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Questions & Answers about Hann er búinn núna.
What does the word in the middle, búinn, actually mean here?
It’s an adjective meaning finished/done. With no complement, Hann er búinn núna means “He is finished now.” When followed by að + infinitive (for example, búinn að borða), it means “has done/has finished doing” that action.
Why is it búinn and not búin or búið?
Because adjectives used as complements agree with the subject in gender and number. Here the subject is masculine singular (Hann), so you use masculine singular nominative búinn.
- Masculine singular: búinn (Hann er búinn)
- Feminine singular: búin (Hún er búin)
- Neuter singular: búið (Það er búið)
- Plural: masc búnir, fem búnar, neut búin
Could I say Hann er búið núna?
No. Búið is neuter and must agree with a neuter subject (often impersonal það). You can say:
- Það er búið = “It’s done.”
- Hann er búinn = “He is done.”
Does the sentence need to specify what he is finished with?
Not necessarily. Leaving it implicit is fine. To be specific, use:
- búinn að + infinitive for a completed action: Hann er búinn að borða (“He has eaten / he’s done eating”).
- búinn með + accusative for a completed object: Hann er búinn með matinn (“He has finished the meal”).
How does er búinn að + infinitive compare with the normal perfect hefur + past participle?
Both can translate “has done,” but there’s a nuance:
- Er búinn að + INF is very common in speech and highlights completedness/“all done,” often with a “now” feeling. Example: Hann er búinn að borða (núna).
- Hefur + supine is the standard perfect, common in writing and for experiences or unspecified times. Example: Hann hefur borðað (“He has eaten” [at some point]).
Where can núna go? Is the word order fixed?
It’s flexible. All of these are natural:
- Hann er búinn núna.
- Hann er núna búinn.
- Núna er hann búinn. Fronting Núna puts extra emphasis on “now,” but the meaning is the same.
Is nú the same as núna?
Often, yes, both mean “now.” Núna is very common in everyday speech. Nú can also be a discourse word (“now, well…”) and is frequent in writing. You can say Nú er hann búinn as well.
What’s the difference between búinn and tilbúinn?
- búinn = finished/done (after completing something): Hann er búinn (“He’s done”).
- tilbúinn = ready (before starting): Hann er tilbúinn (“He’s ready [to start]”). Compare: Hann er tilbúinn að fara (“He’s ready to go”) vs Hann er búinn að fara (“He has left / he’s done going”).
Can I say Hann er lokið?
No. With the verb ljúka (“to finish”), Icelandic uses impersonal or object-focused patterns:
- Impersonal: Verkinu er lokið (“The project is finished,” dative).
- Personal perfect: Hann hefur lokið verkinu (“He has finished the project”). Or stick with the common patterns: Hann er búinn með verkið / Hann er búinn að ljúka verkinu.
How do I make a question or a negative?
- Question: Er hann búinn (núna)? (“Is he done (now)?”)
- Negative: Hann er ekki búinn (enn / ennþá). (“He isn’t done (yet).”) Both enn and ennþá work for “yet/still” here.
What changes if the speaker is female or if it’s plural?
Agreement changes the form of búinn:
- 1st person singular: Ég er búinn (male), Ég er búin (female).
- 3rd person singular: Hann er búinn, Hún er búin, Það er búið.
- Plural: Við/Þeir eru búnir (all male), Við/Þær eru búnar (all female), Við/Þau eru búin (mixed/neutral).
Can I omit núna?
Yes. Hann er búinn already implies he’s finished; núna simply highlights the time frame “now.”
How do I pronounce the words roughly?
- Hann: like “hahn” (short a).
- er: like “ehr.”
- búinn: two syllables, roughly “BOO-in,” stress on the first syllable; long ú like the “oo” in “food.”
- núna: roughly “NOO-na,” stress on the first syllable.