Word
Det som han vil forsøge, er at redde maleriet.
Meaning
What he will try is to save the painting.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Det som han vil forsøge, er at redde maleriet.
Why does the sentence use Det som instead of Hvad for 'What'?
In Danish, when 'what' means 'the thing that', you use the pseudo-cleft structure Det som rather than the question word hvad. English speakers often try to start these sentences with Hvad, but Det som is the natural and grammatically correct choice here.
Can I leave out som in this sentence?
Yes! Because han is the subject of the relative clause (han vil forsøge), the relative pronoun som is acting as the object of that clause. In Danish, object relative pronouns can be omitted, so you can absolutely say Det han vil forsøge, er at redde maleriet.
Why is there a comma right before the main verb er?
The comma separates the entire subject clause (Det som han vil forsøge) from the rest of the sentence. Under the traditional Danish comma rules (startkomma), you place a comma between two clauses, even when the first clause is acting as the subject for the main verb.
Why isn't there an inversion after Det som? Shouldn't the verb come second?
The phrase som han vil forsøge is a relative clause. Relative clauses use subordinate word order, which is strictly subject-first (han vil forsøge). The V2 (verb-second) rule applies to the main sentence: the entire group Det som han vil forsøge counts as the first position (the subject), making the main verb er the second element.