Breakdown of Jag smörjer in mig med lotionen och masserar mig på vaden.
jag
I
och
and
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
mig
me
Questions & Answers about Jag smörjer in mig med lotionen och masserar mig på vaden.
Why does the sentence say masserar mig på vaden instead of masserar min vad?
In Swedish, when performing an action on your own body, it is most natural to use a reflexive pronoun (like mig) followed by a preposition (like på) and the definite form of the body part. Saying masserar min vad sounds like a direct translation from English and feels unnatural to native speakers.
Why do we use the definite form vaden ("the calf") here?
This goes hand-in-hand with the reflexive structure. Since the reflexive pronoun (mig) already establishes whose body is receiving the action, Swedish uses the definite form of the body part instead of a possessive pronoun. You are literally saying "I massage myself on the calf."
What does the particle in add to the verb? Could I just say smörjer mig?
The base verb smörja generally means to lubricate or grease something, like a squeaking bicycle chain. By adding the particle in, you create the phrasal verb smörja in, which specifically means to rub a cream, lotion, or ointment into the skin.
I thought vad meant "what". How do I know it means "calf" here?
They are spelled the same but are pronounced differently. The question word vad (what) usually has a short vowel and the "d" is often dropped in everyday speech. The noun en vad (a calf) has a long "a" vowel sound and a clearly pronounced "d". The context of massaging a body part also makes the meaning obvious!