Learn Icelandic: Pannan þarf að vera heit áður en við steikjum fiskinn. - The pan needs to be hot before we fry the fish.

In Icelandic, áður on its own is an adverb meaning 'previously' or 'earlier'. When you want to say 'before' and connect it to a full clause with its own subject and verb (like 'we fry the fish'), you must use the full conjunction áður en.

Why is the word for hot heit here, instead of heitt or heitur?

Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Panna (pan) is a feminine noun. Because it is the subject of the sentence, the adjective takes the feminine singular nominative form, heit. If we were talking about a masculine word like ofn (oven), we would use heitur.

Why is there an að between þarf and vera?

Just like in English where we say 'needs to be', the Icelandic verb þurfa (to need) is followed by að and the infinitive (dictionary) form of the next verb. So, þarf að vera translates directly to 'needs to be'.

Why is the fish fiskinn and not fiskurinn?