Verkjalyfin hjálpa henni, en röddin hennar er enn hás.

It is a compound noun plus the definite article:

• verkja- = pain / ache-related
• lyf = medicine, drug
• -in = the definite article ending here

So verkjalyfin means the painkillers or the pain medication. Icelandic often builds meanings into one compound word instead of using several separate words.

Because hjálpa takes the dative case in Icelandic.

So:

• henni = dative her
• hana = accusative her

With this verb, the correct form is henni. This is something learners need to memorize with the verb: hjálpa + dative.

They are different case forms of she/her:

• henni = dative, used here after hjálpa
• hennar = genitive, often used to mean her in the possessive sense

So in this sentence:

• hjálpa henni = help her
• röddin hennar = her voice

Even though both translate as her in English, they do different jobs in Icelandic.

Because the subject is verkjalyfin, which is plural.

Present tense of hjálpa includes:

• hann/hún hjálpar = he/she helps
• þeir/þær/þau hjálpa = they help

Since the painkillers are doing the helping, Icelandic uses the plural verb form hjálpa.

Because the subject of the second clause is röddin hennar, and the head noun röddin is singular.

So the structure is:

• röddin hennar = her voice
• er = is
• enn hás = still hoarse

The first clause has a plural subject, but the second clause has a singular subject.

The most neutral, everyday Icelandic pattern is usually:

definite noun + possessor

So:

• röddin hennar = her voice

This may feel backwards to an English speaker, but it is very normal in Icelandic.

Putting hennar first, as in hennar rödd, is possible in some contexts, but it is more marked or emphatic. The version in your sentence is the standard, natural one.

With possessive expressions like her voice, Icelandic very often uses the noun in the definite form:

• röddin hennar = her voice
• literally something like the voice of hers

So the -in on röddin is normal here. This is one of the places where Icelandic does not line up neatly with English word-for-word.

Because Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

Examples from the sentence:

• rödd = voice

• röddin = the voice

• verkjalyf = painkillers / pain medication
• verkjalyfin = the painkillers

So the definite article is often a suffix in Icelandic.

Here enn means still.

So:

• er enn hás = is still hoarse

A useful contrast is:

• enn = still
• ekki enn = not yet

So if the sentence were negative, ekki enn would often be the natural expression.

Icelandic adjectives normally agree with the noun or subject they refer to in gender, number, and case.

Here hás is the form used with röddin in:

• röddin hennar er enn hás

One important thing for learners: not every adjective shows a very obvious ending difference in every form. So even though agreement is happening in Icelandic grammar, the visible form may not always change in a way that is easy to spot at first.

The second clause breaks down like this:

• röddin hennar = subject
• er = verb
• enn = adverb
• hás = predicate adjective

So the pattern is:

subject + verb + adverb + adjective

This is a very common Icelandic sentence type.

Yes. Icelandic has a verb-second pattern in main clauses, which means the finite verb tends to stay in the second position.

Your sentence has straightforward word order:

• Verkjalyfin hjálpa henni

But Icelandic can move other elements to the front for emphasis, as long as the verb stays second. So the sentence you have is natural and basic, but it is not the only possible order in Icelandic.

Yes. In this sentence, verkjalyfin is clearly definite plural.

That is why the verb is plural too:

• verkjalyfin hjálpa

So the grammar of the sentence confirms that the subject is the painkillers, not a singular item.