Breakdown of Borra inte! Jag håller på att lyssna på radion.
jag
I
inte
not
lyssna på
to listen to
radion
the radio
hålla på att
to be doing (progressive)
borra
to drill
Questions & Answers about Borra inte! Jag håller på att lyssna på radion.
How exactly does håller på att give us the meaning of "am listening"?
Swedish doesn't have an exact match for the English "-ing" ending. Instead, to show that an action is happening right at this exact moment, you use the phrase håller på att followed by the infinitive form of the verb, which here is lyssna. It translates perfectly to "I am listening".
Why are there two på words in the second sentence?
They belong to two completely separate phrases! The first på is a required part of the progressive phrase håller på att (to be in the middle of doing something). The second på belongs to the verb lyssna, because in Swedish you always "listen on" something (lyssna på).
Why is the command Borra inte instead of Inte borra?
When giving a direct command, you start with the imperative form of the verb, which is borra (drill). To make it a negative command ("Don't drill"), the word inte must come right after the verb.
Why does it say radion instead of just radio?
Radion is the definite form, meaning "the radio". Just like in English where we say "I am listening to the radio" rather than "listening to radio", Swedish uses the definite form for this common phrase.
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