Commenting on a Whole Sentence
Sometimes you want to comment on an entire event or situation, rather than just describing a single noun. If you want to say, "The actor forgot the line, which was awful," the word "which" does not refer to the line itself—it refers to the fact that the actor forgot it.
When a relative pronoun refers back to a complete preceding clause, Swedish uses vilket.
| The actor forgot the line, which was awful. | Skådespelaren glömde repliken, vilket var uselt. |
| The set design was actually brilliant, which impressed me. | Scenografin var faktiskt briljant, vilket imponerade på mig. |
Using "Något som"
An equally common alternative to vilket is the phrase något som, which translates literally to "something that". You use it in the exact same way to attach a comment or an evaluation to the preceding sentence.
| The acting is weak, something that ruins the play. | Skådespeleriet är svagt, något som förstör pjäsen. |
| The acting has actually been convincing, something that impresses the audience. | Skådespeleriet har faktiskt varit övertygande, något som imponerar på publiken. |
Explaining Consequences
Both vilket and något som are perfect for explaining the cause-and-effect of a situation, making them great tools for writing critical reviews.
| The critic yawned often, which means that the performance was awful. | Recensenten gäspade ofta, vilket betyder att föreställningen var usel. |
| The staging is brilliant but the performance is slow, which makes us yawn. | Scenografin är briljant men föreställningen är långsam, vilket gör att vi gäspar. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io