Questions & Answers about Han undrar vilket datum det är idag.
How does the word order in vilket datum det är idag differ from a direct question?
In a direct question, the verb comes first: Vilket datum är det idag? ("What date is it today?"). But here, the question is indirect and acts as a subordinate clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, the subject (det) must come before the verb (är).
The English translation says "what date". Why use vilket instead of vad?
When "what" is placed directly before a noun in English (like "what date" or "what book"), Swedish almost always uses the word for "which" instead: vilken, vilket, or vilka. You cannot say vad datum.
Why is it vilket datum and not vilken datum?
The question word has to match the gender of the noun it belongs to. Since datum is an ett-word (ett datum), you must use the ett-form of the question word, which is vilket.
What role does det play in this sentence?
Just like the "it" in the English phrase "it is today", det acts as an empty placeholder subject. Swedish requires this subject for expressions of time, weather, and temperature. Because this is an indirect question (a subordinate clause), det must sit right in front of the verb är.