Only/just placement

In Swedish, the placement of restrictive adverbs is crucial for conveying the intended meaning. The most common of these is bara (only, just). More formal alternatives include endast and blott.

A useful clear model is to place the adverb before the focused phrase. This is not a universal adjacency rule: a middle-field particle can relate to a later phrase, and spoken stress can distinguish readings. Let's see how moving bara changes the meaning of a simple sentence: "Jag åt äpplet i köket" (I ate the apple in the kitchen).

• Bara jag åt äpplet i köket. (Only I ate the apple in the kitchen. No one else did.)
  Here, bara modifies the subject jag.
• Jag åt bara äpplet i köket. (I ate only the apple in the kitchen. I didn't eat anything else.)
  Here, bara modifies the object äpplet.
• Jag åt äpplet bara i köket. (I ate the apple only in the kitchen. Not in any other room.)
  Here, bara modifies the place adverbial i köket.

Placement in Clauses:
In a main clause, a restrictive adverb often behaves like a sentence adverbial, typically placed after the finite verb, alongside the clause’s verb-second order. V2 constrains the finite verb, not the focus particle by itself. However, for clear focus, it's often moved directly before the element it restricts, as shown above.

In the ordinary middle-field position of a subordinate clause, compare the BIFF rule, usually coming after the subject and before the verb.
Example: Han sa att han bara ville ha kaffe. (He said that he only wanted coffee.)

Common Constructions:
A very common structure is inte bara ... utan också (not only ... but also).
Example: Filmen var inte bara spännande, utan också tankeväckande. (The movie was not only exciting, but also thought-provoking.)

Position, Stress And Meaning
Jag lovade att hjälpa min vän bara idag is grammatical and naturally restricts the time to today. Jag lovade att bara hjälpa min vän idag can restrict the action or a later phrase according to context; merely moving bara does not eliminate every ambiguity.

For an explicit subject restriction, Jag vet att bara han kan göra det is a clear model. Jag vet att han bara kan göra det is also grammatical, with a different ordinary restriction. If precision matters, use a fuller contrast or a cleft: Det är bara han som kan göra det.

Bara has additional uses, including softening or downplaying a request. This entry practices its restrictive meaning; an only reading is not forced by every occurrence of the word.