Signification
Quality is better than quantity.
Contexte culturel
The phrase reflects the 'Janteloven' (Law of Jante) indirectly by discouraging boastful abundance and encouraging humble quality. Minimalism is a core value. 'Lite men godt' is the verbal equivalent of a clean, functional living room with one expensive chair. When hiking in the mountains, every gram in your backpack counts. Norwegians prioritize a few high-quality items over many cheap ones. Modern Norwegians use this phrase to support the 'buy less, buy better' movement to protect the environment.
Use it to be polite
If you are a guest and the portions are small, saying 'lite men godt' is a high compliment to the host's cooking skills.
Don't over-inflect
Even if you are talking about 'bøker' (plural), don't say 'få men gode' unless you want to be very literal. 'Lite men godt' works as a general comment on the situation.
Signification
Quality is better than quantity.
Use it to be polite
If you are a guest and the portions are small, saying 'lite men godt' is a high compliment to the host's cooking skills.
Don't over-inflect
Even if you are talking about 'bøker' (plural), don't say 'få men gode' unless you want to be very literal. 'Lite men godt' works as a general comment on the situation.
Teste-toi
Fyll inn de manglende ordene i det faste uttrykket.
Vi hadde ikke mye tid sammen, men det var ___ men ___.
The fixed idiom uses the neuter forms 'lite' and 'godt'.
Hvilken situasjon passer best til uttrykket 'lite men godt'?
Du har laget en veldig liten, men utrolig deilig kake til en venn.
This is the perfect situation to emphasize quality over size.
Fullfør dialogen.
A: Kom det mange på foredraget ditt? B: Nei, bare fem stykker, men de stilte veldig gode spørsmål, så det var ___.
The speaker is contrasting the low number of people with the high quality of their interaction.
Hvilken setning er grammatisk korrekt?
Velg den riktige setningen:
In the second option, the phrase is used as a fixed concept, which is its most common idiomatic use.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Quantity vs. Quality
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesVi hadde ikke mye tid sammen, men det var ___ men ___.
The fixed idiom uses the neuter forms 'lite' and 'godt'.
Du har laget en veldig liten, men utrolig deilig kake til en venn.
This is the perfect situation to emphasize quality over size.
A: Kom det mange på foredraget ditt? B: Nei, bare fem stykker, men de stilte veldig gode spørsmål, så det var ___.
The speaker is contrasting the low number of people with the high quality of their interaction.
Velg den riktige setningen:
In the second option, the phrase is used as a fixed concept, which is its most common idiomatic use.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
4 questionsYes, it's very common to use it for a small group of people to emphasize that the quality of the company is high.
It is 'lite'. 'Litt' means 'a bit', while 'lite' means 'little/few' in a more qualitative sense here.
It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your grandmother.
Usually, yes. 'Lite og godt' is also possible, but 'men' adds the nice contrast that makes the idiom pop.
Expressions liées
heller lite og godt
similarRather little and good.
kvalitet over kvantitet
synonymQuality over quantity.
kort men godt
specialized formShort but sweet.
mye vil ha mer
contrastMuch wants more (greed).
