Lesson 27: Redewendungen und Ironie: German humour decoded

Dialogue: Colleagues joke in the office kitchen on a Monday morning

Words and phrases

Grammar

Common idioms and how to use them

Idioms (Redewendungen) are fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. They are extremely common in spoken German, in newspaper headlines and in advertising. Only the verb changes its form; the rest of the idiom stays exactly as it is.

Most idioms belong to informal, spoken German. They are perfect in the office kitchen, but usually out of place in a formal letter or an academic text. A few, such as den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen or etwas auf die leichte Schulter nehmen, are neutral enough for presentations and newspaper articles. When you learn a new idiom, note an example sentence and the situation in which you heard it.

How irony works in German

Irony means saying the opposite of what you mean and trusting the listener to notice. In German, irony is very common in everyday conversation, often with a completely straight face, which can make it hard to recognise. Listen for these signals:

• Contradiction with the situation: Herrliches Wetter heute! during a storm.
• Exaggerated intonation on the key word: Das hat ja HERVORRAGEND geklappt.
• Modal particles such as ja, mal wieder and wohl: Das ist ja mal wieder typisch.
• Set ironic phrases: Na super! Na toll! Das hat mir gerade noch gefehlt.

If you are unsure, it is perfectly fine to smile and ask: Das war jetzt ironisch, oder? Be careful with irony in writing: without tone of voice, an ironic email can easily be taken literally and cause offence.

Wordplay, allusions and when to join in

German humour loves wordplay (Wortspiele) built on words with two meanings. In a textile exhibition, den Faden verlieren is suddenly both literal and figurative; at a railway station, nur Bahnhof verstehen becomes a joke about announcements. Many nouns have two meanings that invite puns, for example die Bank (bench and bank), das Schloss (castle and lock) or der Strauß (bouquet and ostrich).

Allusions (Anspielungen) refer to something the listener is expected to know: a proverb, a film quote, a well-known advertising slogan or a famous line from literature. Headlines often play with proverbs, for example by changing one word of Wer A sagt, muss auch B sagen. If an expression sounds strangely familiar but slightly wrong, it may be an allusion.

• Self-irony is the safest way to join in, because it makes fun of nobody but yourself.
• Avoid jokes about people's origin, religion, appearance or private lives, even if others make them.
• Be careful with irony towards people higher up in the hierarchy until you know them well.
• Laughing at a joke you have not fully understood is fine; asking about it later is even better for your German.

Practice

Writing task

Good to know

The idea that Germans have no sense of humour is an old cliché, and most people who live in Germany soon discover that it is not true. German humour is often dry and ironic, delivered without a smile, and it relies heavily on wordplay. Everyday jokes about train delays, bureaucracy or the weather are understood everywhere. There are also strong regional traditions, from carnival humour in the Rhineland to the famously laconic humour of the north.

Germany also has a long tradition of Kabarett, satirical stage shows that comment on current affairs, and of comedy on television, radio and in podcasts. Watching comedy is one of the best ways to train your ear for irony and idioms, although it is also one of the hardest, because so much depends on cultural references. Start with shows that have subtitles, and do not worry if you only get some of the jokes at first: humour is often the last thing learners understand, and enjoying it is a real C1 achievement.

Can you do this now?

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