A main sentence is a sentence which is independent of other sentences in that it makes sense in itself. A main sentence can stand alone, but it may also be linked with another main sentence or a subordinate clause.
A subordinate clause is a sentence that cannot stand alone because it does not make sense in itself. The subordinate clause always has normal word order and must always be introduced by a conjunction.
Main sentence:
| Peter spiste kage, | og | bagefter kørte han hjem. | |||||||||
| h | h |
| Peter ate cake, | and | afterwards he drove home. | |||||||||
| h | h |
Main sentence and subordinate clause:
| Familien tager ikke på skovtur, | hvis det regner. | ||||||||||
| h | b |
| The family is not going for a picnic, | if it rains. | ||||||||||
| h | b |
If the subordinate clause comes before the main sentence, inversion is used in the main sentence.
| Hvis det regner, | tager familien ikke på skovtur. | ||||||||||
| b | h |
| If it rains, | the family is not going for a picnic. | ||||||||||
| b | h |
Comparison:
In English both the main clause and the subordinate clause have normal word order.