Legg et nuppete plagg på bordet for ikke å miste det.

Legg is the imperative form of å legge (to lay / put).

So the sentence is giving an instruction or command:

• Legg ... = Put ...
• Legger ... would be present tense: puts / are putting
• In Norwegian, the subject du is usually left out in the imperative

So Legg et nuppete plagg ... means Put a pilled garment ...

Plagg means garment or item of clothing.

It is a fairly general word for a single piece of clothing, for example:

• et plagg = a garment / an item of clothing
• flere plagg = several garments

It is more specific than klær, which usually means clothes in general.

Because plagg is a neuter noun in Norwegian.

That means:

• et plagg = a garment
• plagget = the garment
• pronoun: det = it

This is why the sentence later says miste det and not miste den.

Nuppete describes fabric that has little pills / bobbles / fuzz balls on it from wear.

So a nuppete plagg is a garment that is:

• pilled
• bobbly
• covered in little lint-like balls

A related noun is nupper, which are those little fabric pills.

Normally, many Norwegian adjectives do add -t with a neuter singular noun:

• en fin genser
• et fint skjerf

But adjectives ending in -ete often do not change in the neuter singular. They usually keep the same form.

So you get:

• en nuppete genser
• et nuppete plagg

Not et nuppetet plagg.

This same pattern happens with other adjectives like rutete (checked / plaid).

På bordet means on the table, using the definite form bordet.

This usually suggests:

• a specific table is meant, or
• the table is obvious from the situation

In practical instructions, Norwegian often uses the definite form where English might also naturally say the:

• Legg det på bordet = Put it on the table

If you said på et bord, that would mean on a table, which sounds less specific.

This is an infinitive phrase of purpose.

It breaks down like this:

• for = in order / so as
• ikke = not
• å miste = to lose
• det = it

So:

• for ikke å miste det = so as not to lose it / in order not to lose it

This is a very common Norwegian structure:

• Jeg trener for å bli sterkere. = I train in order to get stronger.
• Skriv det ned for ikke å glemme det. = Write it down so you don’t forget it.

Because ikke is negating the infinitive phrase.

So:

• ikke å miste det = not to lose it

In this sentence, the purpose is negative: you put the garment on the table in order not to lose it.

This placement is normal in Norwegian infinitive constructions.

Det refers back to et nuppete plagg.

Since plagg is a neuter noun, the matching pronoun is det:

• et plagg → det

If the noun were a common-gender noun (en word), you would usually use den instead.

Yes, many speakers would also say for å ikke miste det.

Both are understandable and used in real Norwegian:

• for ikke å miste det
• for å ikke miste det

However, for ikke å miste det is often preferred in careful or neutral phrasing when the whole infinitive idea is being negated: in order not to lose it.

So the original version sounds very natural and standard.

Yes, but å legge is the most natural choice here if you mean lay/put something down on a surface.

• å legge is used when something is placed lying down
• å sette is often used when something is placed sitting/upright
• å stille can also be used for placing something upright, often more carefully

Since a garment is something you would normally lay on a table, legg is the right choice.

Yes. In Norwegian, imperative sentences often have no stated subject.

So this is fully complete:

• Legg et nuppete plagg på bordet ...

The implied subject is you, just like in English:

• Put the garment on the table ...

So even without du, the sentence is grammatically complete and natural.