Learn Hardcore Swedish: Om hon ska lyckas behöver hon en tydlig plan. - If she is going to succeed she needs a clear plan.

In a subordinate clause (introduced by om “if”), the subject normally comes before the verb:
- om hon ska lyckas = if she is going to succeed
  Structure: om (subordinating conjunction) + hon (subject) + ska (verb) + lyckas (infinitive).
In a main clause, Swedish is a V2 language (the verb must be in second position).
The whole subordinate clause “Om hon ska lyckas” counts as position 1.
That forces the finite verb of the main clause into position 2:
- Om hon ska lyckas behöver hon en tydlig plan.
  1. Om hon ska lyckas
  2. behöver (finite verb)
  3. hon
  4. en tydlig plan

If you don’t put the subordinate clause first, you keep more “normal” order:

Hon behöver en tydlig plan om hon ska lyckas. (subject before verb in the main clause)

Could you also say “Hon behöver en tydlig plan om hon ska lyckas”? Does the meaning change?

Yes, that sentence is completely correct and very natural:

Hon behöver en tydlig plan om hon ska lyckas.
She needs a clear plan if she is going to succeed.

The meaning is essentially the same. The difference is only in emphasis and style:

Om hon ska lyckas behöver hon en tydlig plan.
Puts more focus on the condition (if she is going to succeed).
Hon behöver en tydlig plan om hon ska lyckas.
Puts more focus on what she needs (a clear plan).

Grammatically, both word orders are fine.

Why is there no comma after “Om hon ska lyckas” in Swedish?

Modern Swedish uses fewer commas than English, especially between clauses.

In English, we usually write:
If she is going to succeed, she needs a clear plan.
In Swedish, the comma is often omitted in similar cases:
Om hon ska lyckas behöver hon en tydlig plan.

A comma is not wrong, and some writers do use one:

Om hon ska lyckas, behöver hon en tydlig plan.

But the recommended, more modern standard is without a comma here, as long as the sentence is clear.

What exactly does “ska lyckas” mean? Is it future tense like “will succeed”?

Ska is a modal verb that often expresses:

planned / intended future (“is going to”)
duty or necessity (“is supposed to”, “must” in some contexts)

In “Om hon ska lyckas”, it’s best understood as:

“If she is going to succeed”
or more formal English: “If she is to succeed”

It’s not a pure future marker like English “will” with a neutral sense. Ska often carries a nuance of intention, plan, or requirement.

Compare:

Hon kommer att lyckas. – She will succeed (prediction)
Hon ska lyckas. – She is going to succeed / She shall succeed (more about plan, determination, or obligation depending on context)

Why is the main verb “lyckas” in infinitive form after “ska”?

In Swedish, modal verbs (like ska, vill, kan, måste, borde) are followed by the infinitive of the main verb without “att”:

ska lyckas – is going to succeed
vill läsa – wants to read
kan simma – can swim
måste gå – must go

So:

hon ska lyckas
- ska = finite modal verb (present tense)
- lyckas = infinitive

You never say “ska att lyckas”. The att is dropped after modals.

What does the verb “lyckas” mean exactly, and why is there no object?

Lyckas is an intransitive verb meaning roughly “to succeed”, “to be successful” (in achieving some goal).

Hon lyckas. – She succeeds / She manages (to do it).

Because it’s intransitive, it does not take a direct object. If you want to specify what someone succeeds with, you usually add a prepositional phrase:

Hon lyckas med projektet. – She succeeds with the project.
Han lyckades med att hitta ett jobb. – He succeeded in finding a job.

In “Om hon ska lyckas”, the goal is understood from context, so no object is needed.

Could the sentence be “Om hon lyckas behöver hon en tydlig plan” without “ska”?

You can say:

Om hon lyckas behöver hon en tydlig plan.

But the meaning changes:

Om hon ska lyckas …
= If she is going to succeed / If she is to succeed
→ We’re talking about what is required for success (a condition for achieving success).
Om hon lyckas …
= If she succeeds
→ More like “In the event that she succeeds”, talking about what happens after success, not what is needed to succeed.

So for the meaning “She needs a clear plan in order to succeed”, you really want “Om hon ska lyckas …”.

Why is it “behöver hon” and not “hon behöver” after the first clause?

This is the V2 rule in main clauses:

In a Swedish main clause, the finite verb must be in second position, regardless of what is in first position.

Here, the entire phrase “Om hon ska lyckas” is placed first. That takes the first slot in the sentence. The finite verb of the main clause (behöver) must therefore come second, before the subject:

Om hon ska lyckas (1) behöver (2) hon (3) en tydlig plan.

If the subject comes first, the verb follows as usual:

Hon behöver en tydlig plan. – subject in position 1, verb in position 2.

Why is it “en tydlig plan” and not something like “ett tydlig plan” or “en tydligt plan”?

Three things matter here: noun gender, definiteness, and adjective agreement.

Gender of the noun
- plan is a common gender noun in Swedish.
- Common gender takes the article en, not ett.
  → en plan, not ett plan (note: ett plan exists, but it means an airplane or a level, a different word).
Indefinite vs definite
- en plan = a plan (indefinite)
- planen = the plan (definite)
  In this sentence we mean a clear plan in general, so we use indefinite: en plan.
Adjective agreement
Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number.
- Common gender, singular, indefinite → base form: tydlig.
- So: en tydlig plan.

Other forms for comparison:

en tydlig plan – a clear plan
den tydliga planen – the clear plan
tydliga planer – clear plans

What’s the difference between “tydlig” and “klar” in this context? Could I say “en klar plan”?

You could say “en klar plan”, but “en tydlig plan” is more idiomatic and natural here.

Nuances:

tydlig
- Means clear, easy to understand, well‑defined.
- Focuses on structure and intelligibility.
- en tydlig plan = a plan whose goals, steps, or structure are clearly laid out.
klar
- Has several meanings: finished, ready, clear (of liquid), bright.
- en klar plan can be understood, but it sounds a bit off; people more often say things like:
  - en klar idé – a clear idea
  - klara instruktioner – clear instructions
  - Jag är klar. – I’m finished / I’m ready.

In standard usage, “en tydlig plan” is the most natural phrase for “a clear plan” in this sense.

How do you pronounce “ska lyckas” and “tydlig”?

Approximate pronunciation (Swedish standard, IPA and rough English hints):

ska – /ska/
- Like “skah”.
- sk before a is a normal sk sound (not the “sh”‑like sj sound you hear before i, e, y, ä, ö).
lyckas – /ˈlʏkːas/
- ly like French u or German ü, lips rounded, close to English “lu” but more fronted.
- Double kk = a longer k sound.
- Stress on the first syllable: LYCK-as.
tydlig – /ˈtyːdlɪg/
- ty with the same y sound as lyckas, long: /yː/.
- d is clear.
- Final -lig is often pronounced something like “lig” with a short i, not a full lee-g in careful speech.
- Stress on the first syllable: TYD-lig.

Put together somewhat slowly:

Om hon ska lyckas behöver hon en tydlig plan.
Stress mainly on OM, LYCK-, BE-HÖV-, TYD- and PLAN.