Breakdown of Pojken undrar vad som egentligen saknas.
vad
what
pojken
the boy
undra
to wonder
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
Questions & Answers about Pojken undrar vad som egentligen saknas.
Why is there a som after vad?
In an indirect question, when the question word (vad, vem, or vilken) is the subject of the clause, you must add som. Since "what" is the thing doing the missing in "what is actually missing", we need vad som. If the sentence were "The boy wonders what you are doing", it would just be vad (Pojken undrar vad du gör) because "you" (du) is the subject.
Why is egentligen placed before the verb saknas?
Because the second part of the sentence (vad som egentligen saknas) is a subordinate clause. In a normal main clause, adverbs like egentligen (actually) or inte (not) usually come after the first verb. But in a subordinate clause, they must come before the verb. This is often taught as the BIFF rule.
Why does saknas end in an -s?
The -s here does not mean plural. Saknas is a verb that always ends in -s. While many Swedish verbs add an -s to become passive (like "is eaten" or "is opened"), saknas just naturally translates to the active English phrase "is missing" or "is lacking".
Can I use faktiskt instead of egentligen for "actually"?