Learn Hardcore German: Der Markt verkauft Kräuter sowie bunte Pflanzen für den Balkon. - The market sells herbs as well as colorful plants for the balcony.

sowie is a coordinating conjunction meaning “as well as” or “together with.” Unlike und (“and”), which simply lists items, sowie often adds a nuance of “in addition to” or treats the second item as an equally important extension. Here it links Kräuter and bunte Pflanzen as two distinct but equally offered categories.

Why is there no article before Kräuter or bunte Pflanzen?

In German, when you talk about unspecified quantities or general categories in the plural, you often omit the article. This is similar to English “Herbs and colorful plants” (without “the” or “some”). It makes the statement more general— the market sells herbs and plants in unspecified amounts.

Why is the adjective bunte not bunten before Pflanzen?

Because there is no article, the adjective takes the strong declension. In the plural accusative, strong declension for adjectives ends in -e, so you get bunte Pflanzen. If there were a definite article (die bunten Pflanzen), you would use the weak ending -n.

What case is used in für den Balkon, and why?

für always requires the accusative case. Balkon is masculine (der Balkon), so in the accusative it becomes den Balkon. Together, für den Balkon means “for the balcony.”

Why is Der Markt in the nominative case, and why is verkauft conjugated as it is?

Der Markt is the subject of the sentence, so it takes the nominative case. The verb verkauft is the 3rd person singular form of verkaufen (to sell), agreeing with the singular subject der Markt.

How do you pronounce the umlaut ä in Kräuter?

The ä in Kräuter is pronounced [ɛː] (similar to the vowel in English “air” but more open and long). The full pronunciation is [ˈkʁɔʏtɐ].

Does Markt here refer to a supermarket?

Not necessarily. In German, Markt often means an open-air or farmers’ market. A supermarket is usually called Supermarkt or Lebensmittelgeschäft. If you see just Markt, think of stalls or vendors selling fresh produce.

Why is Kräuter plural? Could you use the singular Kraut?

Kräuter is the plural of das Kraut (“herb”). In this context you’re talking about different kinds of herbs, so you use the plural. You could say Das Kraut if you mean one specific herb or a mass noun in general (“the herb” or “herbal stuff”), but here the market sells multiple types, hence Kräuter.