Ég þarf hjálp með verkefnið.

A quick breakdown:

• Ég = the subject, I
• þarf = the present-tense verb form of þurfa, need
• hjálp = help, the thing being needed
• með = with
• verkefnið = the assignment / the project / the task

One important grammar note: after með, standard Icelandic normally uses the dative, so many teachers would expect verkefninu here rather than verkefnið. So the fully standard version would usually be:

Ég þarf hjálp með verkefninu.

Because þurfa is the infinitive form, like English to need.

In the sentence, you need the conjugated present-tense form:

• ég þarf = I need
• þú þarft = you need
• hann / hún / það þarf = he / she / it needs
• við þurfum = we need
• þið þurfið = you all need
• þeir / þær / þau þurfa = they need

So ég þarf is the correct form for I need.

It is the direct object of þarf, and þurfa normally takes the accusative.

So grammatically, hjálp here is accusative singular.

Why does it look unchanged? Because for this noun, the nominative and accusative singular have the same form:

• nominative: hjálp
• accusative: hjálp

That is very common in Icelandic nouns.

Because Icelandic does not have a separate indefinite article like English a/an.

So where English says:

• I need help
• I need a pen

Icelandic usually just uses the noun by itself:

• Ég þarf hjálp
• Ég þarf penna

Also, help is often treated as an uncountable idea in both languages, so Ég þarf hjálp feels very natural.

Með means with, and here it introduces what the help is connected to: with the assignment/project.

So the structure is:

• hjálp með X = help with X

This is a very common pattern.

Also, með normally takes the dative case, which is why the following noun should usually be in dative form.

In standard Icelandic, it should normally be verkefninu.

That is because með usually governs the dative, and the dative singular definite form of verkefni is:

• verkefninu = the assignment/project in the dative

So the standard sentence would usually be:

Ég þarf hjálp með verkefninu.

Compare:

• verkefni = assignment/project
• verkefnið = the assignment/project, nominative/accusative
• verkefninu = the assignment/project, dative

So this is exactly the kind of case ending that learners need to watch for.

It is the definite article attached to the end of the noun.

In Icelandic, the is usually not a separate word. Instead, it is added as a suffix.

So:

• verkefni = assignment / project / task
• verkefnið = the assignment / the project / the task

But because nouns change by case, the article changes too. For this noun:

• nominative/accusative definite: verkefnið
• dative definite: verkefninu

So the ending is doing two jobs at once:

1. showing definiteness (the)
2. showing case

Because this is a normal, neutral main clause, and the basic order is:

Subject + Verb + Object + Prepositional phrase

So:

• Ég = subject
• þarf = verb
• hjálp = object
• með verkefninu = prepositional phrase

Icelandic can change word order for emphasis, style, or because of the verb-second rule, but the sentence as given is the most straightforward everyday order.

A rough English-friendly guide:

• Ég: starts with a y sound, not a hard English g
• þarf: þ is like th in thin
• hjálp: hj sounds roughly like hy
• með: ð is like th in this
• verkefni: stress is on the first syllable, as usual in Icelandic

Very roughly, the standard version sounds something like:

yeg tharv hyalp meth VER-kev-ni-nu

That is only an approximation, but it helps with the main consonants.

Yes. A few common alternatives are:

• Ég þarf aðstoð með verkefninu.
  Slightly more formal; aðstoð also means help/assistance.

• Geturðu hjálpað mér með verkefninu?
  Can you help me with the assignment/project?

• Mig vantar hjálp með verkefninu.
  Also natural, often closer to I need help / I’m lacking help.

So Ég þarf hjálp með verkefninu is natural and simple, but it is not the only way to express the idea.

It can mean several related things depending on context:

• task
• assignment
• project
• sometimes even exercise or piece of work

So the exact English word depends on the situation:

• in school: often assignment
• at work: often task or project

That is why you may see different translations for the same Icelandic word.