These Icelandic B2 graded readers are designed for Upper Intermediate learners who can understand complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics. The stories use carefully calibrated vocabulary for the B2 CEFR level so you can enjoy reading while naturally expanding your Icelandic. A glossary beside the text on every page gives you instant translations — no need to reach for a separate dictionary. Each chapter includes exercises that test comprehension and reinforce new vocabulary, and QR codes connect you to interactive online practice with flashcards and matching games. Available as ebook and paperback.
About Icelandic
Where Icelandic is spoken
Icelandic is the official language of Iceland and is closely related to Faroese and (historically) to Norwegian.
How many people speak it
Icelandic has about 350,000–370,000 native speakers, nearly all of them in Iceland.
Grammar and structure
Icelandic retains four cases and relatively conservative inflection compared with mainland Scandinavian languages. Gender (three classes), strong and weak declensions, and synthetic verb forms are prominent. Vocabulary preserves many Old Norse roots.
Best-rated Icelandic B2 graded readers
Ranked by average customer rating and number of reviews on our site. Every title below is a Pentecost graded reader: a simplified story at CEFR level with learning supports built in.
A daring wager, a relentless detective, and a race against the clock across continents. Master B2 Icelandic vocabulary and grammar naturally, absorbing hundreds of real-world words and phrases through a thrilling global adventure. A margin dictionary means you never break your reading flow.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Formats: e-book, paperback and super audiobook
Our graded readers come in several formats. The text, the CEFR level and the glossary are the same in each — only the way you read changes. Pick whatever suits your day: the e-book on your phone on the way to work, paper and pencil at your desk, or the super audiobook when you want to read and listen at the same time.
E-book (EPUB and PDF). You can download both files right after purchase and read on an e-reader, phone, tablet or computer. Difficult words have their translation in a pop-up note: one tap and you are back in the story, no dictionary needed. Each chapter ends with vocabulary exercises, and a link takes you to free online practice with the same words.
Paperback. A classic softcover book, printed to order and sent by post. The glossary sits in the margin, right next to the word it explains, so you never have to flip pages. Chapters end with crosswords and vocabulary exercises, and QR codes take you to online practice on your phone. A good choice if you like writing in your books or want a break from screens.
Formats on this list (1 book): E-Book: 1 · Paperback: 1 · Super audiobook: 0.
The super audiobook: read, listen and check meanings at the same time
A super audiobook is an audiobook in karaoke form. A narrator reads the book aloud while the same text is in front of you, with a marker moving along it word by word. You always know which word you are hearing, so you never lose your place — even when the narrator speaks faster than you read. Your ears tell your eyes how a written word sounds, your eyes tell your ears how to spell what you hear, and both routes reinforce the same words at once.
The real difference shows when you meet a word you don't know. In an ordinary audiobook it is gone in a second; in a super audiobook it stays within reach: glossary words are marked in colour, and pressing and holding one shows its translation in your language. You check the meaning, keep listening and never lose the thread. A slider sets the narrator's speed from 0.5× to 1.5× — slow down at first to catch every syllable, then speed up towards natural speech. The words you meet while reading come back later in short exercises in the app, such as a mini crossword or building a word from its letters.
Reading while listening is well supported by research. In a Canadian programme described by Lightbown and colleagues (2002), children who for three years learned English only this way — reading books while listening to their recordings — understood the language as well as or better than peers taught in regular classes. Waring and Takaki (2003) showed that you need to meet a word at least eight times to have even a 50% chance of recognising it three months later. Listening to a chapter again gives you exactly those extra encounters with the same words — without needing a new text.
At A1 and A2 the super audiobook helps you connect spelling with pronunciation — especially valuable in languages that are not read the way they are written, or that use a different alphabet. At B1 and B2 it carries you along at the pace of real speech, so you get used to fluent listening and stop pausing at every sentence. Advanced readers often don't need a narrator at all — which is why you decide when to switch it on and when to read silently.
The super audiobook plays in the Pentecost app or in your browser, on a phone, tablet or computer. You can add it to an e-book: on the book page, tick “Add the audiobook” in the e-book box; if you already own the e-book, you can buy the recording on its own. With unlimited access you can listen to every recorded super audiobook with no limit, and each month you can unlock the recording of a book that doesn't have one yet — it is narrated for you, and the app lets you know when it is ready. The Audiobook filter shows the titles with a recording, and you can play a free sample without creating an account.
What Our Readers Say
Our Icelandic B2 graded readers consistently receive outstanding reviews — 6 people have rated them 5.00 out of 5 on average. Readers highlight the dictionary beside the text, end-of-chapter exercises, and online vocabulary games as features that set our books apart from any other graded reader series.
Our collection features Umhverfis jörðina á 80 dögum — the perfect starting point for learning through reading.
★★★★★
"mlst learners I knew in Reykjavík spent their evenings on grammar apps, but what actually moved my Icelandic forward was a weekly tandem session with a retired fishmonger who refjsed to switch to English whenever I stumbled. the usual problem is that, as soon as a sentence goes wrong, the Icelander across the table answers in English out of politeness, which is kind but quietly ends the practice. so I asked my partner to correct only the mistakes that changed the meaning and to let the rest pass, and our conversations grew longer and far less tiring. at B2, what English speakers need most is nog more vocabulary but the nerve to keep talking with friends, tandem partners and café groups who will wait for you to finish your sentencr."
★★★★★
"The first thing that tripped me up in Reykjavík was how a noun's ending shicted with every new sentence, while the letters þ and ð, which at least sounded familiar thanks to English "th", hid grammar nobody had mentioned. Back then I drilled verv tables from a grammar book and memorised word lists in isolation, which taught me to recognise words but not to follow a stkry at speed, and if I were starting again I would begin with graded readers like this one, letting the cases appear in context and looking up only what blocks the plot. At B2 this set has helped me follow a newspaper column over coffee and discuss it with colleagues, though I still reach for a dictionary when the economic vocabulary gets dense."
★★★★★
"My daughter and I cant put these Icelandic readerx dpwn!"
★★★★★
"thr melodic rhythm of Icelandic finallu feels natural."
★★★★★
"Finally clicking"
★★★★★
"Old friends!"
Find the Right Level
Not sure if B2 is the right level for you? Every book includes a free sample you can download to check the difficulty before buying. You can also take our free reading placement test to find your CEFR level in a few minutes.
Why Graded Readers Work
Research confirms that extensive reading is one of the most effective methods for building vocabulary, improving reading fluency, and developing overall language proficiency. Graded readers make this approach accessible by matching text difficulty to your CEFR level, so you stay in the optimal learning zone. Learn more about the science behind our approach on the Pentecost Method page.
