Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset.

I sleep worse when I am stressed.

Breakdown of Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• sove: to sleep
• når: when
• stresset: stressed
• dårligere: worse

Questions & Answers about Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset.

1. Why is it sover and not something like er sover (like “am sleeping”)?

Norwegian doesn’t have a separate continuous form (am sleeping, is sleeping).

The simple present sover covers both:

• “I sleep” (general habit)
• “I am sleeping” (right now)

So jeg sover can mean either “I sleep” or “I am sleeping,” depending on context. You never say jeg er sover; that’s ungrammatical.

2. What exactly is dårligere, and how is it formed?

Dårligere is the comparative form of dårlig (“bad / badly”).

Base form: dårlig
Comparative: dårligere (“worse / more badly”)
Superlative: dårligst

Here dårligere works like an adverb, modifying the verb sover (you “sleep more badly”). In Norwegian, adverbs often look just like the adjective form, so you don’t need a special ending.

3. I thought the comparative of dårlig was verre. Why do we have dårligere here?

Both are correct, but they’re used a bit differently.

The “official” comparative pattern is:

• dårlig – verre – verst

However, dårligere and dårligst are also common and accepted. There’s a tendency:

• verre is a general “worse” (often more idiomatic or stronger: Det blir verre – “It’s getting worse”).
• dårligere is very natural with verbs describing how you do something:
  Hun synger dårligere, jeg sover dårligere, salget går dårligere.

So Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset sounds perfectly natural.
Jeg sover verre is possible for some speakers but sounds less usual and can feel a bit clumsy.

4. Why is it når and not da?

Both når and da can translate as “when,” but they’re used differently:

• når: for general, repeated, or future situations
  
  • Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset.
    = Whenever I am stressed, I sleep worse.
• da: for one specific event in the past
  
  • Jeg sov dårlig da jeg var syk.
    = I slept badly when I was ill (on that occasion / in that period).

Your sentence describes a general pattern, so når is correct.

5. Can I put the når‑clause first, and does the word order change?

Yes, you can say:

Når jeg er stresset, sover jeg dårligere.

Two important points:

1. In the subordinate clause after når, the word order is normal: jeg er (subject–verb).
2. In the main clause, Norwegian has the “verb‑second” rule. If you move Når jeg er stresset to the front, the verb of the main clause must come second:
   
   • … sover jeg dårligere (verb sover before subject jeg).

Both orders are correct:

• Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset.
• Når jeg er stresset, sover jeg dårligere.

6. Why do I have to repeat jeg in når jeg er stresset? Can I say når er stresset?

You must repeat jeg. Norwegian generally requires an explicit subject in each finite clause.

So:

• Correct: … når jeg er stresset.
• Incorrect: … når er stresset.

Unlike some languages, Norwegian doesn’t allow you to simply omit the subject pronoun in such clauses (except in imperatives or very short informal answers).

7. What’s going on with er stresset? Is stresset a verb or an adjective here?

Here stresset functions as an adjective meaning “stressed.”

It comes from the verb å stresse (“to stress”), but:

• Jeg er stresset. = “I am stressed.” (state, adjective)
• Jeg blir stresset. = “I get / become stressed.” (change of state)

Both are correct, with a slightly different nuance:

• er stresset: you’re in a stressed state.
• blir stresset: you’re becoming stressed at that time.

8. What’s the difference between jeg er stresset and jeg er stressa?

Both are widely used and mean the same: “I am stressed.”

• jeg er stresset – standard Bokmål, more neutral/written.
• jeg er stressa – very common in speech and informal writing; also accepted in Bokmål.

You can safely use stresset in any context; stressa is fine in everyday, informal Norwegian.

9. Could I use blir instead of er, as in når jeg blir stresset?

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly:

• når jeg er stresset = when I am in a stressed state.
• når jeg blir stresset = when I get / become stressed.

So:

• Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset.
  = I sleep worse whenever I’m stressed.
• Jeg sover dårligere når jeg blir stresset.
  = I sleep worse when I get stressed (the worsening sleep is linked to the moment/period when the stress appears).

10. Why don’t we use vil for the future, like jeg vil sove dårligere?

In Norwegian, you normally don’t use vil for a neutral future after når.

• vil usually means “want to” or a volitional/strong “will”:
  Jeg vil sove = “I want to sleep.”
• For future meaning with når, Norwegian just uses the present tense:
  Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset.
  can also refer to the future: “I will sleep worse when I’m stressed.”

If you said Jeg vil sove dårligere når jeg er stresset, it would literally sound like “I want to sleep worse when I am stressed,” which is not what you mean.

11. Could I use hvis instead of når, and what would change?

You can say:

• Jeg sover dårligere hvis jeg er stresset.

The difference in nuance:

• når = “when / whenever,” and usually implies this actually happens (a known pattern).
• hvis = “if,” and can sound more hypothetical or conditional.

So:

• når jeg er stresset: whenever I’m stressed (and I do get stressed).
• hvis jeg er stresset: if I’m stressed (maybe I will be, maybe not).

In most everyday speech both are possible here, but når sounds more like a general rule.

12. How do you pronounce Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset?

Approximate standard Eastern Norwegian pronunciation (IPA):

• Jeg sover dårligere når jeg er stresset
  [jæi ˈsuːvər ˈdɔːɭɪrə nɔr jæi ɛr ˈstresːət]

Very rough English-style approximation:

• Jeg ≈ “yay” (short)
• sover ≈ “SOH-ver” (long o)
• dårligere ≈ “DOR-lee-reh” (with an open o like in “or”)
• når ≈ “nor” (but shorter)
• er ≈ “air” but very short
• stresset ≈ “STRESS-et” (double s = strong /s/)