Breakdown of Producenten väljer den som gråter mest.
gråta
to cry
välja
to choose
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
mest
most
Questions & Answers about Producenten väljer den som gråter mest.
Why use den som here instead of just som?
som translates to "who" or "that", but it normally needs a noun right before it to refer back to. Because we are saying "the one who" or "whoever" without a specific noun, we use the free relative phrase den som.
How do we know to use den som instead of det som or de som?
den is used because we are referring to a single person (which takes the common "en" gender, like en person). If we meant "the thing that", we would use det som. If we meant "the ones who" (plural), we would use de som.
Could I translate "the one who" using the word vem?
No, vem is strictly a question word ("who?") or used in indirect questions (like "I know who did it"). To say "the one who" as the object of a sentence like this, you must use den som.
Why use mest to mean "most" here instead of flest?
mest is used for uncountable amounts and actions, so it acts as an adverb here describing how much the person cries. flest is only used for countable things, like "the most actors" (flest skådespelare).