Breakdown of Vad är det som är quizets näst svåraste fråga?
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
vad
what
frågan
the question
Questions & Answers about Vad är det som är quizets näst svåraste fråga?
How does näst svåraste translate to "second hardest"?
In Swedish, you express "second most" or "second [adjective]-est" by combining the word näst (next) with the superlative form of the adjective. So, näst svåraste literally means "next hardest", which translates perfectly to "second hardest" in English. For ranks beyond second, you would use ordinal numbers, like tredje svåraste (third hardest).
Why use the long phrase Vad är det som är instead of just asking Vad är quizets näst svåraste fråga?
The phrase Vad är det som är (literally "What is it that is") is a cleft sentence used for emphasis. It acts similarly to "What exactly is..." or "Which one is..." in English. While the shorter version is grammatically correct, this longer structure is very common in spoken Swedish when you want to draw focus to the specific thing being identified.
Why is the noun in the indefinite form (fråga) instead of the definite form (frågan) when referring to a specific question?
Whenever a noun is preceded by a genitive or possessive word—in this case, quizets—the noun itself must take the indefinite form. Even though we mean "the" question, Swedish grammar requires the possessive owner to carry the definite meaning, following the pattern: possessive + adjective + indefinite noun.
How does the English loanword quiz work in Swedish grammar?