Breakdown of Du får inte stänga programmet om du inte sparar.
du
you (singular)
inte
not
få
to be allowed to, may
stänga
to close
om
if, whether
programmet
the program
spara
to save (money, resources, data)
Questions & Answers about Du får inte stänga programmet om du inte sparar.
Why does inte come before sparar at the end of the sentence?
This is the "BIFF rule" in action! The second part of the sentence (om du inte sparar) is a subordinate clause (a supporting clause that starts with a word like "if" or "that" and can't stand alone as a complete sentence). The BIFF rule is a handy trick to remember that in a subordinate clause, inte comes before the conjugated verb (sparar). BIFF stands for: Bi-sats (subordinate clause), Inte, Före (before), Finita verbet (the conjugated verb).
In the first half of the sentence, inte comes after the verb får. Why the difference?
The first part (Du får inte stänga programmet) is a main clause, so the BIFF rule doesn't apply here. In a standard main clause, the first verb comes in the second position, and inte comes right after it. Because there are two verbs here (får and stänga), inte safely parks between them: after the first, conjugated verb, but before the second, infinitive verb.
The translation says "must not", so why does the Swedish use får inte instead of måste inte?
This is a very common trap for English speakers! In Swedish, får inte means "are not allowed to" or "must not" (expressing a strict rule or prohibition). If you used måste inte, it would mean "do not have to" (expressing a lack of obligation). When you want to tell someone they absolutely shouldn't do something, always use får inte.
Why does programmet have two M's when the base word is just program?
The base word program is an ett-word. To make it definite ("the program"), you need to add the suffix -et. However, Swedish spelling rules dictate that if a word ends in a short stressed vowel followed by a single consonant, you must double that consonant when adding a suffix. Doubling the 'm' ensures the 'a' in programmet stays short.
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