Emphasizing "Who" Did It
In English, when we want to highlight exactly who or what performed an action, we might say "It is [person] who [action]." In Danish, we use the exact same structure: det er... der... (it is... who/that...). You can also use the past tense det var... der... (it was... who/that...).
This structure, known as a cleft sentence, is perfect for clearing up misunderstandings, resolving disputes, or figuring out exactly who is responsible.
Using Object Pronouns
When emphasizing a pronoun (me, you, him, her), Danish uses the object form of the pronoun after det er or det var—just like we naturally say "It is her" instead of "It is she" in everyday English.
This means you will use forms like mig, dig, ham, and hende right before the relative pronoun.
"Der" vs. "Som"
To connect the emphasized person to their action, you will usually use the relative pronoun der (who/that). However, you can also use som.
When the emphasized person or thing is the subject of the action (the one actually doing it), der and som mean the exact same thing and are completely interchangeable. While der is slightly more common, you will encounter both.
Clarifying and Assigning Blame
You can use these sentences as strong statements to place blame, or you can frame them as questions and subordinate clauses to find out the truth during a disagreement.