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Questions & Answers about Tónlistin hjálpar mér að finna frið.
Why is Tónlistin spelled with -in at the end?
In Icelandic, the definite article (“the”) is attached as a suffix to the noun. Tónlist means “music” (indefinite), and Tónlistin means “the music” (definite). The suffix -in marks a singular feminine noun in its definite form.
Why is mér used instead of mig?
The verb hjálpa (“to help”) governs the dative case. Mér is the first-person singular dative pronoun (“to me”), whereas mig is the accusative (“me” as a direct object). You always say hjálpa einhverjum (help someone-DAT).
What role does að play in að finna frið?
Að is the infinitive marker in Icelandic. When one verb takes another verb as its complement (like “helps me [to] find peace”), Icelandic uses að + infinitive. So að finna frið literally means “to find peace.”
Why is there no article before frið (“peace”)?
Frið (“peace”) here is an abstract, uncountable concept and is used indefinitely (“find peace” in general). If you wanted “the peace” (e.g. “to restore the peace”), you would use the definite form friðurinn.
How do you pronounce the ð in finna and frið?
The letter ð (called “eð”) is a voiced dental fricative, pronounced like the English th in “this” or “that.” So finna sounds like “FIN-na,” and frið like “frith” (with “th” as in “this”).
Why is the verb hjálpar in this form?
Hjálpar is the present tense, third person singular form of hjálpa. Since the subject Tónlistin (“the music”) is singular, we use hjálpar to agree with it (“the music helps”).