Är det inte straff? Jo!

Because Swedish forms yes/no questions by putting the finite verb first.

• Statement: Det är inte straff. = It is not a penalty.
• Question: Är det inte straff? = Isn’t it a penalty?

This is very common in Swedish:

• Det kommer. → Kommer det?
• Han är här. → Är han här?

That is the normal word order in a main-clause yes/no question.

Here the order is:

• Är = finite verb
• det = subject
• inte = negation
• straff = complement

So: Är det inte straff?

Compare the statement:

• Det är inte straff.

In both cases, inte comes after the finite verb and the subject in ordinary main-clause word order.

It can correspond to either it or that, depending on context.

Swedish det is used in many situations where English might choose:

• it
• that
• sometimes even a more natural English paraphrase

So in a context like sports, Är det inte straff? may be understood as:

• Isn’t it a penalty?
• Isn’t that a penalty?

The exact English choice depends on what the speaker is reacting to.

In quick judgments, labels, and especially sports language, Swedish often uses the bare noun without an article.

So you can get expressions like:

• Det är straff!
• Det är offside!

This sounds like calling or identifying the situation.

If you say Är det ett straff?, that is also possible, but it can sound a bit more neutral or like you are treating straff as a regular countable noun rather than making a quick call.

Also, the dictionary form is ett straff, so straff is an ett noun.

Because jo is the Swedish word used to contradict a negative question or negative statement.

The question is negative:

• Är det inte straff? = Isn’t it a penalty?

If you want to say Yes, it is, Swedish normally uses:

• Jo!

This is one of the most important uses of jo.

Compare:

• Är det straff? → Ja. = Yes.
• Är det inte straff? → Jo. = Yes, it is.

If you want to agree with the negative idea, you would say:

• Nej. = No, it isn’t.

It cancels the inte.

That is the simplest way to think about it.

• Question: Är det inte straff? = Isn’t it a penalty?
• Reply: Jo! = Actually yes, it is.

So jo is not just a general yes. It is a yes in opposition to a negative.

That is why English speakers often need special practice with it: English uses yes for both situations, but Swedish splits them:

• ja for ordinary positive questions
• jo for contradicting a negative

Yes, often it does.

A negative question like Är det inte straff? often suggests that the speaker expects agreement or is surprised that others do not see it the same way.

It can sound like:

• Isn’t that obviously a penalty?
• Surely that’s a penalty, isn’t it?

English does something similar with Isn’t it... ?

So the sentence is not just asking for information. It often carries a feeling of expectation, surprise, or mild insistence.