to mark / pretend
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to mark
To label or mark something in order to highlight it, find it again, or identify it. This can be done with color, a symbol, or another method.
Bitte markieren Sie die wichtigsten Stellen im Text mit einem Textmarker.
Please mark the most important passages in the text with a highlighter.
to pretend
To fake a certain behavior or state; to act as if. Often used disparagingly.
Er markiert nur den starken Mann, in Wirklichkeit ist er sehr unsicher.
He's only pretending to be the strong man; in reality, he's very insecure.
to mark
To mark a boundary or territory, for example with scents, as animals do to define their territory.
Der Hund markiert sein Revier an jedem Baum.
The dog marks his territory on every tree.
The verb 'markieren' (to mark) belongs to the word family of 'die Marke' (mark, sign, label) and 'die Markierung' (the act of marking or the mark itself).
Die Wanderwege sind mit farbigen Markierungen an den Bäumen gekennzeichnet.
The hiking trails are marked with colored markings on the trees.
You can recognize the meaning from the context: If it is about text or places, it means 'kennzeichnen' (to mark/label). If the object is a role ('den Chef' — the boss), it means 'vortäuschen' (to pretend). If the subject is an animal, it is usually about territory.
Markier bitte alle wichtigen Termine im Kalender.
Please mark all important dates in the calendar.
When marking or labeling something, the structure 'etwas (Akkusativ) mit etwas (Dativ) markieren' is often used to name the tool or method.
Ich habe die Fehler im Dokument mit roter Farbe markiert.
I marked the errors in the document with red ink.
In the meaning 'vortäuschen' (to pretend), 'markieren' is used colloquially and often disparagingly. Typical objects are roles or qualities such as 'den starken Mann' (the strong man), 'den Experten' (the expert), or 'den Clown' (the clown).
Er markiert immer den großen Kenner, hat aber von nichts eine Ahnung.
He's always pretending to be the great expert, but he doesn't know anything about anything.
The meaning 'ein Revier abgrenzen' (to define a territory) is used almost exclusively in biological contexts for animals. The subject of the sentence is then typically an animal.
Wölfe markieren ihr Territorium mit Duftstoffen, um andere Rudel fernzuhalten.
Wolves mark their territory with scents to keep other packs away.
to call / mark
Bezeichnen and markieren can both mean putting a visible sign on an object. Bezeichnen is used mainly for clear assignment or identification. Markieren makes something visibly stand out so that it attracts attention or can be found again more easily.
Die Mitarbeiterin markiert die richtige Kiste mit einem breiten roten Streifen.
The employee marks the correct box with a wide red stripe.
Die Mitarbeiterin bezeichnet die richtige Kiste mit der Nummer 12.
The employee marks the correct box with the number 12.
