The relative pronoun "vad"
You already know vad as the question word for "what". Just like in English, you can also use vad in the middle of a sentence to mean "what" or "that which".
| The fortune teller can see what the crystal ball shows. | Spådamen kan se vad kristallkulan visar. |
| She knows what the symbol in the palm means. | Hon vet vad symbolen i handflatan betyder. |
When used this way, vad acts as a relative pronoun connecting two parts of a sentence. It introduces a subordinate clause and is extremely common when describing what someone knows, sees, or explains.
| Since destiny is secret, we must interpret what she says. | Eftersom ödet är hemligt måste vi tolka vad hon säger. |
Indirect questions and prepositions
You will frequently use vad to embed an indirect question into a statement. Notice that the clause following vad uses standard word order (Subject + Verb).
| I asked her what the zodiac sign means. | Jag frågade henne vad stjärntecknet betyder. |
If the first part of the sentence uses a verb that is normally paired with a preposition (like lyssnar på), you simply place the preposition right before vad.
| We put our hands next to the crystal ball and listen to what the prophecy says. | Vi lägger händerna bredvid kristallkulan och lyssnar på vad spådomen säger. |
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