of our lives, so this makes perfect sense.

“Árinni kennir illur ræðari”

LITERAL MEANING: He who can’t row blames the oar. Obviously, sailors who couldn’t sail weren’t very useful.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

FIGURATIVE MEANING: Things that are far away seem nicer than they are.

“A bad workman blames his tools.”

FIGURATIVE MEANING: If you lack the skill, you find fault somewhere else.

“Bylur hæst í tómri tunnu”

LITERAL MEANING: An empty barrel sounds the loudest. Barrels were often used to store food, for example.

“An empty vessel makes the most noise.”

FIGURATIVE MEANING: Those who know the least often have the most to say.

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editor@airicelandconnect.is Do you want to know the meaning of Icelandic phrases you come across during your travels? Or do you have different suggestions for the English counterparts? Drop us a note on social media!

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