Breakdown of Lacken är vaxad, så den är skyddad mot regnet.
vara
to be
den
it (common)
så
so
skydda
to protect
mot
towards, against
regnet
the rain
lacken
the paintwork
vaxa
to wax
Questions & Answers about Lacken är vaxad, så den är skyddad mot regnet.
Why does this sentence use är vaxad and är skyddad instead of blir vaxad and blir skyddad?
Because it focuses on the current state of the paintwork, not the action of applying the wax. Using vara (here as är) creates a stative passive, meaning the waxing is already finished and the surface is now in a protected state. If you used blir, it would mean the action is happening right now: The paint is being waxed, so it is being protected.
Why do both vaxad and skyddad end in -d?
In a participial passive, the past participle acts like an adjective and must agree with the noun it describes. They both describe lacken (and its pronoun den), which is an en-word. If we were talking about an ett-word like golvet (the floor), they would end in -t (vaxat, skyddat), and for plural nouns they would end in -ade.
Is mot the standard preposition to use with skyddad?
Yes, skyddad mot (protected against) is the most natural and common collocation in Swedish when talking about defending against the elements, threats, or damage. While you might occasionally hear från (from), using mot is much more idiomatic, similar to putting up a barrier against the rain.
Why use lacken instead of färgen for 'the paintwork'?
Färg is the general word for paint or color, but lack specifically refers to varnish, lacquer, or the glossy automotive paint used on vehicles. Since you typically wax cars or boats rather than living room walls, lacken is the precise word to use here.
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