The BIFF Rule (Subordinate clauses)
In a standard Swedish main clause, sentence adverbs like inte (not), alltid (always), or aldrig (never) typically come after the conjugated verb.
However, in a subordinate clause (a dependent clause starting with words like att, eftersom, om, or som), the word order changes. To remember this shift, use the BIFF rule:
- Bisats (Subordinate clause)
- Inte (or another sentence adverb)
- Före (Before)
- Finita verbet (The conjugated verb)
Simply put: in a subordinate clause, the sentence adverb moves before the verb.
| Since the woman does not tolerate lactose, she orders water instead. | Eftersom kvinnan inte tål laktos, beställer hon vatten istället. |
Beyond "inte"
While the "I" in BIFF stands for inte, the rule applies to all sentence adverbs. Words like aldrig (never), alltid (always), faktiskt (actually), kanske (maybe), and sällan (seldom) also jump in front of the verb in a subordinate clause.
| He says that he is a vegetarian and that he never eats pork. | Han säger att han är vegetarian och att han aldrig äter fläskkött. |
| I hope that the cake does not contain nuts, because I am actually allergic. | Jag hoppas att kakan inte innehåller nötter, eftersom jag faktiskt är allergisk. |
This rule also applies to relative clauses starting with som (which/that/who):
| The vegan buys no products that maybe contain lactose. | Veganen köper inga produkter som kanske innehåller laktos. |
Subordinate clauses as sentence starters
When you place a subordinate clause at the beginning of a sentence, the BIFF rule still applies inside it. Just remember that once the subordinate clause ends, the main clause must start with its verb to satisfy the V2 (verb-second) rule.
Notice how sällan comes before äter in the subordinate clause, while the main clause verb bakar comes right after the comma:
| Since she seldom eats gluten, we bake another cake. | Eftersom hon sällan äter gluten, bakar vi en annan kaka. |
