Jeg skal have mere tid, før jeg kan forstå hele teksten.

Yes, skal often expresses obligation or something that is required, and in this sentence that idea becomes very close to need.

• jeg skal have mere tid literally looks like I shall/must have more time
• but in natural English, the best translation is often I need more time

So skal have can sound like:

• I need
• I must have
• I’m going to need

A very common alternative is:

• Jeg har brug for mere tid = I need more time

Both are natural, but jeg skal have mere tid can sound a bit more direct or matter-of-fact.

Because tid (time) is normally an uncountable noun in Danish, just like in English.

Use:

• mere for uncountable nouns
• flere for countable plural nouns

So:

• mere tid = more time
• flere bøger = more books

You would not normally say flere tid, just as you would not say more times when you mean more time in English.

Here, før means before.

In this sentence:

• før jeg kan forstå hele teksten = before I can understand the whole text

It introduces a time clause: first I need more time, and only after that will I be able to understand the whole text.

So the structure is:

• main clause: Jeg skal have mere tid
• subordinate clause: før jeg kan forstå hele teksten

Because før jeg kan forstå hele teksten is a subordinate clause, and Danish word order behaves differently in subordinate clauses than in main clauses.

In the clause here, the order is:

• før = conjunction
• jeg = subject
• kan = verb
• forstå = infinitive
• hele teksten = object

So:

• før jeg kan forstå hele teksten

That is normal subordinate-clause order.

A key point for English speakers is that Danish has V2 word order in main clauses, but not in the same way in subordinate clauses. In this sentence, nothing unusual is happening: it is the expected order.

Because kan forstå means can understand / be able to understand, which adds the idea of ability.

• før jeg kan forstå hele teksten = before I can understand the whole text

If you said:

• før jeg forstår hele teksten

that would mean something more like before I understand the whole text, focusing on the event of understanding rather than the ability.

So kan is important here because the speaker is saying that with more time, they will become able to understand it.

Skal is a modal verb.

In this sentence:

• jeg skal have mere tid

the modal skal combines with the infinitive have.

So the structure is:

• jeg = subject
• skal = finite modal verb
• have = infinitive main verb

This is why have stays in infinitive form.

Other common Danish modal verbs work the same way:

• jeg kan forstå = I can understand
• jeg vil læse = I want to read / will read
• jeg må gå = I must go / may go, depending on context

Because when hel (whole / entire) comes before a definite noun, it usually appears as hele.

So:

• hele teksten = the whole text
• hele bogen = the whole book
• hele dagen = the whole day

This is the normal form you should learn.

Also notice that teksten is already definite because of the ending -en:

• tekst = a text
• teksten = the text

So hele teksten literally matches the whole text.

Because Danish often marks the definite form by adding the article to the end of the noun.

So:

• tekst = a text
• teksten = the text

This is one of the big differences from English. Instead of putting the before the noun, Danish often attaches definiteness directly to the noun.

Examples:

• bog = a book
• bogen = the book

In your sentence, hele teksten means the whole text, so the noun must be definite.

Yes, absolutely. That is a very natural alternative.

Compare:

• Jeg skal have mere tid, før jeg kan forstå hele teksten.
• Jeg har brug for mere tid, før jeg kan forstå hele teksten.

Both mean that more time is necessary. The second version is often a more direct match for English I need more time.

Very roughly:

• jeg skal have mere tid = I need / I’m going to need more time
• jeg har brug for mere tid = I have need of more time / I need more time

Both are correct and idiomatic.

Yes, in a sense it is.

The speaker is saying:

1. right now, they do not yet understand the whole text
2. they need more time
3. after that, they will be able to understand it

So even though the verbs are in present forms:

• skal
• kan

the meaning points forward.

This is very normal in Danish. Present forms and modal verbs often express future-related meaning without needing a special future tense form.

Yes. Hele teksten can be translated as either:

• the whole text
• the entire text

The difference is mainly stylistic in English, not grammatical in Danish. Danish hele covers both ideas naturally.

Often yes, but it is useful to notice the pattern here:

• forstå noget = understand something

So in this sentence:

• forstå hele teksten = understand the whole text

This is a direct object construction, just like English.

You will also see forstå in other very common expressions:

• Jeg forstår. = I understand.
• Jeg forstår ikke. = I don’t understand.
• Kan du forstå det? = Can you understand that?

So its usage here is very straightforward.

Yes, it sounds natural.

A Danish speaker could definitely say:

• Jeg skal have mere tid, før jeg kan forstå hele teksten.

It is clear, grammatical, and idiomatic. It sounds like someone reading something difficult and saying they need longer before they can fully understand it.

Depending on style, they might also say:

• Jeg har brug for mere tid, før jeg kan forstå hele teksten.
• Jeg behøver mere tid, før jeg kan forstå hele teksten.

But your original sentence is completely natural.