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Svärföräldrarna är gästvänliga, bara du är artig.

Svärföräldrarna är gästvänliga, bara du är artig.
The in-laws are hospitable, provided that you are polite.
From Lesson 484:If only / provided that (bara)·Swedish

Questions & Answers about Svärföräldrarna är gästvänliga, bara du är artig.

Doesn't bara usually mean 'only'? How does it mean 'provided that' here?
While bara is most commonly used as an adverb meaning 'only' or 'just', in this sentence it acts as a subordinating conjunction. When used to connect clauses like this, it translates to 'provided that' or 'as long as'. It introduces the single condition required for the first clause to be true.
Could I use om instead of bara to create this condition?
Yes, you could say om du är artig (if you are polite), but using bara as the conjunction emphasizes that being polite is the absolute minimum requirement. You will also often see these words combined into om du bara är artig (as long as you are polite).
How does the prefix svär- work in svärföräldrarna?
The prefix svär- is the Swedish equivalent of the English suffix '-in-law'. It attaches to standard family words, giving us svärmor (mother-in-law), svärfar (father-in-law), and svärföräldrar (parents-in-law). It shares a root with the verb svära (to swear), historically relating to marriage vows.
Why does the adjective gästvänliga end in -a?
The adjective gästvänlig (which literally means 'guest-friendly') must agree with the subject it describes. Because svärföräldrarna is a plural noun, the adjective takes the plural -a ending, even though it comes after the verb är.

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