Han var blakk etter reisen.

Because var is the past tense of å være (to be).

• han er = he is
• han var = he was

So Han var blakk means He was broke, not He is broke.

Blakk means broke, out of money, or short of cash.

It is a very common, fairly informal everyday word. It usually refers to having little or no money available.

Examples:

• Jeg er blakk. = I’m broke.
• Vi ble helt blakke. = We became completely broke.

It is not usually used for large-scale financial ruin in a formal sense; it is more about personal lack of money.

Because reisen is the definite singular form of reise (trip/journey).

• en reise = a trip
• reisen = the trip

Norwegian often adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• etter reisen = after the trip
• etter en reise = after a trip

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as a suffix.

For feminine nouns like reise, you often get:

• ei reise / en reise = a trip
• reisa / reisen = the trip

So English uses a separate article:

• the trip

But Norwegian often builds that idea into the noun itself:

• reisen

Here, etter means after.

So etter reisen means after the trip.

In this sentence, it suggests that the trip came first, and as a result, he had no money left afterward.

Common uses of etter:

• etter middag = after dinner
• etter skolen = after school
• etter ferien = after the holiday

It primarily means after the trip, but in context it often also suggests as a result of the trip.

So Han var blakk etter reisen naturally sounds like:

• He was broke after the trip
• and probably because the trip cost a lot

That extra sense comes from context, not from etter alone.

Because blakk is functioning like an adjective after the verb å være.

This is the normal pattern:

• subject + verb + adjective/complement

So:

• Han var trøtt. = He was tired.
• Han var syk. = He was sick.
• Han var blakk. = He was broke.

After forms of to be, adjectives usually come after the verb in both Norwegian and English.

Yes, and that changes the nuance slightly.

• Han var blakk etter reisen = He was broke after the trip
  • focuses on his state
• Han ble blakk etter reisen = He became / ended up broke after the trip
  • focuses on the change

So both are possible, but var describes the situation, while ble highlights that the trip caused the change.

Reise is traditionally a feminine noun, so many speakers can say:

• ei reise = a trip
• reisa = the trip

But in Bokmål, many feminine nouns can also take masculine-style forms:

• en reise
• reisen

So reisen is completely normal in Bokmål.

You may also see:

• etter reisa

Both are acceptable in many contexts, depending on style, region, and personal preference.

Yes, it is completely normal.

The sentence structure is:

• Han = subject
• var = verb
• blakk = complement/adjective
• etter reisen = time phrase / prepositional phrase

So it follows a very standard Norwegian pattern:

• Subject + verb + complement + time phrase

Very similar to English:

• He was broke after the trip.

Usually, when blakk is used like this, you may see agreement in some contexts, but in everyday use learners will most often meet it in forms like these:

• Han er blakk.
• Hun er blakk.
• De er blakke.

The plural form blakke is common:

• Vi er blakke etter ferien. = We’re broke after the holiday.

As a beginner, the most useful thing to remember is:

• singular often appears as blakk
• plural often appears as blakke

A careful approximate pronunciation is:

Hahn vahr blak ET-er RYE-sen

A few notes:

• Han sounds roughly like hahn
• var sounds like vahr
• blakk rhymes roughly with English block, but shorter and crisper
• etter has two syllables: ET-ter
• reisen begins with a sound a bit like English rye

A more natural spoken rhythm would keep the sentence fairly smooth: Han var blakk etter reisen.

Yes, very common.

It is a natural everyday way to say someone has no money left. Native speakers use it a lot in casual speech.

Other possible expressions are:

• ha lite penger = have little money
• være blakk = be broke
• være tom for penger = be out of money

But blakk is one of the most common and idiomatic choices.