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Word Order Details — BIFF

Adverb placement in main vs subordinate clauses

In main clauses: sentence adverbs follow the finite verb

BIFF = Bisatsen Inte Före Finitum (the subordinate clause puts negation before the verb).

📊 BIFF rule summary
Clause type Adverb position Example
main clause AFTER finite verb Jag vet inte. / Han läser ofta.
subordinate clause BEFORE finite verb ...att jag inte vet. / ...att han ofta läser.
main with modal after modal Jag kan inte gå.
sub with modal before modal ...att jag inte kan gå.
💬 Examples
Jag förstår inte.
I do not understand.
📝 main clause: verb → inte
Han läser alltid på morgonen.
He always reads in the morning.
📝 main clause: verb → alltid
In subordinate clauses: sentence adverbs precede the verb

This is the core of the BIFF rule — the reverse of main clauses.

💬 Examples
Jag vet att han inte kommer.
I know that he is not coming.
📝 subordinate: inte before kommer
Hon säger att hon alltid tränar.
She says that she always trains.
📝 subordinate: alltid before tränar
Topicalization moves any element to first position with V2

Any phrase can be fronted for emphasis, triggering subject-verb inversion.

💬 Examples
Det gillar jag verkligen.
That I really like.
📝 object det fronted; inversion jag → after gillar
Aldrig har jag sett något sådant.
Never have I seen anything like it.
📝 aldrig fronted; inversion har → jag