Merkt

Merkt is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb merken. The verb means to notice, become aware of, or remember. It is used when the subject is he, she, or it, as in Er merkt den Fehler (He notices the mistake). Merken can take a direct object (Ich merke den Unterschied) or be used reflexively with sich merken to indicate memorizing something: Ich merke mir die Telefonnummer (I memorize the phone number).

Etymology and cognates: Merken belongs to the Germanic family of verbs and has close cognates in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch merken and Swedish märka. These cognates share a core sense related to observing, noting, or marking. The modern German form developed through regular historical sound changes within this language family.

Usage notes: Merken is common in everyday German and spans senses from perceiving a fact to remembering information. Examples include Es merkt sich der Kunde nicht, was der Verkäufer sagte (The customer doesn’t notice/remember what the seller said) and Wir müssen uns das merken (We must remember that). In written or formal language, merken can also convey realization or acknowledgment of a situation, as in Er merkt, dass er falsch lag (He realizes that he was wrong).

In summary, merkt is a versatile, widely used form of merken, primarily denoting notice or memory in the present tense.