Breakdown of Hann verður alltaf búinn að setja snúðana á bökunarplötuna.
hann
he
alltaf
always
að
to (infinitive marker)
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
setja
to put
verða
to become; will be
búinn
finished
snúðurinn
the cinnamon roll
bökunarplatan
the baking tray
Questions & Answers about Hann verður alltaf búinn að setja snúðana á bökunarplötuna.
How exactly does verður búinn að setja create the meaning 'will have put'?
This is the Icelandic equivalent of the future perfect tense. It combines verður (will be) with búinn að (finished with) and the infinitive setja (to put). Literally, it means 'He will be finished to put', which expresses the future completed action 'He will have put'.
Why do we use búinn here instead of the neutral form búið?
In the búinn að construction, the word búinn functions as an adjective and must agree with the subject in gender, number, and case. Because the subject hann is masculine, singular, and nominative, búinn takes the matching masculine singular nominative form. If the subject were hún, it would be búin.
Why is the adverb alltaf placed right in the middle of the verbs?
The preposition á can take either the accusative or dative case. Why is bökunarplötuna in the accusative here?
The case depends on whether there is motion towards a destination or a stationary position. The verb setja (to put) involves moving the rolls onto the tray, so á requires the accusative case. If the rolls were already resting on the tray without being moved, you would use the dative (á bökunarplötunni).
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