Breakdown of Håller du på att packa resväskan?
du
you (singular)
packa
to pack
resväskan
the suitcase
hålla på att
to be doing (progressive)
Questions & Answers about Håller du på att packa resväskan?
Why do we use håller på att instead of just asking Packar du resväskan?
Both are correct, but håller på att strongly emphasizes that the action is happening right at this very moment. It is the Swedish way of expressing the progressive aspect, acting much like the English '-ing' form to show that you are currently in the middle of packing.
Why is du placed right in the middle of the phrase håller på att?
Because this is a yes/no question, the first verb håller has to move to the very beginning of the sentence. The subject du must immediately follow that first verb. The rest of the phrase, på att, stays together and comes right after the subject.
Why is packa in its infinitive form here?
The word att works just like 'to' in English, marking the infinitive form of the verb. Whenever you use the håller på att structure, the actual action verb that follows it must always be in the infinitive. Here, that is packa (to pack).
How is the word resväskan built?
It is a compound word made from resa (to travel) and en väska (a bag), creating en resväska (a suitcase). The -n at the very end is the definite suffix, changing 'a suitcase' into 'the suitcase' (resväskan).