Du behøver ikke at have kontanter med, hvis kortet virker, men en mønt i lommen kan stadig være praktisk.

Yes. Behøver means need or have to in this kind of sentence.

In Du behøver ikke at have kontanter med, it works a lot like English you don’t need to have cash with you.

It behaves somewhat like a modal in meaning, but grammatically it is still an ordinary verb. That is why you often see it followed by at + infinitive:

• behøver at gå = need to go
• behøver ikke at tage af sted = don’t need to leave

In everyday Danish, especially in speech, at is often omitted:

• Du behøver ikke have kontanter med

Both are natural.

Ikke usually comes after the finite verb in a main clause.

So here:

• Du behøver ikke at have kontanter med

The finite verb is behøver, so ikke comes right after it.

That is the normal Danish pattern:

• Jeg kommer ikke i morgen
• Han kan ikke svømme
• Vi behøver ikke at vente

English learners sometimes want to place ikke later, but Danish normally keeps it close to the finite verb in main clauses.

Not always. Both versions are common:

• Du behøver ikke at have kontanter med
• Du behøver ikke have kontanter med

The version with at is a bit fuller and slightly more formal or careful in style. The version without at is very common in everyday speech and writing.

So if you are learning Danish, it is good to recognize both.

Because have ... med means have ... with you / bring ... along.

So:

• have kontanter = have cash
• have kontanter med = have cash with you / bring cash along

The little word med is important here. It adds the idea of carrying something along with you.

Similar examples:

• Har du pas med? = Do you have your passport with you?
• Jeg tog en paraply med = I brought an umbrella along

So in this sentence, med is not random. It tells you the speaker is talking about carrying cash on your person.

That is very common in Danish. Short particles and prepositions such as med often come late in the clause, especially in combinations like tage med, have med, komme med.

So:

• Jeg har nøglerne med
• Tog du jakken med?
• Du behøver ikke at have kontanter med

This may feel a little like English phrasal verbs, where a small word can appear late:

• bring along
• take with you

So the placement is normal Danish word order.

Kortet is the definite form: the card.

Danish often uses the definite form where English might say your card or just the card depending on context. Here, kortet means something like:

• the card
• your card
• the card in question

The speaker assumes both people know which card is meant: probably your bank card or payment card.

Compare:

• et kort = a card
• kortet = the card

So hvis kortet virker means if the card works.

Yes. Virker literally means works, functions, or is working.

With machines, systems, or cards, Danish often uses virke:

• Min telefon virker ikke = My phone isn’t working
• Kortet virker fint = The card works fine
• Det virker ikke = It doesn’t work

So hvis kortet virker is a very natural way to say if the card works.

Because mønt is a common gender noun in Danish, so it takes en:

• en mønt = a coin
• mønten = the coin

Unfortunately, noun gender in Danish often has to be learned word by word. There are some patterns, but many nouns simply need to be memorized.

Here are the forms:

• indefinite singular: en mønt
• definite singular: mønten
• plural: mønter
• definite plural: mønterne

So en mønt i lommen means a coin in your pocket.

I lommen means in the pocket.

Lommen is the definite form of lomme:

• en lomme = a pocket
• lommen = the pocket

Danish often uses the definite form in expressions where English might say in your pocket or in one’s pocket, especially when the context already makes it clear whose pocket is meant.

So:

• en mønt i lommen literally = a coin in the pocket
• natural English sense = a coin in your pocket

This kind of definite form is very common in Danish.

Yes. Stadig here means still.

So:

• kan stadig være praktisk = can still be practical

It suggests that even if cards are working and you do not need cash, a coin may nevertheless remain useful.

Examples:

• Han bor stadig i Aarhus = He still lives in Aarhus
• Det kan stadig ske = It can still happen
• Det er stadig vigtigt = It is still important

So stadig adds the idea of even so / nevertheless / still.

Because kan is the finite verb, and in a main clause Danish follows the verb-second rule.

This part of the sentence is:

• men en mønt i lommen kan stadig være praktisk

The subject is en mønt i lommen, then the finite verb kan, then stadig, then the infinitive være, then the adjective praktisk.

That is normal Danish structure with a modal verb:

• Hun kan godt være træt
• Det kan stadig være vigtigt
• En mønt i lommen kan stadig være praktisk

A simple way to see it:

• subject: en mønt i lommen
• finite verb: kan
• adverb: stadig
• infinitive: være
• complement: praktisk

Because Danish punctuation normally uses commas before subordinate clauses and coordinating conjunctions in cases like this.

So:

• ..., hvis kortet virker, ...
• ..., men en mønt i lommen ...

The hvis clause is a subordinate clause:

• hvis kortet virker = if the card works

And men joins two main ideas:

• you don’t need cash with you
• a coin can still be practical

Comma use in Danish can look a bit heavier than in English, especially to English learners.

You could, but it is not exactly the same.

• Du behøver ikke kontanter med = You don’t need to carry cash with you
• Du behøver ikke kontanter = You don’t need cash

The version with med is more specific and sounds more natural in this context, because the point is about whether you should bring cash along.

Without med, the meaning becomes broader and slightly less precise.

Because kontanter means cash in general, while en mønt is just a coin.

The idea is:

• You do not need to bring cash in general if your card works,
• but a single coin might still be useful for some small practical reason.

So the contrast is deliberate:

• kontanter = money in cash form generally
• en mønt = one specific coin

That makes the sentence sound very natural and realistic. It suggests that although you do not need cash for ordinary payment, one coin can still be handy for something small, such as a locker, cart, parking meter, or public toilet.