Breakdown of Allt går strålande bara du är naturlig och uppriktig.
vara
to be
du
you (singular)
och
and
gå
to go, to walk
allt
everything / all (neuter)
bara
provided that, as long as
naturlig
natural
uppriktig
sincere
strålande
brilliant (radiant, glorious)
Questions & Answers about Allt går strålande bara du är naturlig och uppriktig.
Doesn't bara normally mean "only" or "just"? What is it doing in the middle of this sentence?
While bara is usually an adverb meaning "only", here it functions as a subordinating conjunction. In this context, it introduces a conditional clause and translates to "provided that" or "as long as", setting up the sole requirement for the first part of the sentence to happen.
Could I just use om (if) instead of bara here?
Yes, om du är naturlig works perfectly well. However, using bara gives the sentence a slightly different flavor. It stresses that being natural and sincere is the only condition required for everything to go brilliantly, similar to saying "just as long as" instead of a plain "if".
Since bara introduces a subordinate clause here, how does that affect the word order if I want to make the condition negative?
Because bara du är naturlig och uppriktig is a subordinate clause, the BIFF rule applies: sentence adverbs must go before the finite verb. If you wanted to say "provided you are not...", the inte goes immediately after the subject and before the verb: bara du inte är naturlig.
Why doesn't strålande get a -t ending to make it an adverb modifying går?
Strålande is a present participle formed from the verb stråla (to shine/radiate). In Swedish, present participles ending in -ande or -ende are completely invariable. They never take a -t or -a ending, whether they are used as adjectives or, as in this sentence, as adverbs.
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