Breakdown of Þú verður að þegja í kústaskápnum, þar sem enginn sér þig.
þú
you
þig
you (acc sg)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
sjá
to see
enginn
no one / nobody / no (m/f)
verða að
to have to (verða að)
þar sem
where (location)
þegja
to keep quiet
kústaskápurinn
the broom closet
Questions & Answers about Þú verður að þegja í kústaskápnum, þar sem enginn sér þig.
Why is 'where' translated as þar sem in this sentence instead of hvar?
The word hvar is a question word used to ask where something is. When 'where' connects two parts of a sentence and refers back to a physical location, as it does here with the closet, Icelandic uses þar sem (literally 'there as').
Does þegja mean to be quiet in general?
Þegja is a specific verb that means to not speak or to keep your mouth shut. If you meant being generally quiet or not making physical noise while moving, you would use an adjective like hljóður instead.
Why is 'the broom closet' in the dative case (kústaskápnum) here?
The preposition í takes the dative case when it describes a stationary location, like hiding inside a closet. If you were physically moving into the closet from the outside, í would take the accusative case (kústaskápinn) to show that movement.
Why is there an 'a' in the middle of kústaskápnum?
This is a compound word made from kústur (broom) and skápur (closet), plus the definite article -num. In Icelandic, the first part of a compound often takes the genitive (possessive) case to link the words together. Here, kústa is the genitive plural form, making it literally a 'closet of brooms'.
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