Jeg har knapt tid til å lese i kveld.

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Breakdown of Jeg har knapt tid til å lese i kveld.

• ha: to have
• til: to
• å: to

Questions & Answers about Jeg har knapt tid til å lese i kveld.

What exactly does "knapt" mean here?

It means hardly/barely/scarcely. It says you have very little time, but not necessarily zero. It’s a bit tighter than “almost not,” and can feel slightly more concise or neutral than “nesten ikke.” You can intensify it as knapt nok (“barely enough”): Jeg har knapt nok tid.

Where should "knapt" go in the sentence? Can I put it after "tid" or after the verb?

Put knapt right before what it limits. Here it limits the amount of tid (time), so:

• Correct: Jeg har knapt tid til å lese i kveld.
• Also okay (emphasis shift): Jeg har nesten ikke tid til å lese i kveld.
• Not idiomatic: “Jeg har tid knapt til å lese …”
• Not typical: “Jeg knapt har tid …” (sounds marked/poetic). Standard is Jeg har knapt tid.

Why is it "tid til å lese" and not "tid å lese"?

After tid you normally use til: tid til + noun/verb. With a verb, it’s tid til å + infinitive: tid til å lese. Saying “tid å lese” is ungrammatical in this meaning.

Can I say "tid for å lese" instead of "tid til å lese"?