Breakdown of Det som konservatoren kigger på, er lærredet.
være
to be
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
det
that (demonstrative, neuter)
kigge
to look
som
who, which, that (relative pronoun)
konservatoren
the conservator
lærredet
the canvas
Questions & Answers about Det som konservatoren kigger på, er lærredet.
Why does the sentence start with Det som instead of Hvad?
English uses "What" in this structure ("What the conservator is looking at..."), but in Danish, pseudo-cleft sentences standardly use Det som (literally "That which"). While you might hear Hvad in very casual speech influenced by English, Det som is the correct and natural way to build this sentence.
Could I leave out som and just say Det konservatoren kigger på...?
Yes, you can. In Danish, you can drop the relative pronoun (som) when it is the object of the relative clause. Here, the conservator is the subject, and som represents the object they are looking at, so dropping it is perfectly fine and very common.
Could I use der instead of som here?
No. While der and som are often interchangeable, der can only be used when it acts as the subject of the relative clause. Because the subject of the relative clause here is konservatoren, you must use som (or drop it entirely).
Why is there a comma before er? We wouldn't use one in English.
Under traditional Danish comma rules (grammatisk komma), you must place a comma between clauses. The entire phrase Det som konservatoren kigger på is a subordinate clause acting as the subject of the sentence. The comma marks the end of this subject clause right before the main verb (er) begins.
Why is the preposition på placed right before the comma?
Danish strongly prefers "preposition stranding" in relative clauses. Just like in natural English ("What he is looking at"), the preposition på stays next to its verb (kigger) at the end of the clause, rather than moving to the front.
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