Learn Hardcore Swedish: Han tittar på sitt ansikte i spegeln och undrar varför han verkar så trött. - He looks at his face in the mirror and wonders why he seems so tired.

titta (på) = to look (at), to direct your eyes on purpose
- You almost always use på when there is an object:
  - titta på TV = watch TV
  - titta på honom = look at him
se (på) or just se = to see (perceive with your eyes), or sometimes watch
- Jag ser honom = I see him
- Jag ser på TV = I watch TV

In Han tittar på sitt ansikte i spegeln, the idea is that he is deliberately looking at his face, so tittar på is the most natural choice.
Saying only Han tittar sitt ansikte would be wrong; the verb titta needs på before the object in this meaning.

Why is it sitt ansikte and not hans ansikte?

Swedish has special reflexive possessive pronouns (sin, sitt, sina) that refer back to the subject of the same clause.

sitt ansikte = his own face (the subject’s own)
hans ansikte = his face (some other male person’s face)

Here the subject of the clause is han, and the face belongs to that same han, so Swedish uses the reflexive form sitt.

Compare:

Han tittar på sitt ansikte = He looks at his own face.
Han tittar på hans ansikte = He looks at another man’s face.

Why is it sitt ansikte and not sin ansikte or sina ansikten?

The choice between sin, sitt, sina depends on the grammatical gender and number of the noun:

sin – for en-words, singular
sitt – for ett-words, singular
sina – for all plural nouns (both en- and ett-words)

The noun ansikte (face) is an ett-word: ett ansikte.
It is singular here, so you must use sitt:

ett ansikte → sitt ansikte
If it were plural:
ansikten → sina ansikten = (his/her) faces

Why is it i spegeln and not på spegeln?

The preposition shows the relationship between the person and the mirror:

i spegeln literally in the mirror, i.e. in the reflection.
- This is what you say when you mean in the mirror’s surface / image:
  - Jag ser mig i spegeln = I see myself in the mirror.
på spegeln = on the mirror (on its surface, physically on it).
- You’d use på if something is stuck on or lies on the mirror:
  - Det finns damm på spegeln = There is dust on the mirror.
  - Det sitter en lapp på spegeln = There is a note on the mirror.

In this sentence he’s looking at his reflection, so i spegeln is correct.

Why is it spegeln (with -n) and not en spegel?

Swedish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not in front:

en spegel = a mirror
spegeln = the mirror

We use the definite form when the thing is specific or known in context.
When you talk about looking in a mirror (normally the one in the room/bathroom), Swedish almost always uses the definite form:

Han tittar på sitt ansikte i spegeln = …in the mirror (the one there)

En spegel would sound like introducing some random, unspecified mirror:

Han såg en spegel på marknaden = He saw a mirror at the market.

Why is it undrar varför han verkar så trött and not undrar varför verkar han så trött?

This is about word order in indirect questions.

Varför verkar han så trött?
- This is a direct question (what you actually ask someone).
- Swedish uses verb-second word order in main clauses:
  - Adverb/question word first (Varför), then verb (verkar), then subject (han).
Han undrar varför han verkar så trött.
- This is an indirect question embedded inside another clause (after undrar).
- In indirect questions, Swedish uses normal clause order:
  - Subject before verb: han verkar, not verkar han.

So:

Direct: Varför verkar han så trött?
Indirect: Han undrar varför han verkar så trött.

What does verkar mean exactly here, and how is it different from är or ser … ut?

Verkar comes from verka, which often means to seem / to appear (in the sense of how something comes across, not physically appearing).

In this sentence:

han verkar så trött ≈ he seems so tired / he appears so tired.

Differences:

är = is (states a fact):
- Han är trött = He is tired (speaker treats it as fact).
verkar = seems, appears (speaker gives an impression, not a hard fact):
- Han verkar trött = He seems tired (maybe I’m not completely sure).
ser trött ut = literally looks tired (focus on what he looks like visually):
- Han ser trött ut = He looks tired.

Here, undrar varför han verkar så trött fits well because he’s questioning why he seems (or comes across) as so tired.

How can tittar and undrar both be simple present if in English we say “is looking” and “is wondering”?

Swedish does not usually have a separate continuous (progressive) tense like English is looking / is wondering.
The simple present in Swedish often covers both:

Han tittar på sitt ansikte
- Can mean he looks at his face (habitually)
- or he is looking at his face (right now), depending on context.
Han undrar varför …
- Can mean he wonders why … or he is wondering why ….

So:

Han tittar på sitt ansikte i spegeln och undrar…
corresponds naturally to English:
- He is looking at his face in the mirror and wondering…

Context, not verb form, tells you if it’s happening right now or regularly.

Why do we repeat han in varför han verkar så trött, instead of leaving it out?

Each clause in Swedish normally needs its own explicit subject.

Main clause: Han tittar på sitt ansikte i spegeln och undrar…
- Subject: Han
Subordinate clause: varför han verkar så trött
- Subject: han again (same person, but new clause)

You cannot just say:

✗ …och undrar varför verkar så trött (missing subject)
✗ …och undrar varför verkar han så trött (wrong word order for an indirect question)

You have to repeat the subject inside the subordinate clause:

…och undrar varför han verkar så trött.

What exactly does så trött mean, and how is it different from mycket trött or jättetrött?

Så literally means so, but it can have a slightly emotional or emphatic flavour:

så trött = so tired, that tired
- Often used when you’re expressing surprise, frustration, or emphasis:
  - Varför är jag så trött? = Why am I so tired?

mycket trött = very tired / much tired (more neutral/intensifying):

Han är mycket trött = He is very tired.
- Grammatically fine, a bit more formal or written.

jättetrött = very / extremely tired, more colloquial:

jättetrött = literally giant-tired, common in speech.
- Han är jättetrött = He is extremely tired.

In varför han verkar så trött, så fits well with the idea of “why he seems that tired”, with some emotional nuance (he’s puzzled or concerned).

Why is there only one han before tittar and undrar? Could I repeat it?

In Han tittar på sitt ansikte i spegeln och undrar…, the two verbs tittar and undrar share the same subject.

Swedish (like English) usually does not repeat the subject when two verbs are simply joined by och and refer to the same person:

Han sitter och läser. = He is sitting and reading.
Hon sjunger och dansar. = She sings and dances.

You could say:

Han tittar på sitt ansikte i spegeln och han undrar…

This is grammatically correct, but it sounds more heavy or emphatic. The most natural version here is to only use han once and let it be the subject for both tittar and undrar.