Breakdown of Lägg handen på höften.
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
handen
the hand
lägga
to lay, to put down
höften
the hip
Questions & Answers about Lägg handen på höften.
The English translation says "your hand" and "your hip", so why isn't the word din used in the Swedish sentence?
In Swedish, you usually don't use possessive pronouns (like din or min) for body parts or clothing if it is already obvious who they belong to. Instead, you use the definite forms: handen (the hand) and höften (the hip).
This lesson is about reflexive verbs. Why isn't there a reflexive pronoun like dig here?
You only use the reflexive pronoun if you are performing the action on your whole self. For example, Lägg dig means "Lie down" (literally "lay yourself"). Because you are only moving a specific body part (handen), lägga acts as a normal verb here, not a reflexive one.
How is the command form lägg created from its infinitive?
Lägg is the imperative (command) form of the verb lägga (to put or to lay). For most Swedish verbs that end in -a in their basic infinitive form, you create the imperative by simply dropping that final -a.
Could I use sätt instead of lägg here?
While both mean "put" in English, Swedish is very specific about placement. Lägg (from lägga) is used when placing something flat or horizontally, which fits resting a hand. Sätt (from sätta) implies placing something vertically or attaching it firmly.
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