Breakdown of Scenografin är briljant men föreställningen är långsam, vilket gör att vi gäspar.
vara
to be
vi
we
långsam
slow
göra
to do, to make
vilket
which (ett) / what a (ett-word, exclamatory)
men
but
att
that
föreställningen
the performance (show)
scenografin
the set design
briljant
brilliant
gäspa
to yawn
Questions & Answers about Scenografin är briljant men föreställningen är långsam, vilket gör att vi gäspar.
Why do we use vilket here instead of som for "which"?
In Swedish, when "which" refers back to an entire idea or whole sentence rather than a specific noun, you must use vilket (or något som). Here, vilket refers to the whole fact that the performance is slow. If "which" referred just to the word föreställningen, you would use som.
Could I replace vilket with något som in this sentence?
Yes! You can say ...något som gör att vi gäspar. It means exactly the same thing: "something which makes us yawn". Using något som is very common in spoken Swedish and feels a bit more natural in everyday conversation, while vilket sounds slightly more formal.
Why does it say gör att vi gäspar instead of gör oss gäspa?
English speakers often try to translate "makes us yawn" word-for-word as gör oss gäspa. However, in Swedish, the verb göra (to make/do) cannot be followed directly by an object and an infinitive verb like that. Instead, you must use gör att ("makes it so that") followed by a new mini-sentence with its own subject and verb: gör att vi gäspar.
Why does the verb gör come immediately after vilket?
Because vilket acts as the subject of this relative clause. In Swedish, the verb usually comes right after the subject, so gör sits in that standard position. It works exactly the same way as if you were starting a new main sentence with det: Det gör att vi gäspar.
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