Breakdown of Jag var klantig och höll på att välta glaset.
jag
I
vara
to be
och
and
glaset
the glass
klantig
clumsy (inept, bungling)
hålla på att
to almost do (averted action)
välta
to knock over
Questions & Answers about Jag var klantig och höll på att välta glaset.
Doesn't höll på att usually mean "was doing" something? Why does it mean "almost" here?
You're right that hålla på att usually creates a continuous tense, like "is doing". However, when used in the past tense (höll på att) with an instantaneous action or an accident (like knocking over a glass), it changes meaning to "was on the verge of" or "almost did". The action was averted right before it happened.
Could I just say nästan välte instead of höll på att välta?
Yes, jag nästan välte glaset means the same thing and is perfectly correct. However, using höll på att for averted accidents is extremely common in spoken Swedish, so it's a great construction to master to sound more natural.
Does the verb välta mean "to knock over" or "to fall over"?
It can mean both! Välta is one of those verbs that can be transitive (you knock something over, like glaset here) or intransitive (something tips over on its own, like a tree or a chair).
Is klantig the standard word for "clumsy"?
Yes, klantig is very common, though slightly informal. It means clumsy, careless, or foolish. You'll also frequently hear the verb form att klanta sig (to mess up or make a clumsy mistake) or the noun en klant (a klutz).
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