diff --git a/vlib/v/checker/assign.v b/vlib/v/checker/assign.v
index 5906de76ee..dd31975b17 100644
--- a/vlib/v/checker/assign.v
+++ b/vlib/v/checker/assign.v
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ fn (mut c Checker) assign_stmt(mut node ast.AssignStmt) {
 		if !is_decl && left is ast.Ident && !is_blank_ident && !left_type.is_real_pointer()
 			&& right_type.is_real_pointer() && !right_type.has_flag(.shared_f) {
 			left_sym := c.table.sym(left_type)
-			if left_sym.kind != .function {
+			if left_sym.kind !in [.function, .array] {
 				c.warn(
 					'cannot assign a reference to a value (this will be an error soon) left=${c.table.type_str(left_type)} ${left_type.is_ptr()} ' +
 					'right=${c.table.type_str(right_type)} ${right_type.is_real_pointer()} ptr=${right_type.is_ptr()}',
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
index 04cbe44084..68012552d0 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
@@ -843,6 +843,7 @@ fn (mut g Gen) gen_assign_vars_autofree(node &ast.AssignStmt) {
 
 fn (mut g Gen) gen_cross_var_assign(node &ast.AssignStmt) {
 	for i, left in node.left {
+		left_is_auto_deref_var := left.is_auto_deref_var()
 		match left {
 			ast.Ident {
 				left_typ := node.left_types[i]
@@ -851,9 +852,20 @@ fn (mut g Gen) gen_cross_var_assign(node &ast.AssignStmt) {
 				if left_sym.kind == .function {
 					g.write_fn_ptr_decl(left_sym.info as ast.FnType, '_var_${left.pos.pos}')
 					g.writeln(' = ${anon_ctx}${c_name(left.name)};')
+				} else if left_is_auto_deref_var {
+					styp := g.typ(left_typ).trim('*')
+					if left_sym.kind == .array {
+						g.writeln('${styp} _var_${left.pos.pos} = array_clone(${anon_ctx}${c_name(left.name)});')
+					} else {
+						g.writeln('${styp} _var_${left.pos.pos} = *${anon_ctx}${c_name(left.name)};')
+					}
 				} else {
 					styp := g.typ(left_typ)
-					g.writeln('${styp} _var_${left.pos.pos} = ${anon_ctx}${c_name(left.name)};')
+					if left_sym.kind == .array {
+						g.writeln('${styp} _var_${left.pos.pos} = array_clone(&${anon_ctx}${c_name(left.name)});')
+					} else {
+						g.writeln('${styp} _var_${left.pos.pos} = ${anon_ctx}${c_name(left.name)};')
+					}
 				}
 			}
 			ast.IndexExpr {
@@ -1009,18 +1021,36 @@ fn (mut g Gen) gen_cross_tmp_variable(left []ast.Expr, val ast.Expr) {
 			g.write(')')
 		}
 		ast.CallExpr {
-			mut fn_name := val.name.replace('.', '__')
-			if val.concrete_types.len > 0 {
-				fn_name = g.generic_fn_name(val.concrete_types, fn_name)
-			}
-			g.write('${fn_name}(')
-			for i, arg in val.args {
-				g.gen_cross_tmp_variable(left, arg.expr)
-				if i != val.args.len - 1 {
-					g.write(', ')
+			if val.is_method {
+				rec_cc_type := g.cc_type(val.receiver_type, false)
+				mut rec_typ_name := util.no_dots(rec_cc_type)
+				if g.table.sym(val.receiver_type).kind == .array {
+					rec_typ_name = 'array'
 				}
+				fn_name := util.no_dots('${rec_typ_name}_${val.name}')
+				g.write('${fn_name}(&')
+				g.gen_cross_tmp_variable(left, val.left)
+				for i, arg in val.args {
+					g.gen_cross_tmp_variable(left, arg.expr)
+					if i != val.args.len - 1 {
+						g.write(', ')
+					}
+				}
+				g.write(')')
+			} else {
+				mut fn_name := val.name.replace('.', '__')
+				if val.concrete_types.len > 0 {
+					fn_name = g.generic_fn_name(val.concrete_types, fn_name)
+				}
+				g.write('${fn_name}(')
+				for i, arg in val.args {
+					g.gen_cross_tmp_variable(left, arg.expr)
+					if i != val.args.len - 1 {
+						g.write(', ')
+					}
+				}
+				g.write(')')
 			}
-			g.write(')')
 		}
 		ast.PrefixExpr {
 			g.write(val.op.str())
diff --git a/vlib/v/parser/assign.v b/vlib/v/parser/assign.v
index 99a2c226b8..7739f75c52 100644
--- a/vlib/v/parser/assign.v
+++ b/vlib/v/parser/assign.v
@@ -157,6 +157,9 @@ fn (mut p Parser) check_cross_variables(exprs []ast.Expr, val ast.Expr) bool {
 			return p.check_cross_variables(exprs, val.expr)
 		}
 		ast.CallExpr {
+			if p.check_cross_variables(exprs, val.left) {
+				return true
+			}
 			for arg in val.args {
 				if p.check_cross_variables(exprs, arg.expr) {
 					return true
diff --git a/vlib/v/tests/swap_array_test.v b/vlib/v/tests/swap_array_test.v
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..882d8e7bc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vlib/v/tests/swap_array_test.v
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+fn test_swap_array() {
+	mut array1 := []int{len: 10, init: 1}
+
+	println(array1)
+	swaper(mut array1)
+	println(array1)
+
+	assert array1 == [22, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2]
+}
+
+fn swaper(mut array1 []int) {
+	mut array2 := []int{len: 10, init: 2}
+	array1[0] = 11
+	array2[0] = 22
+
+	unsafe {
+		array1, array2 = array2, array1
+	}
+}