Learn Swedish: Varför håller han på att banka på bordet? Jag håller på att stryka! - Why is he banging on the table? I am ironing!

Swedish usually uses the simple present tense for both general and ongoing actions, so han bankar means both 'he bangs' and 'he is banging'. However, when you want to strongly emphasize that an action is happening right at this exact moment, you use håller på att followed by an infinitive verb (like banka or stryka).

Is it normal to have på twice so close together in håller på att banka på bordet?

Yes! It might feel repetitive, but they have completely different jobs. The first is a fixed part of the progressive phrase håller på att (is in the middle of). The second is the regular preposition meaning 'on' for på bordet (on the table).

How does the word order work in the question Varför håller han på att...?

Swedish relies on the V2 rule, meaning the main conjugated verb must come second. Here, the question word Varför (Why) takes the first spot, so the conjugated verb håller must immediately follow it. This pushes the subject han (he) into the third spot.

Why does stryka mean 'ironing' here? I thought it meant something else.

Stryka is a versatile verb. It means to iron clothes, but it can also mean to stroke or pet an animal, or to cross a word out. Here, the context of being annoyed by noise while doing a household chore makes 'ironing' the obvious choice!