Negation in subordinate clauses

Level 2

In subordinate clauses, place 'inte' (not) before the verb.

How It Works

In Swedish, the position of the negation word inte (not) changes depending on whether it's in a main clause (huvudsats) or a subordinate clause (bisats).

Main Clause Negation
In an ordinary subject-first main clause, inte commonly follows the finite verb. With inversion, the subject normally intervenes: Kommer han inte? This is the basic negation placement rule.

  • Jag talar inte svenska. (I do not speak Swedish.)

Subordinate Clause Negation
In a subordinate clause, the word order changes. These clauses are introduced by subjunctions like att (that), eftersom (because), om (if), när (when), etc. Here, 'inte' (and other sentence adverbs) comes before the finite verb.

This is famously known as the BIFF rule:
Bisats (subordinate clause)
Inte (not)
Före (before)
Första verbet (the first verb)

Let's compare:

  • Main Clause: Han kommer inte idag. (He is not coming today.)
  • Subordinate Clause: Jag tror att han inte kommer idag. (I think that he is not coming today.)

Notice how 'inte' moves before 'kommer' in the subordinate clause introduced by 'att'.

BIFF is the reliable basic pattern for subordinate clauses. Some assertive att-clauses allow main-clause word order, especially in speech; do not treat every occurrence of att + subject + verb + inte as impossible. The ordinary subordinate order remains the clearest learner model. Inte precedes the finite auxiliary too: att hon inte har kommit.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag vet att han inte gillar fisk.

    I know that he doesn't like fish.

    Word by Word: I know that he not likes fish.

    In the subordinate clause 'att han inte gillar fisk', the negation 'inte' comes before the verb 'gillar'.

  2. Hon frågade om jag inte ville ha kaffe.

    She asked if I didn't want coffee.

    Word by Word: She asked if I not wanted have coffee.

    The subordinate clause starts with 'om'. 'Inte' is placed before the verb 'ville'.

  3. Vi går inte ut eftersom det inte regnar längre.

    We are not going out because it is not raining anymore.

    Word by Word: We go not out because it not rains longer.

    This sentence has two negations. The first ('går inte') is in the main clause. The second ('inte regnar') is in the subordinate clause introduced by 'eftersom' and follows the BIFF rule.

  4. Det är viktigt att du inte glömmer nycklarna.

    It is important that you don't forget the keys.

    Word by Word: It is important that you not forget the-keys.

  5. Jag kommer när jag inte jobbar.

    I will come when I am not working.

    Word by Word: I come when I not work.

Common Mistakes

  • Using verb-before-inte order in an ordinary temporal subordinate clause.

    Jag väntar tills hon är inte upptagen längre.
    Jag väntar tills hon inte är upptagen längre.

    In this temporal subordinate pattern, inte precedes the finite verb är. Some assertive att-clauses permit main-clause order; that is a separate construction.

  • Putting inte after the nonfinite verb in an ordinary subordinate clause.

    Jag vet att han har läst inte boken.
    Jag vet att han inte har läst boken.

    For sentence negation in the ordinary subordinate pattern, put inte before the finite auxiliary har, not between läst and its object.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Negation in subordinate clausesLevel 2

Learn This First

To learn negation in subordinate clauses, you first need to know the basic negation word 'inte' and how it is typically placed in a standard sentence. You also need to understand what a subordinate clause is and how its basic word order differs from a main sentence.

Words in This Pattern

inte