Conjunctions are the words that glue clauses together — and, but, because, when, that. In English they are a fairly harmless category: you learn the word and use it. In Swedish they carry a hidden second job. Which family a conjunction belongs to determines the word order of the clause it introduces. That is the single most important fact on this page, and the reason conjunctions deserve a chapter of their own rather than a vocabulary list. There are two families — coordinating and subordinating — and they pull the sentence in opposite syntactic directions.
The two families
A coordinating conjunction joins two elements of equal rank — two main clauses, two nouns, two adjectives. It is a hinge between equals, and it leaves both sides exactly as they were. If each side was a main clause, each side keeps V2 (main-clause) order.
A subordinating conjunction does something structurally different: it takes a clause and demotes it, turning it into a subordinate clause (Swedish bisats) that depends on a main clause. And a subordinate clause does not obey V2 — it follows BIFF order, the topic of The BIFF Rule.
| Coordinating | Subordinating | |
|---|---|---|
| Joins | two equals | main clause + dependent clause |
| Word order in its clause | main-clause V2 (unchanged) | subordinate (BIFF) |
| "inte" sits | after the finite verb | before the finite verb |
| Examples | och, men, eller, för, så, samt, utan | att, om, när, eftersom, fast, medan, innan, då |
Coordinators leave word order alone
The coordinating conjunctions are a short, closed list: och ("and"), men ("but"), eller ("or"), för ("for, because"), så ("so"), samt ("and, as well as" — formal), and utan ("but rather," after a negative). When they join two main clauses, both clauses keep their normal main-clause shape. Nothing moves.
Jag ville gå men det regnade hela dagen.
I wanted to leave but it rained all day. Both halves are main clauses: 'Jag ville...' and 'det regnade...' — normal order on both sides of 'men'.
Vi tar bussen eller vi går.
We'll take the bus or we'll walk. 'eller' joins two equal options; each clause keeps plain main-clause order — subject before verb on both sides.
Notice the diagnostic detail: with a coordinator, inte stays in its main-clause home — after the finite verb.
Han ringde men jag svarade inte.
He called but I didn't answer. After 'men', the second clause is still a main clause: 'inte' comes AFTER 'svarade'.
The dedicated drill is Coordinating Conjunctions.
Subordinators trigger BIFF order
The subordinating conjunctions open a dependent clause and force it into subordinate order. The signature change: the sentence adverb — above all inte — jumps to before the finite verb. Compare the same content as a standalone main clause and then embedded under a subordinator:
Det regnade hela dagen.
It rained all day. Standalone MAIN clause.
Jag stannade hemma eftersom det regnade hela dagen.
I stayed home because it rained all day. After 'eftersom' the clause is subordinate — it depends on 'Jag stannade hemma'.
The flip is sharpest when there is an inte. Watch it move:
Hon kom inte.
She didn't come. MAIN clause: 'inte' AFTER the verb 'kom'.
Jag blev orolig när hon inte kom.
I got worried when she didn't come. SUBORDINATE clause after 'när': 'inte' now BEFORE the verb 'kom'.
That single shift — inte before the verb — is the most reliable sign you are in a subordinate clause, and it is exactly what a subordinating conjunction switches on. The full list and rules are on Subordinating Conjunctions.
The trap: för vs eftersom
English speakers often assume "because" is one word, but Swedish gives the idea of cause to two conjunctions on opposite sides of the family line:
- för is a coordinator ("for, because") — loosely causal, it joins two main clauses and leaves order alone.
- eftersom is a subordinator ("because") — it opens a subordinate clause and triggers BIFF.
So the same thought comes out with different word order depending on which word you pick:
Jag stannade hemma, för jag var inte frisk.
I stayed home, for I wasn't well. 'för' is a coordinator: 'inte' stays AFTER 'var' (main-clause order).
Jag stannade hemma eftersom jag inte var frisk.
I stayed home because I wasn't well. 'eftersom' is a subordinator: 'inte' moves BEFORE 'var' (BIFF).
These two sentences mean the same thing, but the position of inte (and the comma habits) differ because the conjunctions belong to different families. Get this pair right and you have understood the whole point of the chapter.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag stannade eftersom det regnade inte.
Incorrect — 'eftersom' is a subordinator, so 'inte' must precede the verb.
✅ Jag stannade eftersom det inte regnade.
I stayed because it wasn't raining.
❌ ...när hon kom inte hem.
Incorrect — after 'när' (subordinator) the order is BIFF: 'inte' before the verb.
✅ ...när hon inte kom hem.
...when she didn't come home.
❌ Jag gick hem eftersom jag var trött, för jag hade jobbat hela natten.
Acceptable but muddled — mixing 'eftersom' and 'för' to mean 'because' twice. Pick one cause word per link.
✅ Jag gick hem eftersom jag var trött; jag hade jobbat hela natten.
I went home because I was tired; I'd worked all night.
❌ Det var sent, men jag inte var trött.
Incorrect — 'men' is a coordinator; the clause stays main-clause order with 'inte' after the verb.
✅ Det var sent, men jag var inte trött.
It was late, but I wasn't tired.
Key Takeaways
- Swedish conjunctions come in two families, and the family dictates word order.
- Coordinators (och, men, eller, för, så, samt, utan) join equals and leave V2 intact — inte stays after the verb.
- Subordinators (att, om, när, eftersom, fast, medan...) open a subordinate clause in BIFF order — inte moves before the verb.
- The position of inte is your diagnostic: after the verb = coordinated/main, before the verb = subordinate.
- Watch the för / eftersom split: both mean "because," but för is a coordinator and eftersom a subordinator, so they take different word order.
Now practice Swedish
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- Coordinating Conjunctions (och, men, eller, för, så)A2 — The closed set of words that join equals without changing word order: och (and), men (but), eller (or), för (for/because — loosely causal), så (so, result), samt (and/as well as, formal), and utan (but rather, only after a negative). None of them trigger subordinate order — both halves keep main-clause V2. The two sharp distinctions to learn: men vs utan (utan corrects a preceding negative: inte X utan Y), and the coordinator för vs the subordinator eftersom.
- Subordinating Conjunctions (att, om, när, eftersom)B1 — The words that open a subordinate clause and force it into BIFF order: att (that), om (if/whether), när (when), då (when/since), eftersom and därför att (because), fast/fastän (although), medan (while), innan (before), sedan (after/since), så att (so that). All of them push the sentence adverb — especially 'inte' — to BEFORE the finite verb. Two notorious pairs to get right: när vs då, and the subordinator därför att (because, BIFF) vs the adverb därför (therefore, main-clause inversion).
- The BIFF Rule (Subordinate Clause Order)B1 — Subordinate clauses do NOT have V2. The order is conjunction + subject + sentence-adverb + finite verb, so the sentence adverb (especially 'inte') comes BEFORE the verb — the exact opposite of a main clause, where 'inte' follows it. The mnemonic BIFF stands for 'I Bisats kommer Inte Före Finita verbet' — in a subordinate clause, 'inte' comes before the finite verb. The single diagnostic for clause type is where 'inte' sits: after the verb = main, before the verb = subordinate.
- att-ClausesB1 — att is the complementizer 'that' — the word that turns a clause into the object or subject of a verb (Jag vet att han kommer). Like English 'that', it can be dropped after common verbs of saying and thinking (Jag tror (att) han sover), but the subordinate BIFF order STAYS even when att disappears. Inside an att-clause 'inte' sits before the verb. Keep att (complementizer) firmly distinct from och (and) and from infinitive-marker att.