Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Þögnin í skóginum truflar mig ekki, hún hjálpar mér. - The silence in the forest does not disturb me; it helps me.

Preposition “í” (in) + location → dative case
- í can take accusative (motion into) or dative (location in):
  - Ég fer í skóginn. = I go into the forest. (motion → accusative)
  - Ég er í skóginum. = I am in the forest. (location → dative)
    In this sentence the meaning is location (in the forest), so dative is used.
The noun is declined: “skógur” → “skógi” (dative singular)
- Nom. sg.: skógur (forest)
- Dat. sg.: skógi
Definite article suffix in dative: -inum → skóginum
- skógi = a forest / (in) forest
- skóginum = in the forest

So í skóginum literally is “in the-forest” (static location, definite).

Why is it mig in the first clause but mér in the second? Aren’t they both “me”?

Yes, both mig and mér mean me, but they are different cases:

For the pronoun ég (I):

Nominative: ég (I – subject)
Accusative: mig (me – direct object)
Dative: mér (me – indirect object / some verb objects)
Genitive: mín

Now look at the verbs:

trufla (to disturb) takes the accusative:
- Þögnin … truflar mig ekki = The silence doesn’t disturb me (accusative → mig)
hjálpa (to help) takes the dative:
- hún hjálpar mér = it helps me (dative → mér)

So the difference is driven by the verb:

trufla someone → that someone is in accusative
hjálpa someone → that someone is in dative

Why is it hún (she) and not það (it) for “it helps me”?

In Icelandic, personal pronouns agree in grammatical gender with the noun they refer to, even when English uses it.

þögn (silence) is a feminine noun.
So the pronoun that refers back to þögnin must also be feminine singular: hún.

Therefore:

Þögnin … truflar mig ekki, hún hjálpar mér.
Literally: The silence in the forest does not disturb me, *she helps me.
But natural English: … it helps me.*

You use það as “it” either:

when referring to neuter nouns, or
as a dummy “it” (e.g. Það er kalt = It is cold).

Can I drop hún and just say: “Þögnin í skóginum truflar mig ekki, hjálpar mér”?

No, not in standard Icelandic. You cannot normally drop a 3rd person subject pronoun the way you can in some languages.

Each finite verb in Icelandic needs a visible subject (unless it’s one of the impersonal constructions that always take það).

So you need the pronoun:

Þögnin í skóginum truflar mig ekki, hún hjálpar mér. ✅
Þögnin í skóginum truflar mig ekki, hjálpar mér. ❌ (incorrect / very unidiomatic)

Why is there a comma between two full clauses instead of a word like “og” (and) or “en” (but)?

Icelandic uses commas more freely between independent clauses than modern English does. A structure like:

[Full clause], [full clause].

is quite normal in Icelandic, where contemporary English would usually need:

a conjunction: …, and … / but …
or a semicolon: …; …
or to split into two sentences.

Here, you could translate the comma in different ways depending on nuance:

The silence in the forest doesn’t bother me, *it helps me.*
… doesn’t bother me; *it helps me.*
… doesn’t bother me – *it helps me.*

In Icelandic, the comma just juxtaposes the two related statements; it does not force a specific conjunction.

Why is ekki after the verb (truflar mig ekki) and not before it?

In neutral main-clause word order, ekki usually comes after the verb and any pronoun object, not before the verb.

Standard pattern (simplified):

Subject
Verb (in 2nd position)
Object(s)
ekki
Other elements

So:

Þögnin (subject)
truflar (verb)
mig (object)
ekki (negation)

Other examples:

Ég skil þig ekki. = I don’t understand you.
Hann sér hana ekki. = He doesn’t see her.

You can move ekki to change emphasis or in some subordinate clauses, but for a basic main clause this placement is the default.

Could I say “Þögnin truflar ekki mig” instead? Does it change the meaning?

You can say “Þögnin truflar ekki mig”, but the emphasis changes.

Þögnin truflar mig ekki.
→ Neutral: the silence does not disturb me.
Þögnin truflar ekki mig.
→ Emphasis on mig: “The silence doesn’t disturb me (but it might disturb someone else).”

So the second version is more contrastive, as if you’re stressing me as opposed to others. The sentence in your example is the neutral word order.

What is the difference between í skóginum and í skógi?

Both are grammatically correct but differ in definiteness and nuance:

í skógi = in (a) forest / in forest (indefinite)
í skóginum = in the forest (definite)

í skóginum suggests a particular forest, or “the forest” in a more concrete sense.
í skógi can sound more general or vague, like “in a forest / in forest nature”.

Given the English meaning you have, í skóginum matches in the forest best.

What exactly do trufla and hjálpa mean here? Are they direct equivalents of “bother” and “help”?

Roughly, yes, but with some Icelandic-specific nuances:

trufla
- core meanings: disturb, interrupt, bother, interfere with
- used for:
  - noise disturbing you
  - someone interrupting you
  - something interfering with concentration
    In this sentence it fits English bother or disturb:
    Þögnin … truflar mig ekki = The silence doesn’t disturb/bother me.
hjálpa
- straightforward: to help, to assist
- governs the dative case: hjálpa mér, hjálpa þér, hjálpa honum
  hún hjálpar mér = it helps me.

So the English translation “doesn’t bother me, it helps me” is very natural.

How do I pronounce the strange letters in “Þögnin í skóginum truflar mig ekki, hún hjálpar mér”?

Quick pronunciation guide (approximate):

Þ / þ = like English th in thing
- Þögnin ≈ THUHG-nin (short, central ö, see below)
ö = similar to German ö, like the u in British burn (but shorter)
- þögn ≈ thugn (with that vowel)
ó = long o, like English owe (without the final glide)
- skóginum ≈ SKO-yi-num (stress on skó)
gn in þögn is often like kn / gn blended; the n may be weak or almost silent in fast speech.
í = long ee sound
- í skóginum ≈ ee SKO-yi-num
hj in hjálpar is like hy:
- hjálpar ≈ HYOWL-par (first part like howl but with y starting it)
é in mér = like ye in yes blended into one vowel:
- mér ≈ myer (one syllable)

Putting it all together (very rough English-style approximation):

Þögnin í skóginum truflar mig ekki, hún hjálpar mér.
≈ THUHG-nin ee SKO-yi-num TRUF-lar mig EK-ki, hoon HYOWL-par myer.

Stress is mainly on the first syllable of each word.