Jeg sover lite om natten.

I

Breakdown of Jeg sover lite om natten.

• sove: to sleep
• natten: the night
• om: at

Questions & Answers about Jeg sover lite om natten.

What is the role of lite in this sentence?

In Jeg sover lite om natten, lite is an adverb meaning “not much” or “a small amount.” It modifies the verb sover (sleep), indicating that the speaker sleeps little.

Why do we use lite here instead of litt?

Both lite and litt can function as adverbs, but with verbs expressing limited quantity or degree, lite is preferred. Litt is more common with nouns (e.g. litt vann “a little water”) or in fixed expressions like jeg liker deg litt. For sleeping, you always say sover lite, not sover litt.

What does om mean in om natten, and why not use i?

Here, om is a preposition used for general or recurring time periods: om morgenen (in the mornings), om sommeren (in the summer), om natten (at night, generally). I natt means “tonight” (this coming night) and is used for a specific instance, not the habitual sense.

Could I say på natten instead of om natten, and is there a difference?