In Swedish, when you begin a sentence with a subordinate clause (such as one starting with om, när, or eftersom), you will often see the word så placed right at the beginning of the main clause.
This is called a resumptive adverb. It elegantly ties the two halves of the sentence together. It acts similarly to "then" in English (as in, "If you don't indicate, then you will fail"), but Swedish uses it much more frequently and with a wider variety of conjunctions.
| If you do not indicate, the inspector will fail you on the driving test. | Om du inte blinkar, så underkänner inspektören dig på uppkörningen. |
| When the inspector is looking, you get nervous. | När inspektören tittar, så blir du nervös. |
Word Order with Så
Because of the V2 (verb-second) rule, the finite verb must be the second element in a Swedish main clause. When you start a sentence with a subordinate clause, that entire clause counts as the first element.
The word så acts as a bridge summarizing that first element. This means that the verb of the main clause must come immediately after så, followed by the subject.
| If you release the clutch quickly, the engine dies. | Om du släpper kopplingen snabbt, så dör motorn. |
| Since the clutch was broken, the inspector failed the student. | Eftersom kopplingen var trasig, så underkände inspektören eleven. |
Beyond "If"
While English typically only uses "then" after an "if" clause, Swedish comfortably uses så to resume sentences starting with när (when), eftersom (since), and även om (even if).
| When you brake, you also press down the clutch. | När du bromsar, så trycker du också ner kopplingen. |
| Even if you drive on the highway, the speed limit must be followed. | Även om du kör på motorvägen, så måste hastighetsgränsen följas. |