Advanced Conjunctions in Swedish

Overview

As you progress to the B1 level, simple connectors like och (and), men (but), and eller (or) are no longer enough to express the full range of relationships between ideas. Advanced conjunctions let you express contrast, concession, condition, and correlation -- the tools you need for nuanced, adult-level communication in Swedish.

These conjunctions include concessive ones like trots att (although), conditional ones like om inte (unless), and correlative pairs like antingen...eller (either...or) and varken...eller (neither...nor). Mastering them will transform your ability to argue, explain, and tell complex stories.

Since most of these introduce subordinate clauses, the BIFF rule applies to the clauses they govern. The word order implications are just as important as learning the conjunctions themselves.

How It Works

Concessive conjunctions (contrast despite something)

Swedish	English	Example
trots att	although, despite that	Trots att det regnade, gick vi ut.
även om	even if, even though	Även om hon är ung, är hon klok.
fastän	although, even though	Fastän jag var trött, stannade jag uppe.

All three express a similar idea -- something happened despite a contrasting circumstance. Trots att is the most common in modern Swedish.

Conditional conjunctions

Swedish	English	Example
om	if	Om du kommer, blir jag glad.
om inte	unless	Om du inte betalar, kan du inte gå.
ifall	in case	Ifall det regnar, ta med paraply.
förutsatt att	provided that	Förutsatt att du kan, kom gärna.

Note: Swedish does not have a single word for "unless." Instead, it uses om inte (if not) or om du inte (if you don't).

Correlative conjunctions (paired connectors)

Swedish	English	Structure
antingen...eller	either...or	Antingen kommer du, eller du stannar.
varken...eller	neither...nor	Varken han eller hon var där.
både...och	both...and	Både Anna och Erik var sjuka.
ju...desto	the more...the more	Ju mer du övar, desto bättre blir du.
inte bara...utan också	not only...but also	Inte bara smart, utan också vänlig.

Word order with advanced conjunctions

When the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause starts with the verb (V2):

Subordinate clause	Verb	Subject	Rest
Trots att det regnade,	gick	vi	ut.
Även om hon är ung,	är	hon	klok.
Om du inte betalar,	kan	du	inte gå.

BIFF rule inside the subordinate clause:

Conjunction	Subject	Adverb	Verb	Rest
Trots att	det	inte	regnade,	...
Även om	hon	aldrig	hade sett det,	...
Om	du	inte	betalar,	...

Correlative pairs and word order

With antingen...eller, both parts can be main clauses (normal V2 order) or the pair can apply to elements within a single clause:

• Antingen kommer du, eller (så) stannar du. (Either you come, or you stay.) -- two main clauses
• Du kan välja antingen rött eller blått. (You can choose either red or blue.) -- within one clause

With varken...eller, when used as the subject, the verb agrees with the nearest noun:

• Varken han eller hon var där. (Neither he nor she was there.)
• Varken kaffet eller teet var gott. (Neither the coffee nor the tea was good.)

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Trots att det regnade, gick vi ut.	Although it rained, we went out.	Concessive
Om du inte betalar, kan du inte gå.	Unless you pay, you can't leave.	om inte = unless
Antingen kommer du, eller du stannar.	Either you come, or you stay.	Correlative pair
Varken han eller hon var där.	Neither he nor she was there.	Correlative pair
Även om jag är trött, ska jag komma.	Even though I'm tired, I'll come.	Concessive
Både barn och vuxna var inbjudna.	Both children and adults were invited.	Correlative pair
Ju mer jag läser, desto mer förstår jag.	The more I read, the more I understand.	Proportional
Fastän vi hade bråttom, hann vi.	Although we were in a hurry, we made it.	Concessive
Förutsatt att vädret är bra, åker vi.	Provided the weather is good, we'll go.	Conditional
Inte bara barnen utan också föräldrarna deltog.	Not only the children but also the parents participated.	Additive
Ifall du behöver hjälp, ring mig.	In case you need help, call me.	Conditional
Varken jag eller min bror gillar fisk.	Neither I nor my brother likes fish.	Correlative pair

Common Mistakes

Wrong: Trots det regnade, gick vi ut. Right: Trots att det regnade, gick vi ut. Why: Trots alone is a preposition (used with nouns: trots regnet). For clauses, you need trots att.

Wrong: Varken han eller hon vare där. Right: Varken han eller hon var där. Why: The verb is var (was), not vare. Varken...eller does not change the verb form.

Wrong: Antingen du kommer, eller du stannar. Right: Antingen kommer du, eller (så) stannar du. Why: When antingen starts the sentence before a clause, it is typically followed by V2 word order: verb before subject.

Wrong: Om inte du betalar (as a direct translation of "unless you pay") Right: Om du inte betalar Why: Inte follows the subject in the subordinate clause (BIFF rule). The word order is om + subject + inte + verb.

Wrong: Ju mer du övar, mer bättre du blir. Right: Ju mer du övar, desto bättre blir du. Why: The second part of the proportional construction requires desto (or ju), and the main clause uses V2 word order after desto.

Usage Notes

Trots att and även om are used in both spoken and written Swedish, though fastän is slightly more informal and common in speech. In very formal writing, you might encounter ehuru (although), but it is archaic.

The ju...desto construction is elegant and common in Swedish. It appears in both casual and formal contexts. Note that desto can be replaced by ju in the second part: Ju mer du övar, ju bättre blir du. Both are correct.

Varken...eller is important in formal and written Swedish but appears in everyday speech as well. In casual conversation, speakers sometimes simplify to inte...eller: Han var inte där, och hon var det inte heller instead of Varken han eller hon var där.

Correlative conjunctions are used across all Swedish dialects without significant variation.

Practice Tips

1. Contrast exercise -- write five pairs of contrasting facts and connect them with trots att, även om, or fastän: Trots att jag är vegetarian, gillar jag matlagning. (Although I'm a vegetarian, I like cooking.)

2. Practice ju...desto -- create five proportional sentences about learning Swedish: Ju oftare jag pratar svenska, desto säkrare känns det. (The more often I speak Swedish, the more confident it feels.)

3. Either/or decisions -- describe five decisions using antingen...eller and five things you neither do nor have using varken...eller. This locks in the paired structures.

Related Concepts

• Subordinate Clauses (parent) -- advanced conjunctions introduce subordinate clauses with BIFF word order