hålla på

== Swedish == === Verb === hålla på (present håller på, preterite höll på, supine hållit på, imperative håll på) (often with med) to be doing, to be up to (to currently be doing something) to be at it to be in the process of (like above, but for objects, phenomena, and the like) to last (go on for) Synonym: vara to almost, to nearly, to be close to (have something (usually undesirable) happen – can be understood as "to be in the process of," like above, with an implication of not reaching the end) (colloquial) to be doing (something (usually disagreeable) that is clear from context, that goes on for a while) (with the stress on hålla) to root for, to support (a team or the like) Synonym: heja på ==== Usage notes ==== Can be used to express the continuous tense, which Swedish lacks as a grammatical feature ("Jag städar" can mean both "I clean" (as opposed to never clean, or as a profession or the like) and "I'm cleaning," while "Jag håller på och städar" can only mean "I'm cleaning"). The intended meaning is usually clear from context though, and "hålla på" is often used just to give a tone closer to "be up to" as opposed to "be doing." ==== See also ==== på väg === References === hålla på in Svensk ordbok (SO) hålla på in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)