Breakdown of Det er stressen der gør mig syg.
være
to be
det
it (neuter)
syg
sick
mig
me
gøre
to do / to make (cause to be)
der
who, which (relative, subject)
stressen
the stress
Questions & Answers about Det er stressen der gør mig syg.
Why do we use gør here instead of laver for 'makes'?
English speakers often mix these up. In Danish, laver means to physically create or produce something, like making a cake. When 'make' means causing a change in state or feeling, like making someone sick or happy, you must use gør (from the verb at gøre).
Can I use som instead of der?
Yes, you can say ... som gør mig syg. Both der and som are relative pronouns meaning 'that' or 'which'. The rule is that der can only be used when it is the subject of the clause, which it is here, since the stress is doing the action. Som can be used as both subject and object, so it is always a safe choice.
Is stressen just the English word 'stress' with a Danish ending?
Yes! Danish borrows many English words and assigns them Danish grammatical genders. Stress is a common-gender noun (an en word). To say 'the stress', you add the definite suffix -en, giving you stressen.
Is it wrong to put a comma before der?
Not at all. Under traditional Danish comma rules (startkomma), you must put a comma before der. However, the official language council also allows a newer rule set where you leave the comma out before relative clauses like this one. You will see native speakers write it both ways.
Learn Det er stressen der gør mig syg and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free