Breakdown of Vem är det som kan dölja nervositeten på scenen?
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
vem
who
kunna
to be able to, can
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
scenen
the stage
dölja
to hide (conceal, e.g., feelings or truth)
nervositeten
the nervousness
Questions & Answers about Vem är det som kan dölja nervositeten på scenen?
Why do we say Vem är det som kan dölja instead of just Vem kan dölja?
Why is the verb dölja used here instead of gömma? Both mean to hide.
gömma is used when you physically conceal a concrete object or a person in a location so they cannot be found. dölja is used for abstract things, like feelings (nervositeten), facts, or secrets. You can also use dölja when you obscure something from view rather than putting it in a physical hiding spot.
Can I drop the word som and just say Vem är det kan dölja...?
No, som is absolutely mandatory here. In a cleft sentence, if the focused word (in this case, Vem) acts as the subject of the action in the relative clause, you must include som as the subject marker before the verb.
Why is nervositeten in the definite form?
Swedish frequently uses the definite form for abstract nouns when referring to a specific, understood instance of that feeling. While in English you might say hide your nervousness or just hide nervousness, Swedish naturally prefers the definite nervositeten (the nervousness) to refer to the specific stage fright everyone knows about in this context.
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