Breakdown of Svärföräldrarna är gästvänliga, bara du är artig.
vara
to be
du
you (singular)
artig
polite
svärföräldrarna
the in-laws
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?
Why does the adjective gästvänliga end in -a?