Breakdown of Hvad der sker i baggrunden, er svært at opfatte.
være
to be
i
in
hvad
what
at
to
svær
difficult
ske
to happen
der
who, which (relative, subject)
baggrunden
the background
opfatte
to perceive
Questions & Answers about Hvad der sker i baggrunden, er svært at opfatte.
Why do we need der after hvad in this sentence?
In this sentence, hvad (what) acts as the subject of the relative clause because it is the thing doing the happening (sker). Whenever 'what' is the subject of its own clause, Danish requires you to add der, making it hvad der. If 'what' were the object, you would just use hvad.
Why is there a comma right before the main verb er?
The entire first part of the sentence (Hvad der sker i baggrunden) acts as a single, large subject. Danish comma rules require a comma to separate this subordinate clause from the rest of the sentence. Because the subject clause has just ended, the main verb (er) must follow immediately.
Why does svært have a -t ending here?
The adjective svært (hard/difficult) describes the entire action of the first clause, not a specific common-gender noun. Whenever an adjective refers back to a whole sentence, an abstract concept, or an infinitive phrase, it takes the neuter -t ending by default.
Is it possible to use hvad som instead of hvad der?
No. While som and der are often interchangeable when meaning 'that' or 'which' after a regular noun, the specific combination for 'what' functioning as a subject is always hvad der. You cannot say hvad som sker.
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