Breakdown of Rör på dig, men var försiktig!
vara
to be
men
but
försiktig
careful
röra på sig
to move (one's body)
Questions & Answers about Rör på dig, men var försiktig!
Why do we use dig here instead of sig?
This sentence uses the imperative (a command), so the implied subject is "you". With a reflexive verb like röra på sig (to get moving), the reflexive pronoun always has to match the subject. Since you are commanding a single person, you use dig. If you were talking to a group, it would be Rör på er!
Why is the word på included in Rör på dig?
While röra sig simply means "to move" physically, adding the particle på creates the phrasal verb röra på sig. This specifically means "to get moving", "to move around", or "to get some exercise". It is the natural choice when encouraging someone to be active.
Wait, isn't var the past tense of vara (to be)?
Yes, but var is also the imperative form of vara. It is an irregular verb, so its command form happens to look identical to its past tense form ("was"). You can tell it's a command here because it follows another imperative verb (Rör).
Why is it försiktig and not the adverb form försiktigt?
Because it follows the verb vara (to be), the adjective is describing the person, not an action. The implied subject is a single person ("you"), which is treated as an en-word, so we use the base form försiktig. If you were talking to multiple people, it would need the plural form: var försiktiga!
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