Where does inte go? Main and subordinate clauses

Sentence adverbs such as inte, aldrig, alltid, redan, också, ofta go in different places in main and subordinate clauses.

• Main clause: the verb comes first, then the adverb. Omar kom inte. (Omar didn't come.) After men, och, för a new main clause begins, so the order stays: Vi väntade, men Omar kom inte.
• Subordinate clause: the adverb comes before the verb. Vi blev oroliga eftersom Omar inte kom. This happens after att, eftersom, om, när, som and similar words.

Learners remember this as BIFF: bisats, inte före finit verb (in a subordinate clause, inte goes before the verb). Watch för and eftersom: both mean because, but för starts a main clause (verb before inte) and eftersom a subordinate one (inte before the verb).