Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg er sent ute, så jeg rekker ikke bussen. - I’m running late, so I won’t catch the bus.

Yes, ute literally means out, but sent ute is a very common fixed expression meaning late (to something) / running late. Think of it as (being) late out the door / late in getting going.
You’ll also see related phrases like å være tidlig ute = to be early (ahead of time).

What’s the grammar of Jeg er sent ute—is sent an adjective or an adverb here?

Sent is usually taught as an adverb meaning late, but in this expression it behaves like a predicative complement with å være (er): er sent ute = am late (out/away). In practice, just learn sent ute as a chunk.

Why is there a comma before så?

Because så here links two independent clauses:

Jeg er sent ute (main clause)
så jeg rekker ikke bussen (main clause with a conjunction meaning so)

In Norwegian it’s standard to put a comma before coordinating conjunctions like og, men, for, eller, så when they connect two main clauses.

Does så always mean so? Could it mean then here?

Så can mean both so (cause/result) and then (sequence).
In this sentence it’s the result meaning: I’m running late, so I won’t make the bus.
If it were then, the context would feel more like step-by-step narration.

What does the verb rekker mean exactly?

Å rekke is often used for managing to do something in time. It covers ideas like:

to make it (in time)
to have time (to)
to catch (in transport contexts)

So jeg rekker ikke bussen is a natural Norwegian way to say you won’t make/catch the bus.

Why is it rekker jeg ikke bussen vs jeg rekker ikke bussen—is the word order special after så?

After så meaning so (as a conjunction connecting two main clauses), Norwegian keeps normal main-clause word order: subject + verb:

..., så jeg rekker ...

In contrast, if you start a sentence with så meaning then (as an adverb), it often triggers V2 inversion (verb-second):

Så rekker jeg ikke bussen. = Then I don’t make the bus.

Why does ikke come after the verb rekker?

In a main clause, ikke typically comes after the finite verb (the conjugated verb):

jeg rekker ikke bussen

This is a key difference from English, where negation often needs an auxiliary (do not catch). Norwegian doesn’t use do-support.

Why is it bussen (definite) and not en buss (indefinite)?

Norwegian often uses the definite form when talking about a specific, context-known bus—for example, the bus you normally take or the one that’s coming now.

bussen = the bus (the relevant one)
en buss = a bus (any bus, not a specific one)

Could I also say Jeg rekker ikke å ta bussen? Is that more natural?

Yes, and it’s very common:

Jeg rekker ikke bussen. = I won’t catch/make the bus.
Jeg rekker ikke å ta bussen. = I don’t have time to take the bus / I won’t manage to take the bus.

The version without å ta is shorter and very idiomatic in everyday speech.

How would this sound in more informal spoken Norwegian?

A common spoken variant is:

Jeg er seint ute, så jeg rekker ikke bussen.

Both sent and seint are used; seint is often heard in speech (and is also acceptable in writing, depending on style and variety).