I paa om in time expressions
Which preposition to use when expressing time is one of the more complex areas of Norwegian grammar.
Om
Om is used when expressing the future and to express habit, things that happen in general.
Future:
Jeg drar til Norge om en uke. "I'll go / am going to Norway in a week."
Om et år skal jeg begynne å studere. "I'll start studying in a year."
Han kommer om en uke. "He's coming in a week."
General statements:
Om kvelden spiser jeg middag. "At night I have my dinner."
Hun går alltid tur om kvelden. "She always goes for a walk at night."
Om sommeren drar jeg på ferie og om vinteren går jeg på ski. "In summer I go on holiday and in winter I go skiing."
I
I is used to express the present: I dag skal jeg gå på kino. "Today I'm going to the cinema."
Han har jobbet hardt i vinter. "He has been working hard this winter."
Hva skal du gjøre i sommer? "What are you planning to do this summer?"
I år vil jeg ikke dra på ferie. "This year I don't want to go on holiday."
I used to express length of time (positive):
Jeg har bodd her i tre år. "I have been living here for three years."
Jeg skal jobbe her i to måneder. "I'll be working here for two months."
Da jeg var barn, bodde jeg i Norge i fem år. "When I was a child I lived in Norway for five years."
Please note i fjor 'last year' and i natt 'last night':
Jeg sov dårlig i natt. "I slept badly last night."
When you thought it couldn't get any worse:Â I can also be used to express the immediate future:
Hva skal du gjøre i ettermiddag? "What are you doing this afternoon?"
Hva skal du gjøre i kveld, i natt? etc.
Also note i året, i måneden, i uken:
Jeg drar på ferie to ganger i året. "I go on holiday twice a year."
But, om dagen. Han spiser tre ganger om dagen. "He eats three times a day."
PÃ¥
På used to express length of time (negative): Jeg har ikke sett ham på fem dager. "I haven't seen him for / in five days."
Jeg har ikke vært i Norge på to år. "I haven't been to Norway for two years." I.e. it's two years since I was in Norway.
På can also have a positive meaning to express how long it has taken to do something. Jeg kan kjøre til London på en time. "I can drive to
London in an hour." I.e. it takes me an hour to drive to London.
Han leste 'Krig og fred' på to dager. "He read 'War and Peace' in two days." I.e. it took him two days.
PÃ¥ den tiden 'at that time'
På den tiden gikk jeg ofte på konsert.
Det var på den tiden jeg hadde mer enn nok penger.