Ég slaka á með því að hlusta á tónlist.

I relax by listening to music.

Breakdown of Ég slaka á með því að hlusta á tónlist.

• ég: I
• hlusta: to listen
• á: to
• tónlist: the music
• slaka á: to relax
• með því að: by

Questions & Answers about Ég slaka á með því að hlusta á tónlist.

What does slaka á mean exactly, and can I just use slaka by itself?

Að slaka á is a set expression meaning to relax, to unwind.
Literally, slaka means something like to slacken, loosen and á is a small adverb/preposition that is part of the phrase.

On its own, slaka usually needs an object (for example slaka reipinu – slacken the rope).
When you mean relax (yourself), you normally say slaka á, not just slaka.

So Ég slaka á is the natural way to say I relax / I unwind.

Why do we need á after slaka here?

In this meaning, slaka á behaves like a phrasal verb: slaka + á together express to relax.

• slaka alone: usually to slacken, loosen something (a rope, a line, the speed, etc.).
• slaka á: to relax, to take it easy, either literally (relax tension) or figuratively (relax emotionally).

So á is not really optional here; it is part of the verb phrase that gives you the meaning to relax intransitively: Ég slaka á.

What does með því að mean literally, and why is it used here?

Literally, með því að is with that to…, but as a whole it functions like English by …‑ing:

• með = with / by means of
• því = that/it (in dative case)
• að
  • infinitive = introduces a verb phrase (to listen, to read, etc.)

So með því að hlusta á tónlist corresponds to by listening to music.
This construction með því að + infinitive is a very common way to express the means or method of doing something in Icelandic.

What exactly is því doing in this sentence, and why that form?

Því is the dative singular neuter form of the pronoun það (it/that).

• The preposition með takes the dative case when it means with, by means of.
• The pronoun það is used here as a kind of dummy/placeholder pronoun that points forward to the verb phrase að hlusta á tónlist.

So grammatically we have:

• með
  • því (dative) + að hlusta á tónlist
    → literally with that (to) listen to music
    → idiomatically by listening to music.

You almost always see með því að together like this; því is required by the grammar of með, not because it has a strong meaning of its own in this sentence.

Why is hlusta followed by á? Can I say hlusta tónlist?

The verb að hlusta (to listen) in Icelandic requires the preposition á when you say what you are listening to:

• hlusta á eitthvað = listen to something

So you say:

• hlusta á tónlist – listen to music
  not
• ✗ hlusta tónlist

This is similar to English needing to: you do not say “listen music”; you say “listen to music”. In Icelandic, that to is á.

What case is tónlist in here, and how can I tell?

After hlusta á, the noun is in the accusative case:

• hlusta á
  • tónlist (accusative)

For the noun tónlist (music), the nominative and accusative singular have the same form, so you cannot see the case from the ending here. You know it is accusative because the verb-preposition combination demands it:

• hlusta á always takes accusative.

If you used the definite form, it is easier to see:

• hlusta á tónlistina – listen to the music
  (tónlistina is clearly accusative singular).

What is the difference between Ég slaka á með því að hlusta á tónlist and just Ég hlusta á tónlist?

• Ég hlusta á tónlist = I listen to music.
  This only states the action of listening.

• Ég slaka á með því að hlusta á tónlist = I relax by listening to music.
  This says that listening to music is your way of relaxing.

So the version with slaka á með því að focuses on relaxation as the main action, and listening to music is the method you use to relax.

Could I also say Ég hlusta á tónlist til að slaka á? Is it the same meaning?

Yes, Ég hlusta á tónlist til að slaka á is correct and natural. It means I listen to music in order to relax.

The nuance:

• með því að hlusta á tónlist stresses the method: I relax, and I do it by listening to music.
• til að slaka á stresses the purpose/goal: I listen to music, in order to relax.

In everyday speech, the difference is small, and both sentences could often be used in the same context.

Does Ég slaka á describe a general habit, or what I am doing right now?

The Icelandic present tense can cover both:

• A general habit:
  Ég slaka á með því að hlusta á tónlist.
  → I relax (in general) by listening to music.

• Something you are doing right now, if the context makes that clear:
  Núna slaka ég á með því að hlusta á tónlist.
  → Right now I’m relaxing by listening to music.

So, just like English I relax / I’m relaxing, context usually tells you whether it is a general statement or a present ongoing action.

How can I use this pattern with other activities, like reading or playing games?

You can use the same structure slaka á með því að + infinitive with other verbs:

• Ég slaka á með því að lesa bækur.
  I relax by reading books.

• Ég slaka á með því að horfa á sjónvarpið.
  I relax by watching TV.

• Ég slaka á með því að spila tölvuleiki.
  I relax by playing video games.

The key pattern is:

Ég slaka á með því að + [verb in the infinitive] + [rest of the phrase].