10. Word order
There are three different word order structures to follow in the Swedish language: the traditional word order of the main clause, the inverted word order of the main clause, and the word order of the subordinate clause.
A main clause contains an independent thought and can form a grammatically acceptable and understandable sentence on its own. A subordinate clause adds information to the main clause or specifies something in the main clause, and it does not work on its own without the main clause.
The traditional word order of the main clause follows a basic pattern where the first element of the sentence is a subject, followed closely by a verb and an object (SVO). Qualifiers such as negative words (inte, ej) and specific adverbs (alltid, kanske, redan) are usually placed after the first verb. At the end of the sentence, additional information on how something was done (tydligt), where it was done (i sängen) and when (på morgonen), can also be included.
The traditional word order in a nutshell: subject, verb, qualifier, object, how, where, when.
EXAMPLES:
Jenny köpte en ny bok i går. Jenny bought a new book yesterday.
Hon vill inte äta frukost hemma i morgon. She doesn’t want to eat breakfast at home tomorrow.
The inverted word order of the main clause is needed when the sentence starts with something else than a subject, for example with an expression describing a place or a time. In an inverted word order the subject and the verb change places (VSO).
The inverted word order in a nutshell: alternate expression, verb, subject, qualifier, object, how, where, when.
EXAMPLES:
Där lyssnade vi alltid på rockmusik. There we always listened to rock music.
Idag har jag inte haft tid att laga mat. Today I haven’t had time to cook (food).
The word order of the subordinate clause is near identical to that of the traditional main clause word order (SVO). The main difference is that the qualifier comes before the verb and not after it. A subordinate clause usually starts with a conjunction or a similar structure.
The word order of a subordinate clause in a nutshell: conjunction, subject, qualifier, verb, object, how, where, when.
In the following examples, the beginning of the subordinate clause has been bolded.
EXAMPLES:
Det är kul att jag redan kan gå hem. It’s nice that I can already go home.
Det är någonting som Jesse inte förstår. It’s something that Jesse doesn’t understand.