De nit, acostumo a llegir al sofà amb una manta.

De nit means at night / in the evenings / by night, depending on context.

Catalan often uses de + time expression in set phrases:

• de dia = during the day
• de nit = at night
• de matí = in the morning

You may also hear a la nit, which also means at night, but de nit often feels more like a general time setting, while a la nit can sound more like a specific part of the day when something happens.

So in this sentence, De nit works like a natural time expression meaning at night / in the evenings.

Acostumo a means I usually or I tend to do something.

It comes from the verb acostumar. In this structure, it is followed by a + infinitive:

• acostumo a llegir = I usually read
• acostumes a estudiar = you usually study
• acostuma a sortir = he/she usually goes out

So acostumo a llegir literally means something like I am accustomed to reading, but in normal English the best translation is usually I usually read.

Because the verb acostumar-se / acostumar commonly uses the pattern acostumar a + infinitive when talking about habitual actions.

So:

• acostumo a llegir
• acostuma a treballar molt
• acostumem a sopar tard

This a is just part of the normal construction. English learners often want to say acostumo llegir, but that would not be correct here.

Because after acostumo a, Catalan uses the infinitive.

The structure is:

• conjugated verb: acostumo
• preposition: a
• infinitive: llegir

So:

• Acostumo a llegir = I usually read
• Acostumo a escriure = I usually write

This is similar to English I tend to read or I usually read, except Catalan uses the infinitive after a.

The exact pronunciation depends a bit on the dialect, but a helpful learner version is roughly:

• llegir ≈ yeh-JEER or lyeh-JEER

The tricky part is ll, which in many varieties sounds like a y sound, though in some accents it is pronounced differently.

Also:

• the final -ir sounds like eer
• the stress is on the last syllable: lle-GIR

So the strongest part is -gir.

Al is the contraction of a + el:

• a + el = al

So:

• al sofà = on the sofa / to the sofa, depending on context

With verbs like llegir, Catalan often uses a with places where the action happens:

• llegir al sofà = read on the sofa
• menjar a taula = eat at the table

The article el is included because sofà is a masculine singular noun:

• el sofà = the sofa

Not usually. In Catalan, a is often used where English uses in, on, or at for location.

So al sofà is the natural way to say on the sofa in this kind of sentence.

Using sobre el sofà would sound more like on top of the sofa in a more literal physical sense. For ordinary location while sitting/reading/resting, al sofà is the normal choice.

Amb means with.

So:

• amb una manta = with a blanket

It tells us what the speaker has or is using while reading.

Examples:

• amb un llibre = with a book
• amb els amics = with friends
• amb una tassa de te = with a cup of tea

So here, the person is reading on the sofa with a blanket.

Una manta means a blanket, so it introduces the blanket as a non-specific object.

If you said la manta, it would mean the blanket, referring to a specific blanket already known from context.

Compare:

• amb una manta = with a blanket
• amb la manta = with the blanket

In this sentence, the idea is general, so una manta sounds natural.

Yes, fairly flexible. Catalan word order is often similar to English, but time expressions can move around.

The original sentence:

• De nit, acostumo a llegir al sofà amb una manta.

You could also say:

• Acostumo a llegir al sofà amb una manta de nit.
• Acostumo a llegir de nit al sofà amb una manta.

These are all understandable, but the original sentence sounds very natural because De nit is placed first to set the scene: At night, ...

So the fronted time expression is common and natural.

Yes, depending on context. It literally points to nighttime, but in everyday use it can sometimes overlap with the idea of in the evening, especially when talking about routines.

If you want to be more specifically in the evening, Catalan often uses:

• al vespre = in the evening

So:

• De nit, acostumo a llegir... = At night / in the evenings, I usually read...
• Al vespre, acostumo a llegir... = In the evening, I usually read...

The difference is about nuance, not basic grammar.

Acostumo is present tense, first person singular, from acostumar.

Even though it is present tense, it expresses a habit, so in English it is often translated with usually:

• acostumo = I usually / I tend to

Full present forms:

• acostumo
• acostumes
• acostuma
• acostumem
• acostumeu
• acostumen

So the sentence is talking about a regular habit in the present.

Yes, it sounds natural and idiomatic.

A native speaker could definitely say:

• De nit, acostumo a llegir al sofà amb una manta.

It has very normal features of everyday Catalan:

• a time expression at the beginning (De nit)
• a habitual structure (acostumo a + infinitive)
• a natural location phrase (al sofà)
• a simple accompaniment phrase (amb una manta)

So it is a good model sentence for everyday speech.