German comedians are hilarious.
The German comedy scene has produced very few internationally known artists, which is not because Germany does not have a lot to offer. At first glance, German humour seems a bit eccentric. Germans might appear to be laughing ‘on the inside’ rather than full-blown ‘lol’ers. Nevertheless, there are incredibly funny and hilarious stage performers who can tickle your diaphragm and improve your German skills at the same time.
Helge Schneider
The first and probably most unique on our list is the singer and songwriter Helge Schneider. His style can probably best be described as the silliest nonsense cannon you have ever seen. Helge’s stage repertoire includes, for example, a number where he simply slides off a chair over and over again for minutes. His humour consists of a lot of puns and the spontaneous introduction of words that only remotely fit the context. This is hilarious, although probably too difficult for beginners, although intermediate and advanced learners might enjoy his comedy. But if you’re at a beginner level and want to translate his texts, they are just as funny in English. Maybe this will help you!
Möhre
Möhre is the feminist-satirical answer to the Ballermann and booze culture. By the way, “Möhre” is the German word for carrot. She interprets the style and vocabulary of this beloved German genre in a hilarious way and fills it up with a lot of clichés. Her stage programs are easy to understand even for German beginners because they are in everyday language and deal with daily things for which no special vocabulary is needed. She speaks slowly, and after her gags there are always long pauses in which the audience rages and there is time for reflection.
Torfrock
Torfrock consists of two musical Vikings who make incredibly good rock. But instead of electric guitars they use mandolins and drinking horns as stage instruments. The bearded guys from the German North Sea coast sing about life on the coast, jackhammers on building sites and the wife of the chief Renate, among other things. The lyrics are mostly recited slowly, but the two horn-helmet wearers speak with a funny but not easy to understand Northern German accent. But advanced learners will experience real joy from the two German comedians. They are mixed with folksy songs and short stories.
Hella von Sinnen
Translated, her name means ‘Hella, out of her mind’. Her funniest moments can be found in the interactions between her and her co-hosts. We would like to recommend this show to all German language learners. The format goes that the presenter makes a statement and Hella and her co-hosts then have to say whether the statement is true or false. They can then discuss it and come to a conclusion in which they have to prove that the claim is true or false. Hella takes the leading role in all this, and it is great fun to watch the German comedians beating around the bush because they don’t want to come up with a ‘true’ or ‘false’ answer. The show is also suitable for advanced learners.
Jan Böhmermann
Jan delivers pure satire through complex and well-researched topics, which he prepares with a great talent. He is a satirist and german comedian through and through and stands in the tradition of German cabaret, which he revamps with ideas from American late-night show formats. Some of his shows are completely dedicated to his music and the late-night show turns into a musical, with crazy music and strange lyrics. If you know a little bit about cabaret and are no longer a German beginner, this will be a real pleasure for you.
Carolin Kebekus
This German comedian is best known for her television appearances. There she drives the audience to harsh enthusiasm, especially with parodies. But her musical side deserves at least as much attention. She devotes herself completely to carnival culture and sings in a Cologne Jecken-Band. Her lyrics are hard to understand, but certainly a great preparation for your Cologne carnival visit.
Otto
Otto is a boy from East Frisia and a German comedian. He lives in a lighthouse and passes his time painting little elephants, the so-called Ottifanten, when he is not on stage. The lovely studied painter is also a stage virtuoso and a god on the guitar. The main part of his performances are made up of his rendition of children’s songs, edited (we could even say corrupted) for comic effect. He also performs dialogues. He is also absolutely silly, but hilarious and lovable. This man has been on stage for almost 50 years and is still an absolute institution in the German comedy world today. His sketches are not very demanding in terms of language, but their content is excellent. Even beginners will have fun with him, especially with his cool songs.
Germany doesn’t only have funny comedians. The German language also has some awesome funny words and phrases, which are incredibly funny because of their captivating yet baffling logic. You can find them here. We just love german comedians.
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