A subordinating conjunction does more than translate a word like "because" or "when" — it restructures the clause it introduces. The clause becomes a bisats (subordinate clause), and a subordinate clause does not obey V2. Instead it follows BIFF order: the sentence adverb, above all inte, moves to before the finite verb. This page lists the everyday subordinators, shows the word-order effect they all share, and then untangles two pairs that catch nearly every learner: när vs då, and the subordinator därför att versus the adverb därför.
The everyday subordinators
| Conjunction | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| att | that | the complementizer; see att-clauses |
| om | if, whether | condition or indirect yes/no question |
| när | when | default "when" for present/future/repeated time |
| då | when, since | past single events; also "since/as" (causal, formal) |
| eftersom | because | can front the sentence |
| därför att | because | cannot easily front; answers "why?" |
| fast / fastän | although | fast is more colloquial |
| medan | while | simultaneity / contrast |
| innan | before | temporal |
| sedan | after, since (then) | temporal |
| så att | so that | purpose / result |
They all trigger BIFF
This is the unifying property. Whatever the meaning, every word above opens a clause where inte and other sentence adverbs sit before the finite verb — the reverse of a main clause. Here are the three core types — causal, temporal, concessive — each showing the subordinate order:
Jag åt en hel pizza eftersom jag var hungrig.
I ate a whole pizza because I was hungry. Causal subordinate clause after 'eftersom'.
När jag kom hem var lägenheten tom.
When I came home, the flat was empty. Temporal subordinate clause; note the main clause then inverts: 'var lägenheten'.
Vi gick ut fast det var sent.
We went out although it was late. Concessive clause after 'fast'.
Now the diagnostic — inte moving in front of the verb:
Jag blev arg eftersom han inte hade ringt.
I got angry because he hadn't called. After 'eftersom': 'inte' BEFORE the verb 'hade' (BIFF).
Hon stannade hemma fast hon inte var sjuk.
She stayed home although she wasn't ill. After 'fast': 'inte' BEFORE 'var'.
Ring mig om du inte hittar adressen.
Call me if you can't find the address. After 'om': 'inte' BEFORE 'hittar'.
The full mechanics — including where the subject, adverb and verb sit — are on The BIFF Rule and Subordinate Clauses.
A subtlety: fronting flips the main clause
When a subordinate clause comes first in the sentence, it fills the "first slot" (fundament) of the whole sentence, which forces the main clause to invert (verb before subject). This catches people out because two word-order rules apply at once: BIFF inside the subordinate clause, and inversion in the main clause that follows it.
Eftersom jag inte hade sovit gick jag och la mig tidigt.
Because I hadn't slept, I went to bed early. Subordinate clause is BIFF ('inte' before 'hade'); the main clause then INVERTS: 'gick jag'.
när vs då — "when"
Both translate "when," and modern Swedish increasingly favours när across the board — but the traditional distinction is worth knowing and still felt:
- när — the default. Use it for the present and future, and for repeated or habitual past events ("whenever").
- då — traditionally for a single, specific past event ("on the occasion when"). It also has a separate causal sense, "since/as" (formal/literary).
Jag blir glad när du ringer.
I'm happy when you call. Present/habitual — 'när'.
Då jag öppnade dörren stod hon där.
When I opened the door, she was standing there. A single past moment — traditional 'då' (though 'när' is now common here too).
In everyday speech you will rarely be wrong choosing när; då in the temporal sense now sounds slightly formal or literary. Be aware, though, that då is also a hugely common adverb ("then") — Vad gjorde du då? "What did you do then?" — which is a different word from the conjunction.
därför att vs därför — the notorious pair
This is the single most error-prone item in the chapter, because the two words look almost identical but belong to different word classes and take opposite word order:
- därför att is a subordinating conjunction meaning "because." It opens a reason clause → BIFF order. It answers the question Varför? ("Why?").
- därför (alone) is an adverb meaning "therefore, that's why." It does not subordinate anything; it sits in a main clause, typically in the fundament, which triggers inversion (verb before subject).
So the logic runs in opposite directions: därför att introduces the cause, därför introduces the result.
Jag gick hem därför att jag var trött.
I went home because I was tired. 'därför att' = because → reason clause, subordinate order.
Jag var trött. Därför gick jag hem.
I was tired. Therefore I went home. 'därför' = therefore → adverb in the fundament, main clause INVERTS: 'gick jag'.
Read them side by side and the direction of the arrow is clear: därför att jag var trött gives the reason; därför gick jag hem gives the consequence. The contrast with eftersom (another "because") and the full decision guide live on eftersom vs därför.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag stannade eftersom jag var inte frisk.
Incorrect — 'eftersom' is a subordinator; 'inte' must come before the verb.
✅ Jag stannade eftersom jag inte var frisk.
I stayed because I wasn't well.
❌ Därför att jag var trött, gick jag hem. (meaning 'Therefore I went home')
Incorrect for 'therefore' — 'därför att' means 'because'. For 'therefore' use the adverb 'därför'.
✅ Jag var trött. Därför gick jag hem.
I was tired. Therefore I went home.
❌ När jag kom hem, lägenheten var tom.
Incorrect — when a subordinate clause is fronted, the main clause must invert.
✅ När jag kom hem var lägenheten tom.
When I came home, the flat was empty.
❌ Jag undrar om kommer han. (for 'whether he's coming')
Incorrect — 'om' opens a subordinate clause; subject before verb, no inversion.
✅ Jag undrar om han kommer.
I wonder if/whether he's coming.
Key Takeaways
- Subordinating conjunctions (att, om, när, då, eftersom, därför att, fast(än), medan, innan, sedan, så att) all force BIFF order — inte before the finite verb.
- A fronted subordinate clause fills the fundament and makes the main clause invert (verb before subject).
- när is the default "when" (present/future/habitual); då traditionally marks a single past event and now sounds formal in that use.
- The killer pair: därför att = "because" (subordinator, gives the cause, BIFF) vs därför = "therefore" (adverb, gives the result, inversion). The att is what makes the difference.
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- Conjunctions: OverviewA2 — Swedish conjunctions split into two families that behave very differently in the sentence. Coordinating conjunctions (och, men, eller, för, så, samt, utan) join equals and leave word order untouched — both halves keep main-clause V2. Subordinating conjunctions (att, om, när, eftersom, fast, medan...) open a subordinate clause that switches to BIFF order, with 'inte' moving in front of the verb. The conjunction's TYPE predicts the word order, so learning which list a word belongs to is learning the clause's syntax.
- 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.
- Subordinate Clauses: StructureB1 — Inside a subordinate clause Swedish abandons the V2 rule entirely and locks word order into a fixed frame: subordinator–subject–adverb–verb–rest (the BIFF rule in action). The whole clause counts as ONE element, so a fronted subordinate clause fills the main-clause first slot and forces the main verb to invert right after the comma — När jag kom hem, åt jag — a 'comma-then-verb' pattern English never produces.
- eftersom vs därför (att) (because/therefore)B1 — Three words that look related but point in opposite causal directions. eftersom and därför att both mean 'because' and introduce a REASON in a subordinate clause (BIFF order). därför means 'therefore / so' — it introduces a RESULT, is an adverb, and triggers V2 inversion when it opens the sentence. därför att (because) and därför (therefore) differ by one word but take opposite word order and aim opposite ways along the cause-and-effect arrow.