Learn Swedish: Jag förstår inte varför programmet inte svarar. - I do not understand why the program does not answer.

This sentence perfectly shows the BIFF rule in action! In the main clause (Jag förstår inte), Swedish follows the normal rule of putting inte after the verb. But the second part (varför programmet inte svarar) is a subordinate clause (a sentence part that adds information and starts with a linking word like varför). The BIFF rule tells us that in a subordinate clause, inte must come before the verb.

What exactly does BIFF stand for?

BIFF is a handy acronym used even by native Swedes in school! It stands for Bisats, Inte Före Finita verbet. In English, this translates to: Subordinate clause, inte before the finite (conjugated) verb.

Doesn't svarar usually mean answers? Is that what Swedes say when a computer freezes?

Yes! In English you would normally say the program is not responding, but in Swedish, the verb svarar is used both for people answering a question and for technology responding to a command or input.

Why does program get an extra M in programmet?