Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun tar på seg et pannebånd og votter før hun går ut i kald vind. - She puts on a headband and mittens before she goes out in the cold wind.

ta på seg = to put on (a specific item)
- Hun tar på seg et pannebånd. = She puts on a headband.
  Focus on the moment of putting it on.
kle på seg = to get dressed (more general)
- Hun kler på seg. = She gets dressed.
  Not about one specific item, but dressing herself in general.
ha på seg = to be wearing (the state, not the action)
- Hun har på seg et pannebånd og votter. = She is wearing a headband and mittens.

So in your sentence, tar på seg is used because it talks about the action before going out.

Why is it et pannebånd but just votter without an article?

Two different things happen here:

et pannebånd
- pannebånd is a neuter noun.
- Indefinite singular neuter takes et:
  - et pannebånd = a headband
votter
- votter is the indefinite plural of en vott (a mitten).
- Indefinite plural in Norwegian normally has no article:
  - votter = mittens
  - noen votter = some mittens (if you really want to stress “some”)

So the pattern is:

one headband → et pannebånd
(two) mittens, in general → votter (no article needed)

What are the genders and forms of pannebånd and vott?

Pannebånd (headband) – neuter:

Indefinite singular: et pannebånd
Definite singular: pannebåndet
Indefinite plural: pannebånd
Definite plural: pannebåndene

Vott (mitten) – common gender:

Indefinite singular: en vott
Definite singular: votten
Indefinite plural: votter
Definite plural: vottene

In your sentence you see:

et pannebånd (indefinite singular)
votter (indefinite plural)

Why is it i kald vind and not i den kalde vinden?

Both are grammatically correct; they just have different nuances.

i kald vind
Literally: in cold wind.
This sounds more general or descriptive, almost like English in cold wind (without the). It can feel a bit more neutral or slightly literary.
i den kalde vinden
Literally: in the cold wind.
This is more specific and typical in everyday speech – you’re talking about the particular cold wind outside right now.

So you could also say:

Hun tar på seg et pannebånd og votter før hun går ut i den kalde vinden.

That would be very natural, with a slightly more concrete, specific feel.

Is i kald vind something Norwegians actually say, or is there a more natural alternative?

I kald vind is correct and understandable, but many Norwegians would more often say:

i den kalde vinden (in the cold wind)
i kulden (in the cold)
ut i kulda (colloquial; out into the cold)

For example:

Hun tar på seg et pannebånd og votter før hun går ut i kulden.
Hun tar på seg et pannebånd og votter før hun går ut i den kalde vinden.

So your original is fine, just a bit more “bare” and general.

Why do we repeat hun in før hun går ut? Can we say før går ut?

You cannot drop the subject pronoun here; you must say før hun går ut.

In Norwegian, each clause (even after før) normally needs its own subject:

Hun tar på seg et pannebånd og votter før hun går ut i kald vind.

You cannot say:

✗ … før går ut i kald vind.

Omitting the subject like that is ungrammatical in standard Norwegian. Unlike some languages (and sometimes English), Norwegian does not normally allow you to drop the subject pronoun in a new clause.

Could the word order around tar på seg be different, like Hun tar et pannebånd på seg?

Yes, that’s possible, and both are used:

Hun tar på seg et pannebånd.
– Very common, neutral word order.
Hun tar et pannebånd på seg.
– Also correct, with the object moved earlier.

Both mean She puts on a headband (on herself). The first pattern (tar på seg X) is probably what you’ll hear and see most often with clothing:

Han tar på seg jakken.
Vi tar på oss sko.

Why is it går ut and not just går or drar ut?

gå = to walk / to go (on foot)
ut = out (direction)

Together, gå ut means to go out / to step outside.

Hun går ut. = She goes out / steps outside.

If you only said hun går, it would just be she walks or she is walking, with no idea where.

dra ut also exists:

Hun drar ut. = She goes out / leaves (not focusing on walking).

dra is more about going somewhere (by any means of transport), while gå is more specifically about moving on foot. In the context of going outside into the cold wind, går ut is the natural choice.

How does adjective agreement work here? Why kald vind, and what would kaldt pannebånd or kalde votter look like?

Norwegian adjectives change form depending on gender, number, and definiteness.

Basic patterns:

Indefinite singular, common gender (like vind):
- en kald vind = a cold wind → kald (no ending)
Indefinite singular, neuter (like pannebånd):
- et kaldt pannebånd = a cold headband → kaldt
Indefinite plural (all genders):
- kalde votter = cold mittens → kalde
Definite singular (all genders):
- den kalde vinden = the cold wind
- det kalde pannebåndet = the cold headband
Definite plural:
- de kalde vottene = the cold mittens

In i kald vind, the noun vind is:

singular
common gender
indefinite and there is no article, so the adjective takes the basic form kald.

What is the difference between votter and hansker in Norwegian?

votter = mittens (one compartment for all fingers, separate thumb)
- singular: en vott
hansker = gloves (separate fingers)
- singular: en hanske

So:

Hun tar på seg votter. = She puts on mittens.
Hun tar på seg hansker. = She puts on gloves.

Both are handwear, but votter keep fingers together and are often warmer; hansker give better dexterity.

Could we say før hun går ut i kulden instead? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Hun tar på seg et pannebånd og votter før hun går ut i kulden.

kulden (definite form of kulde, “cold”) refers to the cold as a general outside condition, not specifically the wind.

Nuance:

i kald vind / i den kalde vinden = focusing on the wind being cold.
i kulden = focusing on the air / weather being cold in general.

Both choices fit the same situation; it’s mostly a matter of what you want to emphasize.