Breakdown of Det är målvakten som gör räddningen!
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
göra
to do, to make
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
målvakten
the goalkeeper
räddningen
the save
Questions & Answers about Det är målvakten som gör räddningen!
Why use Det är målvakten som... instead of just saying Målvakten gör räddningen?
This is a cleft sentence (utbrytning). By breaking the sentence apart and framing it with Det är... som... (It is... who/that...), you put strong emphasis on the goalkeeper. It highlights that it is the goalkeeper (and not a defender, for example) who makes the save.
Since målvakten is a person, why do we use som instead of vem for "who"?
In Swedish, som is the universal relative pronoun used to mean "who", "which", or "that" when linking a clause back to a noun. Vem is strictly a question word (like "Who is that?") or used in indirect questions. You can never use vem to mean "the person who".
I recognize mål (goal) in målvakten. What does the rest of the word mean?
It is a compound word made of mål (goal) and en vakt (a guard or watchman). So målvakten literally translates to "the goal-guard"!
Is göra (to do/make) the standard verb to use with a "save" in sports?
Yes! Just like in English where a goalie "makes" a save, Swedish uses gör. You will frequently hear sports commentators talk about att göra en räddning (to make a save).
How is the word räddningen formed?
It comes from the verb att rädda (to save or rescue). By adding the suffix -ning, it turns into the noun en räddning (a save/rescue). The -en at the very end just makes it the definite form: räddningen (the save).
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