Breakdown of Livvakten flyttar blicken till mannen bakom sig.
mannen
the man
till
to (direction, destination)
sig
oneself / himself / herself / themselves
flytta
to move
bakom
behind
livvakten
the bodyguard
blicken
the gaze
Questions & Answers about Livvakten flyttar blicken till mannen bakom sig.
Why is it bakom sig here instead of bakom honom?
Because sig is a reflexive pronoun that points back to the subject of the sentence, Livvakten. In English, we say 'behind him', but in Swedish, if we used honom, it would mean the man was behind a completely different person. By using sig with a spatial preposition like bakom, it shows the bodyguard is looking at the man behind himself.
Why does the Swedish sentence say blicken (the gaze) when the English translation says 'his gaze'?
When it is obvious who owns something, especially body parts, clothing, or physical attributes like a gaze, Swedish usually just uses the definite form (here, blicken). Using a possessive like sin blick is not wrong, but the definite form is much more common and natural in this context.
Is Livvakten a compound word?
Yes, it combines liv (life) and vakt (guard), plus the definite ending -en. Note that while it translates literally as 'life-guard', it specifically means a bodyguard protecting a person. A lifeguard at a swimming pool or beach is instead called a badvakt or livräddare.
Could I say flyttar blicken på mannen instead of till mannen?
No, you need till (to) because the verb flyttar (moves) involves transferring something from one location to a destination. If the verb were tittar (looks), you would use på (tittar på mannen = looks at the man).
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