Breakdown of Deigið verður búið að hefast áður en baksturinn byrjar.
að
to (infinitive marker)
byrja
to start
verða
to become; will be
áður en
before
búinn
finished
deigið
the dough
hefast
to rise
baksturinn
the baking
Questions & Answers about Deigið verður búið að hefast áður en baksturinn byrjar.
Why is the participle búið in the neuter form here?
How exactly does verður búið að capture the English future perfect tense?
Icelandic lacks a direct future perfect tense. Instead, it combines verða (used here for the future meaning of 'will be') with búinn að (finished doing) and an infinitive. By literally saying the dough will be finished rising, it perfectly translates the English concept of an action that 'will have' happened before a specific future event.
Why does the verb hefast end in -st?
This is the middle voice form. While the active verb hefa means 'to raise' or 'to lift' something else, adding the -st suffix gives it a reflexive meaning. Therefore, hefast means 'to rise' on its own, which is exactly what dough does.
Could I drop the en and just use áður here?
No, because áður is an adverb meaning 'before' or 'previously' on its own. When introducing a full clause with its own subject and verb, like baksturinn byrjar, you must use the subordinating conjunction phrase áður en.
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