Learn Dutch: Pak maar een kussen en een deken. - Just grab a pillow and a blanket.

Normally, maar means 'but'. Here, it is a modal particle that softens the command. Instead of a bossy 'Grab a pillow!', it turns the sentence into a friendly suggestion or permission, similar to 'Just go ahead and grab a pillow.'

Why is the verb pak instead of pakt?

This sentence is an imperative, which means it gives a command or instruction. In Dutch, you make the imperative by using just the stem of the verb (the shortest base form), without adding a -t at the end.

Does pakken mean 'to pack' here?

No, though it looks like the English word! Pakken is a very common verb in Dutch that usually means 'to grab', 'to take', or 'to catch'. To say 'to pack' (like a suitcase), you would normally use the separable verb inpakken.

What is the difference if I say Pak even instead of Pak maar?

Both words soften the command, but they give a different feeling. Even suggests doing something briefly or quickly ('Just quickly grab a pillow'). Maar is used to give permission or encouragement ('Feel free to grab a pillow').