Breakdown of Den där mannen håller på att banka på dörren, och jag blir arg!
jag
I
och
and
mannen
the man
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
dörren
the door
arg
angry
bli
to become
den där
that (en)
hålla på att
to be doing (progressive)
banka
to bang / to pound
Questions & Answers about Den där mannen håller på att banka på dörren, och jag blir arg!
How does håller på att banka work to mean "is banging"?
Swedish doesn't have an "-ing" word ending like English does. To show that someone is right in the middle of doing something, you use the phrase håller på att followed by the infinitive form of the verb, which here is banka.
Why is it Den där mannen instead of just Den där man?
When you point something out using den där (that) or den här (this), Swedish grammar requires the noun that follows to be in its definite form (the form meaning "the"). So you are literally saying "that there the man".
Why are there two pås so close together in this sentence?
They are doing two completely different jobs. The first på is a fixed part of the phrase håller på att (is currently doing). The second på is a normal preposition meaning "on", connecting the action to the door in på dörren.
Why does the sentence use blir instead of är for "am getting angry"?
The verb blir means "to become". While English speakers say they are "getting" angry, sad, or tired, Swedish uses blir to show this change of state. If you used är (am), it would mean you are already angry, rather than currently becoming angry.
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