Breakdown of Det är borrningen som låter mest.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
mest
most
låta
to sound (like)
borrningen
the drilling
Questions & Answers about Det är borrningen som låter mest.
How is borrningen formed from the verb for "to drill"?
The verb for "to drill" is att borra. To turn this action into a noun, we drop the final -a and add the suffix -ning, giving us borrning (drilling). Finally, the -en at the end makes it definite: borrningen (the drilling).
Is Det är... som... a common sentence structure in Swedish?
Yes! This is used to put special focus on a specific part of a sentence. Instead of just saying Borrningen låter mest (The drilling makes the most noise), phrasing it as Det är borrningen som låter mest emphasizes that it is specifically the drilling making the noise, rather than something else.
Why do we use som for "that" in this sentence instead of att?
som is a relative pronoun that refers directly back to the noun before it (borrningen). You use som when "that" can be replaced by "which" or "who" in English. You use att when "that" introduces a new statement, like in Jag vet att det låter (I know that it makes noise).
I learned that låter means "sounds" or "lets". Why is it translated as "makes noise" here?
In Swedish, att låta is the natural verb to use when something is noisy. While in English you "make a noise", in Swedish things just "sound". So låter mest literally means "sounds most", which is the standard way to say something "makes the most noise".
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