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Vad är det som ligger bakom nervositeten?

Vad är det som ligger bakom nervositeten?
What is it that lies behind the nervousness?
From Lesson 335:Focused questions (vem är det som…)·Swedish

Questions & Answers about Vad är det som ligger bakom nervositeten?

Why use Vad är det som instead of just Vad ligger bakom nervositeten?
Both are grammatically correct, but the cleft construction Vad är det som... (What is it that...) adds emphasis. It focuses the listener's attention on finding the specific, perhaps hidden, cause. It makes the question sound more probing and analytical than a simple Vad ligger bakom.
Can I drop the word som and just ask Vad är det ligger bakom nervositeten?
No, som is absolutely required here. In a cleft sentence, som acts as the relative pronoun (like "that" in English) connecting the two parts of the sentence. Because the thing you are asking about is the subject of the verb ligger, you cannot omit som.
Could I use är instead of ligger to say "is behind"?
You would be understood if you said Vad är det som är bakom, but ligger bakom (literally "lies behind") is a very strong, natural Swedish collocation. It is the standard idiomatic way to talk about the underlying cause of a situation, event, or feeling.
Why does the sentence use the definite form nervositeten (the nervousness) when English might just say "behind nervousness"?
Swedish uses the definite form for abstract nouns much more often than English does, especially when referring to a specific instance of a feeling. Here, the speaker is talking about the specific nervousness someone is currently experiencing, so the definite -en ending is the most natural choice.

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