Breakdown of Om du inte har lösenordet kan du inte starta datorn.
du
you (singular)
inte
not
ha
to have
kunna
to be able to, can
datorn
the computer
om
if, whether
lösenordet
the password
starta
to start (a machine, engine, business)
Questions & Answers about Om du inte har lösenordet kan du inte starta datorn.
Why does inte come before the verb har in the first part of the sentence?
This is the BIFF rule in action! The first part of the sentence, Om du inte har lösenordet, is a subordinate clause (a clause starting with a word like om that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence). The BIFF rule tells us that in these types of clauses, inte must be placed before the finite (first) verb.
Why are the subject and verb flipped in the second part (kan du instead of du kan)?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire subordinate clause (Om du inte har lösenordet) counts as the first piece of information in the sentence. To keep the main verb (kan) in the second position overall, it must come immediately after the comma, which pushes the subject (du) to the spot right after it.
Why does the second inte come after the verb and subject (kan du inte)?
The BIFF rule only applies to subordinate clauses. The second half of the sentence is the main clause. Because the V2 rule forced the verb and subject to swap places (kan du), the sentence adverb inte drops into its normal main-clause position right after the subject.
Why does lösenordet end in -et?
Lösenord (password) is an ett word, so adding -et at the end makes it definite (meaning 'the password'). It is a compound word made from lösen and ord (word). A helpful tip to remember: compound words in Swedish always take the gender of their very last part. Since it is ett ord, it becomes ett lösenord.
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