Expressing Part-Whole Possession
To express that a physical part belongs to an inanimate object—like the heel of a shoe or the zipper of a bag—Swedish uses the preposition på (on). Instead of saying "the heel of the shoe," you literally say "the heel on the shoe."
Both the part and the whole take their definite forms:
- [The Part (definite)] + på
- [The Whole (definite)]
| Is the cobbler sitting and repairing the heel of the shoe? | Sitter skomakaren och lagar klacken på skon? |
| The cobbler replaced the sole of the boot before he closed the shop. | Skomakaren bytte sulan på stöveln innan han stängde butiken. |
Clothes, Bags, and Accessories
This pattern applies to almost all parts of clothing, bags, and accessories.
| The zipper of the bag is completely broken, so I have to repair it. | Dragkedjan på väskan är helt trasig, så jag måste reparera den. |
| Why is the shoelace of the boot so short? | Varför är skosnöret på kängan så kort? |
| The buckle of the belt is completely broken. | Spännet på bältet är helt trasigt. |
Whether you are pointing out a split seam, a broken strap, or a soft lining, på reliably links the specific part to the whole.
| The seam of the bag has split. | Sömmen på väskan har spruckit. |
| The lining of the coat felt soft when she put it on. | Fodret på kappan kändes mjukt när hon tog på sig den. |
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