Breakdown of Vem är det som ansvarar för provspelningen?
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
vem
who
för
for, to
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
ansvara
to be responsible
provspelningen
the audition
Questions & Answers about Vem är det som ansvarar för provspelningen?
Why use Vem är det som instead of just asking Vem ansvarar för provspelningen?
Vem är det som is a cleft construction, literally meaning "Who is it that...". While Vem ansvarar för is grammatically correct, Swedish speakers frequently use this cleft version to put strong emphasis on the question word. It sounds much more natural in everyday Swedish when you want to single out exactly who out of a group holds the responsibility.
Could I drop the word som and just say Vem är det ansvarar...?
No, you must include som here. In this cleft construction, Vem is the subject of the action (the one doing the being responsible). Whenever the focused question word is the subject of the relative clause, Swedish requires the relative pronoun som to link it to the verb.
What is the difference between using the verb ansvarar för and saying är ansvarig för?
Both mean "is responsible for" and are often interchangeable. Ansvarar för is a verb, while är ansvarig för uses the adjective ansvarig. The verb ansvarar focuses slightly more on the active, ongoing duty of managing the audition, whereas är ansvarig describes a formal role or state.
How is the word provspelningen put together?
It is a compound noun made from prov (test or trial) and spelningen (the playing, from the verb spela). Together, en provspelning means an audition, especially for a musician or an actor. In this sentence, it has the definite suffix -en to mean "the audition".
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