Learn Swedish: Han stod vinkande när tåget avgick. - He stood waving when the train departed.

Vinkande is the present participle of the verb att vinka (to wave). In this sentence, it acts as an adverb describing how he stood. In Swedish, you create this form by adding -ande to the verb stem (or -ende for some verbs), which often translates to the English "-ing" form.

Could I say Han var vinkande to mean "He was waving"?

No, this is a common trap for English speakers! Swedish does not use the verb att vara (to be) to form a continuous tense. To express that someone was in the middle of doing something, Swedish often uses a verb of position like stod (stood), satt (sat), or låg (lay) combined with the present participle, exactly as seen in this sentence.

Is it also correct to say Han stod och vinkade?

Yes, absolutely. Using a verb of position plus och (and) plus the past tense verb (stod och vinkade) is actually the most common way to say "he was waving" in spoken Swedish. Using the participle vinkande instead is slightly more descriptive and focuses heavily on the manner of how he stood.

Why use avgick instead of just gick for the train leaving?