Questions & Answers about I mørketiden henger det små reflekser på ryggsekkene deres.
Why is it I mørketiden and not i mørketid or i den mørke tiden?
Norwegian often uses the definite form for periods of time after prepositions like i:
- i helgen – on/at the weekend
- i sommerferien – in the summer holiday
- i mørketiden – in the dark season
So mørketiden is the natural, idiomatic choice here.
You can say i den mørke tiden, but that sounds more descriptive and general, like “in the dark time” (could be any dark time, even metaphorical).
i mørketid without the definite ending is not idiomatic in this meaning; it sounds wrong to native speakers in this context.
What exactly does mørketiden refer to?
Literally it is “the dark time/season”, but culturally it usually refers to the part of winter in the far north of Norway when:
- the sun never rises above the horizon (polar night), or
- at least it is very dark for most of the day
So i mørketiden evokes that specific, well-known dark period of the year, not just “when it’s dark” in general.
Why is the word order henger det små reflekser and not det henger små reflekser?