Jeg sover lite om natten.

I sleep little at night.

Breakdown of Jeg sover lite om natten.

• jeg: I
• sove: to sleep
• natten: the night
• om: at
• lite: little

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?

Yes, på natten also means “at night,” but om natten emphasizes a routine or general timeframe (“during the nights”). På natten often describes something happening in the night period (e.g. På natten er det stille “At night it’s quiet”).

Why is there no article before natten?

In time expressions with om, you use the noun in its definite form without adding an article. So natt becomes natten, giving om natten (“during the night”) to express a general, recurring period.

What is the infinitive form of sover, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is sove. Its main forms are irregular:

• Infinitive: sove
• Present: sover
• Past: sov
• Present perfect: har sovet

How can I express the same idea with a negative construction?

You can say Jeg sover ikke mye om natten (“I don’t sleep much at night”) or Jeg sover nesten ikke om natten (“I hardly sleep at night”). Both convey a similar meaning to sover lite.

Can I start the sentence with om natten? If so, what changes in word order?

Yes. As a V2 language, Norwegian puts the finite verb second. So you say Om natten sover jeg lite. Here sover stays in second position, and jeg follows it.

What’s the difference between jeg sover lite and jeg sover ikke mye?

Both express that you sleep a small amount. Sover lite is more concise and formal, while sover ikke mye uses a straightforward negative (ikke + mye). The nuance is minor, and both are correct.