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German · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "der Markt" in German?
dair MARKT. The r darkens the a behind it, then k and t arrive with no vowel between them.
Three consonants stack up after a single short vowel. The plural Märkte fronts the vowel to a short ä and adds a schwa, so the cluster gets a following vowel to lean on and the word becomes noticeably easier to say in the plural than in the singular.
Listen: der Markt
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Hear it in a sentence
Wir kaufen Obst auf dem Markt.
We buy fruit at the market.
Listen: Wir kaufen Obst auf dem Markt.
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Wir kaufen Obst auf dem Markt uses the dative dem because the buying happens at the market rather than moving to it. Obst is worth a look on its own: it opens on a glottal catch, devoices its b to p, and keeps a plain st, giving 'OHPST'.
Where English speakers slip
The American r turns the vowel into something like the English word marked, stretching and colouring it. German keeps the a short and lets the r darken it from the back of the throat. The kt cluster is the other detail: both consonants must be audible, where English would often reduce the k in a similar position.