Funny Jokes in the German Language | Learn Basic German Expressions

Who doesn't enjoy a good joke? Laughter is a universal cure, and Germany is no different. Germany has plenty of jokes and humorous expressions, but we've narrowed it down to our top five.

1. Alle Kinder - All Children

   
   

Typically dark humour, 'Alle Kinder' is normally a joke that contains rhyming words- so the translation can be confusing - and not funny. So basically, the context of this jokes are that all children- 'alle kinder'- are doing something exept from one child. The punchline will rhyme with the singled-out child's name and they will most likley meet an amusingly dark fate.

Zum Beispiel:

"Alle Kinder fahren mit dem Rad, nur nicht Nette, die hängt an der Kette!"

Translation:

"All the children ride their bikes, except for Nette, who is on a chain!"

2. Mami and Papi Witze- Mum and Dad jokes

These jokes feature a short interaction between a child addressing either Mum or Dad with “Mami, Mami” or “Papi, Papi” and a question or observation. The punchline is always in the retort of the respective parent, often giving it a cruel or unfortunate twist.

Zum Beispiel:

"Mami, Mami, ich will nicht in die USA!"

"Sei ruhig und schwimm weiter."

Translation:

“Mummy, mummy, I don’t want to go to the USA!”

“Shut up and keep swimming.”

3. Kalauer oder Flachwitze - Cringy Puns or Flat Jokes

   
   

   Kalauer is basically the English equivalent to cringy puns. Intended to receive more groans than laughs.

Zum Beispiel:

"Was macht ein Pirat am Computer? Er drückt die Enter-Taste."

Translation:

What does a pirate do on a computer? He presses the Enter key.

4. AntiWitz - Anti Joke

   
   

AntiWitz, which translate to 'anti joke' is essentially a joke that builds up to a unfunny punchline or obvious statement. The humour is more in the build up.

Zum Beispiel:

"Was ist weiß und flauschig?" "Ein Schaf."

Translation:

"What is white and fluffy?" "A sheep."

5. Fritzchen - Little Fritz

   
   

Little Fritz is a fictional boy is a cheeky character who is always referred to in these jokes. It is the German equivalent to Johnny English.

Zum Beispiel:

Fritzchen: "Kann ich für etwas bestraft werden, das ich nicht getan habe."

Lehrer: "Natürlich nicht, Fritzchen, das wäre sehr unfair!"

Fritzchen: "Das ist gut zu wissen, denn ich habe meine Hausaufgaben nicht gemacht."

Translation:

Little Fritz: "Can I be punished for something I haven't done?"

Teacher: "Of course not, Fritzchen, that would be very unfair!"

Little Fritz: "That's good to know, because I haven't done my homework."

So there you have it, our top 5 German jokes! We have many more weird and wonderful expressions in our other blogs, so have a look here

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With love,

Schade Schokolade x