Question 1

Why does kanske come before the verb innehåller here?

Accepted Answer

This is because som kanske innehåller laktos is a subordinate clause (introduced by som). In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like kanske, inte, and alltid must go before the conjugated verb. This follows the BIFF rule: I Bisats kommer Inte Före Finita verbet (In a subordinate clause, the sentence adverb comes before the finite verb).

Question 2

How would the word order change if "Maybe they contain lactose" was a normal standalone sentence?

Accepted Answer

In a main clause, the verb has to be in the second position (the V2 rule). So you would say De innehåller kanske laktos (They contain maybe lactose) or Kanske innehåller de laktos. Notice how kanske comes after the verb in the first example, unlike in our subordinate clause where the BIFF rule forces it to come before.

Question 3

Could I say köper inte några produkter instead of köper inga produkter?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! Köper inga produkter means "buys no products", while köper inte några produkter means "does not buy any products". Both are perfectly natural and mean the exact same thing, but using inga is often a bit shorter and very common in everyday Swedish.

Question 4

What role is som playing in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The word som is a relative pronoun meaning "that", "which", or "who". In this specific sentence, it acts as the subject of the subordinate clause, linking the two parts of the sentence and replacing produkter (products) so we do not have to repeat the word.

Veganen köper inga produkter som kanske innehåller laktos.

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