När läkaren undersökte örat, blundade hon och skakade på huvudet.

Because Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb normally comes in the second position.

Here, the whole time clause När läkaren undersökte örat comes first. That takes the first position, so the finite verb of the main clause, blundade, must come next. After that comes the subject hon.

So:

• Hon blundade och skakade på huvudet. = normal main clause order
• När läkaren undersökte örat, blundade hon och skakade på huvudet. = the time clause is placed first, so inversion happens in the main clause

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Swedish.

Here när is a subordinating conjunction meaning when. It introduces the subordinate clause:

När läkaren undersökte örat

That whole clause tells us when the action in the main clause happened.

Important distinction:

• När? = When? as a question word
• När läkaren undersökte örat = When the doctor examined the ear as a subordinate clause

So in this sentence, när is not asking a question. It is connecting two clauses.

They are all in the preterite (simple past).

• undersökte = examined
• blundade = closed her eyes / had her eyes shut
• skakade = shook

In Swedish, this tense is used very broadly for completed past events in narration. English sometimes uses simple past and sometimes past progressive depending on style, but Swedish is often simpler here.

Because Swedish usually expresses the by attaching it to the end of the noun.

So:

• en läkare = a doctor

• läkaren = the doctor

• ett öra = an ear

• örat = the ear

• ett huvud = a head
• huvudet = the head

This is completely normal Swedish structure. Instead of a separate word like English the, Swedish often uses a suffix.

Because öra is the basic dictionary form, meaning ear. In the sentence, the noun is definite singular, so it becomes örat.

The pattern is:

• ett öra = an ear
• örat = the ear

A learner may also notice that the plural is irregular:

• öron = ears
• öronen = the ears

So örat is specifically the ear, singular.

Blunda means to close your eyes, often deliberately or for a short time.

It is not the same as:

• blinka = to blink

So blundade hon means that she shut her eyes, not just that she blinked once.

Depending on context, blunda can also be used figuratively, as in ignoring something, but here it is literal.

Because skaka på huvudet is the normal Swedish expression for to shake one’s head.

The preposition på is part of the idiomatic phrase. If you translate it word for word, it may feel strange, but in Swedish this is simply how the expression works.

So it is best to learn:

• skaka på huvudet = shake one’s head

as a fixed expression.

Swedish often uses the definite form instead of a possessive with body parts, especially when it is obvious whose body part is meant.

So:

• Hon skakade på huvudet = She shook her head

This sounds natural in Swedish.

Using sitt huvud or hennes huvud is possible in some contexts, but it is usually less natural here unless you need to emphasize ownership or avoid ambiguity.

This is a very common Swedish pattern with body parts and clothing.

If hon refers to läkaren, then yes, the doctor is female.

However, grammar alone does not absolutely force that reading in every possible context. Hon could in theory refer to another female person already known from the surrounding text.

But in this isolated sentence, most learners will naturally read hon as referring to läkaren, since that is the only person mentioned.

Because both verbs share the same subject.

So:

blundade hon och skakade på huvudet

means:

she closed her eyes and shook her head

Swedish, like English, does not need to repeat the subject when one subject is doing two coordinated actions.

You could repeat the subject for special emphasis, but normally you would not.

Not strictly.

In modern Swedish, many writers would also write:

När läkaren undersökte örat blundade hon och skakade på huvudet.

That is perfectly acceptable. The comma is also acceptable and can make the sentence easier to read.

So the comma here is mainly a punctuation choice, not a grammar requirement.