Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Han må ta ut penger før han betaler for billetten. - He must take out money before he pays for the ticket.

The old may / be allowed to meaning of må exists historically but in everyday Bokmål that idea is usually expressed with kan (can / may), not må.

Why is it ta ut and not just ta? What does ta ut mean literally?

Ta ut is a particle verb and means to take out / withdraw (money, something from a box, etc.).

ta = take
ut = out
ta ut penger = withdraw money (from a bank account / ATM)

Just ta penger would mean take money (physically pick it up or take it from someone), not specifically withdraw from your account.

Can I say Han må ut ta penger instead of ta ut?

No. In the infinitive form, the normal order is verb + particle, so you say ta ut, kjøre opp, sette på, etc.

So:

Correct: Han må ta ut penger.
Incorrect: Han må ut ta penger.

The particle can move only in certain patterns, for example with pronouns:

Han må ta dem ut. = He has to take them out.
But you still keep ta and ut as a unit.

Why is penger plural? Can you say en penger for “a money”?

Penger is grammatically plural and is normally used only in the plural when it means money in general. There is no natural everyday singular form that means “one unit of money”.

You cannot say en penger in the normal sense. Instead you talk about:

penger = money
en mynt = a coin
en seddel or en pengeseddel = a banknote
en sum penger = a sum of money

Why is the second verb betaler in the present tense if English uses pays / will pay?

Norwegian very often uses the present tense for future events, especially when there’s a time word or conjunction that makes the future meaning clear.

In før han betaler for billetten, the conjunction før (before) tells you it’s about a later action. So betaler is present form but future in meaning, like English pays / will pay.

You normally don’t say før han vil betale here.

Why do you repeat han in før han betaler? Can you just say før betaler for billetten?

No, you can’t drop the subject in Norwegian finite clauses. Each clause with a conjugated verb needs its own explicit subject.

So you must say:

Han må ta ut penger før han betaler for billetten.

You cannot say:

✗ Han må ta ut penger før betaler for billetten.

Is for necessary in betaler for billetten? Could I just say betaler billetten?

Both betale billetten and betale for billetten are possible.

betale billetten literally = pay the ticket (pay its cost)
betale for billetten = pay for the ticket, very close in meaning, slightly more explicitly about the transaction

In everyday speech, both are common and usually interchangeable in this context:

Han betaler billetten.
Han betaler for billetten.

Why is it billetten (definite) and not just billett?

Billetten is the definite singular: the ticket.

Norwegian uses the definite form when the speaker and listener both know which specific ticket is meant (e.g. the one he’s about to buy). So:

en billett = a ticket
billetten = the ticket

Here, it’s clearly one particular ticket, so billetten sounds natural.

What gender is billett, and how does it decline?

Billett is a masculine noun in Bokmål (you’ll most often see it as en billett). The normal declension is:

Indefinite singular: en billett (a ticket)
Definite singular: billetten (the ticket)
Indefinite plural: billetter (tickets)
Definite plural: billettene (the tickets)

Where do I put ikke if I want to say “He doesn’t have to withdraw money before he pays for the ticket”?

If you keep må, you get must not, not doesn’t have to:

Han må ikke ta ut penger … = He must not / is not allowed to withdraw money …

For doesn’t have to, Norwegians normally use trenger ikke (doesn’t need to):

Han trenger ikke å ta ut penger før han betaler for billetten.
= He doesn’t need to withdraw money before he pays for the ticket.

So be careful:

må ikke = must not
trenger ikke (å) = don’t need to / don’t have to

How do I say “He had to withdraw money before he paid for the ticket”?

You put må in the past: måtte.

Han måtte ta ut penger før han betalte for billetten.

Notice both verbs move to the past:

må → måtte
betaler → betalte

Can I say Før han betaler for billetten, må han ta ut penger and is the word order correct?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct and natural.

When you put the subordinate clause first (Før han betaler for billetten), the main clause that follows normally has inversion: the verb comes before the subject:

Før han betaler for billetten, må han ta ut penger.
- main-clause order: må han, not han må

Both versions are fine:

Han må ta ut penger før han betaler for billetten.
Før han betaler for billetten, må han ta ut penger.

What is the difference between før and først? Could I use først here?

No, you cannot use først instead of før here. They are different types of words:

før = before (a conjunction or preposition introducing a time clause)
- før han betaler = before he pays
først = first / firstly / not until (an adverb)
- Han må først ta ut penger. = He must first withdraw money.

Your sentence needs a conjunction, so før is the correct choice.

Could I say før han kan betale for billetten instead of før han betaler for billetten?

Yes, you can, and it’s natural:

Han må ta ut penger før han kan betale for billetten.

This version slightly emphasizes ability / possibility (he must withdraw money before he can pay). The original før han betaler just focuses on the sequence of actions. Both are fine, just a small nuance difference.

How do you pronounce må and å in this sentence?

In standard Bokmål pronunciation:

må is pronounced roughly like English “more” without the r, a long o sound: [moː].
The infinitive marker å (as in å ta) is usually a short o sound: [o].

So Han må ta ut penger sounds roughly like: “Hahn mo ta oot peng-er”, with Norwegian vowels, of course.