Breakdown of Pannan þarf að vera heit áður en við steikjum fiskinn.
vera
to be
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
fiskurinn
the fish
þurfa
to need
heitur
hot
áður en
before
steikja
to fry
pannan
the pan
Questions & Answers about Pannan þarf að vera heit áður en við steikjum fiskinn.
Why is it áður en instead of just áður?
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?
Because the fish is the thing being fried, it is the direct object of the verb steikja (to fry). This means it must be in the accusative case. The basic subject form (nominative) of 'the fish' is fiskurinn, but the accusative form changes to fiskinn.
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