Breakdown of Fryser du om händerna?
du
you (singular)
handen
the hand
frysa
to be cold / to freeze
om
in (be cold in a body part)
Questions & Answers about Fryser du om händerna?
Why does it say händerna (the hands) instead of dina händer (your hands)?
In Swedish, when talking about body parts or clothing that belong to the subject of the sentence, you usually use the definite article (like händerna) instead of a possessive pronoun (like dina). It is already understood from the context that they are your hands!
The English translation is 'Are your hands cold?', but what is the Swedish sentence literally saying?
Literally, it translates to 'Do you freeze around the hands?'. In Swedish, you do not usually say that the body part itself is cold. Instead, you use the verb fryser (to feel cold) and say that you are feeling cold in that specific area.
Why is the preposition om used here?
The phrase att frysa om is a fixed expression in Swedish used specifically when a body part is cold. You can think of it as feeling cold 'around' (om) that area. For example, you can also say jag fryser om fötterna (my feet are cold).
Händerna comes from the word hand, right? Why does the vowel change?
Yes, the singular is en hand. When making it plural, it undergoes an irregular vowel change to händer (hands). Then, the definite plural ending -na is added to make händerna (the hands). This a-to-ä change happens in a few other common words too, like en tand becoming tänder (teeth).