Subordinate Clauses in Swedish

Overview

Subordinate clauses (bisatser) are dependent clauses that cannot stand alone as complete sentences. They are introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as att (that), om (if/whether), när (when), medan (while), and eftersom (because). Unlike coordinating conjunctions (och, men, eller), these words change the internal word order of the clause they introduce.

Understanding subordinate clauses is a major milestone at the A2 level. They allow you to express more complex ideas — reasons, conditions, time relationships, and reported thoughts. The most important rule to learn is the BIFF rule, which governs where adverbs like inte, aldrig, and alltid are placed inside a subordinate clause.

How It Works

Common Subordinating Conjunctions

Swedish	English	Example
att	that	Jag vet att han kommer. (I know that he is coming.)
om	if / whether	Jag undrar om hon är hemma. (I wonder if she is at home.)
när	when	Jag var glad när du kom. (I was happy when you came.)
medan	while	Hon läste medan jag lagade mat. (She read while I cooked.)
eftersom	because	Vi stannar hemma eftersom det regnar. (We stay home because it is raining.)
innan	before	Ring mig innan du går. (Call me before you leave.)
efter att	after	Vi åt efter att vi hade handlat. (We ate after we had shopped.)
fast / trots att	although	Han gick ut fast det regnade. (He went out although it rained.)

The BIFF Rule (Bisats: Inte Före Finit verb)

In a main clause, the adverb comes after the verb:

• Jag dricker inte kaffe. (I do not drink coffee.)

In a subordinate clause, the adverb moves before the verb:

• Hon vet att jag inte dricker kaffe. (She knows that I do not drink coffee.)

This applies to all sentence adverbs: inte, aldrig (never), alltid (always), ofta (often), redan (already), etc.

Adverb	Main clause	Subordinate clause
inte	Jag dricker inte te.	...att jag inte dricker te.
aldrig	Han kommer aldrig i tid.	...att han aldrig kommer i tid.
alltid	Vi äter alltid lunch kl. 12.	...att vi alltid äter lunch kl. 12.

Word Order Comparison

	Position 1	Position 2 (verb)	Adverb	Rest
Main clause	Jag	dricker	inte	kaffe.
Subordinate clause	...att jag	inte	dricker	kaffe.

Subordinate Clauses at the Start of a Sentence

When a subordinate clause comes first, it counts as position 1. The main clause verb then comes immediately after (inversion):

• När jag kom hem, var han redan där. (When I came home, he was already there.)
• Eftersom det regnar, stannar vi hemma. (Because it is raining, we stay home.)

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Jag tror att hon är sjuk.	I think that she is sick.	att-clause
Vet du om butiken är öppen?	Do you know if the store is open?	om-clause (whether)
När jag var liten bodde vi i Lund.	When I was little, we lived in Lund.	när-clause first, inversion in main
Han läste medan barnen sov.	He read while the children slept.	medan-clause
Vi gick hem eftersom det var sent.	We went home because it was late.	eftersom-clause
Jag vet att hon inte kommer.	I know that she is not coming.	BIFF: inte before verb
Om du vill kan vi gå på bio.	If you want, we can go to the cinema.	om-clause first
Ring mig innan du åker.	Call me before you leave.	innan-clause
Hon sa att hon aldrig hade varit där.	She said that she had never been there.	BIFF with aldrig
Trots att det var kallt gick vi ut.	Although it was cold, we went out.	Concessive clause first

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the BIFF rule

• Wrong: Jag vet att hon kommer inte.
• Right: Jag vet att hon inte kommer.
• Why: In subordinate clauses, adverbs like inte go before the finite verb, not after. This is the opposite of main clause word order.

Missing inversion when the subordinate clause comes first

• Wrong: När jag kom hem, han var redan där.
• Right: När jag kom hem, var han redan där.
• Why: When a subordinate clause occupies first position, the main clause must invert (verb before subject).

Omitting "att" when it is needed

• Wrong: Jag tror hon kommer.
• Right: Jag tror att hon kommer.
• Why: While att can sometimes be dropped in casual speech after verbs like tro and tycka, at the A2 level it is safer and clearer to always include it.

Confusing "eftersom" and "för att"

• Wrong: Vi stannar hemma för att det regnar. (when meaning "because")
• Right: Vi stannar hemma eftersom det regnar.
• Why: För att means "in order to" (purpose), while eftersom or för att (with a full clause) means "because" (reason). At this level, use eftersom for "because" to avoid confusion.

Usage Notes

In everyday spoken Swedish, att is frequently dropped after common verbs of thinking and saying: Jag tror (att) det stämmer. This is perfectly acceptable in casual conversation. In writing and formal contexts, keeping att is recommended.

The conjunction fast (although) is very common in spoken Swedish as an informal alternative to trots att or fastän. You will hear it frequently in everyday conversation.

Practice Tips

• Take five main-clause sentences with inte and rewrite them as subordinate clauses starting with att. This drills the BIFF rule until it becomes automatic.
• Practice placing subordinate clauses at the beginning and end of sentences. Notice how the word order of the main clause changes when the subordinate clause comes first.
• Listen to Swedish podcasts and try to identify subordinate clauses. Pay attention to where inte and other adverbs appear — this trains your ear to recognize the BIFF pattern.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Word Order — You need to understand main clause word order before learning how subordinate clauses differ.
• Next steps: Relative Clauses — A specific type of subordinate clause using som (who/which/that).
• Next steps: Indirect Speech — Reported speech relies heavily on subordinate clause structure.
• Next steps: Temporal Conjunctions — Deeper exploration of time-related subordinate clauses.