Questions & Answers about Vi har nesten ingen tid.
What part of speech is nesten, and what does it mean in this sentence?
nesten is an adverb. It modifies ingen here and means almost. In Vi har nesten ingen tid, it tells us that the amount of time is just shy of zero.
Why is ingen used instead of ikke + noe or just ikke?
ingen is the negative indefinite pronoun that directly replaces “no” or “none” before a noun.
- ingen tid = no time
You could say Vi har ikke noe tid, but Vi har ingen tid is shorter and more idiomatic. Saying only ikke tid is ungrammatical unless you add noe (i.e. ikke noe tid).
What’s the difference between Vi har nesten ingen tid and Vi har nesten ikke tid?
Both are understood by Norwegians, but:
- Vi har nesten ingen tid (“We have almost no time”) uses the pronoun ingen and feels more direct.
- Vi har nesten ikke tid (“We almost don’t have time”) is colloquial and more common with jeg (e.g. Jeg har nesten ikke tid). It still sounds natural, but many learners find nesten ingen clearer.
Why is there no article before tid?