Learn Danish: Hun bad en kort bøn før maden. - She said a short prayer before the meal.

In Danish, you don't "say" a prayer, you "pray" a prayer. The verb is bede (to pray or to ask), and its past tense is bad. The phrase bede en bøn is the standard Danish collocation for "say a prayer".

Does bad also mean "asked" in other contexts?

Yes, the verb bede means both to pray and to ask or request. For example, hun bad ham om at gå means "she asked him to leave." When paired with en bøn (a prayer) like in this sentence, it specifically refers to praying.

The English translation says "before the meal," but isn't maden literally "the food"?

Exactly. While Danish has the specific word måltid for "meal," maden is the most natural and common way to refer to the meal you are about to eat in everyday speech. Saying før maden perfectly translates to "before the meal" or "before eating."

Why is the adjective kort used here without an -e ending?

Because bøn is a common gender noun (en bøn), and it is used here in the singular indefinite form. Therefore, the adjective kort takes the basic, uninflected form. If it were a definite phrase like "the short prayer," it would take the -e ending and become den korte bøn.