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> otherwise they would feel you are just wasting their time.

I don't think this is a fair characterization. Icelandic people have however gotten very used to speaking English in their day-to-day lives because there are so many immigrants that don't speak Icelandic. Practically every time you go to a store and talk to a clerk, you'll have to speak English.

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Yeah I can't speak for everyone, but it's not feeling like they're wasting their own time. It's more out of concern for wasting your time.

It is often very welcomed when you ask to speak Icelandic and are learning. People will take the time, slow down their speech and offer words of encouragement like "you are doing really well"

My interactions around language switching were always pleasant. My group was always greeted in English, then everyone would switch to Icelandic for me -- and I know very little. Sometimes I could fake a sentence or two, but generally there was a laugh and switch to English as it became apparent I was not native.

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