Breakdown of Scenografin var usel, något som gjorde regissören arg.
vara
to be
göra
to do, to make
arg
angry
något
something / any (ett-word)
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
regissören
the director
usel
awful
scenografin
the set design
Questions & Answers about Scenografin var usel, något som gjorde regissören arg.
Why do we use något som here instead of just som?
Because it refers back to the entire first clause (the fact that the set design was awful) rather than a specific noun. When referring to a whole situation or event, you must use något som (something that) or vilket (which). If you used just som, it would incorrectly try to attach to the preceding adjective usel.
Can I use vilket instead of något som here?
Yes! You can say ...vilket gjorde regissören arg. Both vilket and något som are used to refer back to a complete clause. Något som often sounds a bit more natural in everyday speech, while vilket can sound slightly more formal or written, but they are grammatically interchangeable here.
Why is the adjective arg in its base form here?
Arg describes regissören (the director), which is an en-word (en regissör). Even though the adjective comes after the verb and at the very end of the sentence, it still must agree with the noun it describes. Since regissören is singular and an en-word, we use the base form arg.
Is usel just another word for bad?
It means bad, but it is much stronger than the basic word dålig. Usel translates to awful, terrible, or worthless, so it describes something of exceptionally poor quality.
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