In English, we often use phrases like "the one who," "those who," or "what" to talk about unidentified people or things. Swedish handles this elegantly using free relative clauses, which are built by pairing a pronoun (den, det, or de) with the relative marker som.
People: Den som and De som
To talk about people without naming them, use den som for a single person ("the one who," "he who," "she who") and de som for multiple people ("those who"). These phrases act as complete noun blocks, seamlessly serving as the subject of a sentence.
| Those who come to the tryout are nervous. | De som kommer till uttagningen är nervösa. |
| The one who can entertain wins the competition. | Den som kan underhålla vinner tävlingen. |
Things and Concepts: Det som
When you want to say "what" or "that which" in statements about things, actions, or abstract concepts, use det som.
| What the producer says is important. | Det som producenten säger är viktigt. |
| The viewer likes what is funny. | Tittaren gillar det som är roligt. |
Acting as Objects
Because these free relative clauses act as full noun phrases, they aren't restricted to being the subject of your sentence. The entire block—whether it starts with den, det, or de—can be the direct object of a verb, or it can follow a preposition.
| The producer chooses the one who cries the most. | Producenten väljer den som gråter mest. |
| Someone must organize the tryout for the one who wants to compete. | Någon måste ordna uttagningen för den som vill tävla. |