Ta med regelheftet og kortstokken, for den saks skyld.

Because ta is the imperative form of the verb å ta (to take).

So Ta med ... means Bring ... or more literally Take ... along.

In Norwegian, commands often leave out the subject, just like in English:

• Ta med boka. = Bring the book.
• Kom hit. = Come here.
• Vent litt. = Wait a moment.

If you said du tar, that would usually mean you take / you are taking, not a command.

Ta med is a very common verb phrase meaning bring, take along, or bring with you.

Literally:

• ta = take
• med = with

But together, ta med often corresponds to natural English bring.

Examples:

• Ta med paraply. = Bring an umbrella.
• Kan du ta med nøklene? = Can you bring the keys?

So in this sentence, Ta med regelheftet og kortstokken means Bring the rule booklet and the deck of cards.

Because Norwegian very often forms compound nouns as a single word.

So:

• regel + hefte → regelhefte = rule booklet
• kort + stokk → kortstokk = deck of cards

This is different from English, where similar expressions are often written as two words.

A few more examples:

• skolebok = school book
• kaffekopp = coffee cup
• sommerferie = summer holiday

This is one of the most important spelling habits to get used to in Norwegian.

Those endings mark the definite form: the rule booklet and the deck of cards.

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added to the end of the noun:

• et hefte = a booklet

• heftet = the booklet

• en kortstokk = a deck of cards
• kortstokken = the deck of cards

So:

• regelheftet = the rule booklet
• kortstokken = the deck of cards

This is very normal in Norwegian. Instead of a separate word like the, Norwegian often uses a suffix.

Because the base nouns have different grammatical genders.

• et hefte → neuter noun → definite form heftet
• en kortstokk → common-gender noun → definite form kortstokken

So the endings reflect the gender:

• en ... → -en
• et ... → -et

Even inside compounds, the gender usually comes from the last part of the compound:

• regelhefte ends in hefte, which is neuter
• kortstokk ends in stokk, which is common gender

That is why the endings are different.

Yes, but it would mean something slightly different.

• regelheftet / kortstokken = the specific rule booklet / the specific deck of cards
• et regelhefte / en kortstokk = a rule booklet / a deck of cards, not necessarily a specific one

The original sentence sounds like the speaker has particular items in mind, probably ones already known in the situation.

So:

• Ta med regelheftet og kortstokken = bring the rule booklet and the deck of cards
• Ta med et regelhefte og en kortstokk = bring a rule booklet and a deck of cards

It is an idiomatic expression meaning something like:

• for that matter
• while you’re at it
• come to think of it
• as far as that goes

In this sentence, it adds an extra suggestion in a slightly casual way.

So the tone is roughly:

Bring the rule booklet and the deck of cards, for that matter.

Depending on context, a more natural English paraphrase might be:

• Bring the rule booklet and the deck of cards too, while you’re at it.
• You might as well bring the rule booklet and the deck of cards too.

It is not a word-for-word phrase you should translate literally every time. It is best learned as a fixed expression.

Very literally, it is something like for that case’s sake.

Parts:

• for = for
• den = that
• saks = genitive form of sak (case, matter, issue)
• skyld = sake

But this literal breakdown is less important than the idiomatic meaning.

The key point is that for den saks skyld is a set phrase. Native speakers understand it as an idiom, not as a fresh combination built word by word every time.

Because saks is the genitive form of sak.

• sak = case / matter
• saks = of the matter / matter’s

This kind of genitive survives in several fixed expressions, especially with skyld.

Compare:

• for din skyld = for your sake
• for min skyld = for my sake
• for den saks skyld = for that matter

So saks here is not unusual once you know it belongs to a fixed expression.

It is fairly common and natural in both speech and writing, but it has a somewhat conversational, idiomatic feel.

It is not slang, and it is not especially formal either. It often appears when the speaker is adding something as an extra point, almost like:

• actually
• for that matter
• while we’re at it

So the expression is best thought of as neutral but idiomatic.

Because for den saks skyld is added as a kind of parenthetical comment or afterthought.

The comma helps show that the main command is:

Ta med regelheftet og kortstokken

and then the speaker adds:

for den saks skyld

This matches the pause you would often hear in speech.

In practice, the comma helps separate the main message from the idiomatic add-on.

Yes. In the imperative, Norwegian normally leaves the subject out.

So Ta med ... is a full sentence, just like English Bring ...

If you wanted to include a subject for emphasis, that would be unusual in a simple command and would change the tone.

The normal pattern is simply:

• Ta med ...
• Gjør det.
• Vent her.

So the sentence is perfectly complete as it stands.

Usually it comes after the main statement, because it functions like a comment on the whole idea.

So this is natural:

• Ta med regelheftet og kortstokken, for den saks skyld.

Putting it earlier would sound much less natural for most learners and would usually not be the standard choice.

As a rule, it is safest to learn it as something that often comes at the end of the sentence.

Kort means cards or card, depending on context.

Kortstokk specifically means a deck of cards.

So:

• kort = cards in general
• en kortstokk = one deck/pack of cards

In this sentence, kortstokken means the deck of cards, not just some cards.

That makes the meaning more specific.

Yes, it is natural.

It sounds like a normal command followed by an idiomatic afterthought. The overall effect is something like:

• Bring the rule booklet and the deck of cards too, while you’re at it.

What makes it especially Norwegian-sounding is the combination of:

• the imperative Ta med
• compound nouns like regelheftet and kortstokken
• the idiom for den saks skyld

So this is a good example of everyday, idiomatic Norwegian.