deckt

Deckt is a present-tense verb form used in German and Dutch. In both languages, decken or dekken means to cover or to set the table, and "deckt" is the third-person singular present tense form: er deckt, sie deckt, es deckt in German; hij dekt, zij dekt, het dekt in Dutch. The form also appears in broader contexts where the subject performs the action of covering or arranging.

In German usage, decken covers both physical covering (for example, a roof or a cloth) and the act of setting a table as in everyday dining. A typical sentence is Er deckt den Tisch, meaning “He sets the table.” The sense is determined by the surrounding words and the object of the verb.

In Dutch usage, dekken likewise conveys both laying the table and covering a surface. A common sentence is Hij dekt de tafel, meaning “He lays the table.” Dutch usage parallels German in that the same form is used for third-person singular present shows.

Pronunciation is similar in both languages, with the word generally pronounced as /dɛkt/. As with many inflected forms, deckt functions primarily as a grammatical marker rather than a stand-alone lexical item. It is not a noun in standard use, and its meaning is deduced from the infinitive decken/dekken and the context of the sentence. In German, the past participle is gedeckt, which can lead to confusion with the present tense form deckt in spoken language.