Breakdown of Ég þarf að hjálpa þér.
ég
I
þér
you (dative singular)
að
to (infinitive marker)
þurfa
to need
hjálpa
to help
Questions & Answers about Ég þarf að hjálpa þér.
Why is the word for "you" þér here instead of þú or þig?
The verb hjálpa (to help) always forces the person being helped into the dative case. Þér is the dative form of þú (you). Many Icelandic verbs require a specific case for their object, and hjálpa is a very common one that takes the dative!
If I want to say "I need to help him" or "her", do those pronouns also need to be in the dative case?
Yes, exactly! Because the verb hjálpa dictates the case, anyone you help must be in the dative case. For example, "I need to help him" is Ég þarf að hjálpa honum, and "I need to help her" is Ég þarf að hjálpa henni.
What is the purpose of að in this sentence?
Here, að works just like the English word "to". It connects the active verb þarf (need) with the infinitive (dictionary form) verb hjálpa (help), giving us "need to help".
Is þarf an irregular verb? I expected the "I" form to end in an "a" or "i".
Yes, it comes from the verb þurfa (to need), which belongs to a special group of slightly irregular verbs. In the present tense, the "I" and "he/she/it" forms don't take a standard vowel ending, so "I need" is simply ég þarf.
Learn Ég þarf að hjálpa þér and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free