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albern
silly
Childish, foolish, or not serious in a funny or sometimes annoying way.
example
Seid nicht so albern und hört auf, mit dem Essen zu spielen!
Don't be so silly, and stop playing with your food!
albern
silly
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
The word family includes the verb 'albern' (to act childishly / fool around) and the noun 'die Albernheit' (silliness / childish behavior).
EXAMPLE
Hört auf zu albern, das ist eine ernste Situation!
Stop fooling around; this is a serious situation!
Use as an adverb
'Albern' (silly) can be used not only as an adjective before a noun or with 'sein' (to be), but also as an adverb to describe a verb.
EXAMPLE
Das ist ein alberner Hut.
That is a silly hat.
Register and style
The tone of 'albern' (silly) can be affectionate and joking or negative and critical, depending on the situation. The context and the relationship between the speakers are decisive.
EXAMPLE
Ach, sei doch nicht so albern, das war nur ein Spaß!
Oh, don't be so silly; it was only a joke!
Compare with
albern vs ernst
serious
'ernst' and 'albern' both describe how someone behaves or how a situation comes across. 'ernst' fits when someone is calm, matter-of-fact, or not in the mood for joking. 'albern' fits when someone acts childish or foolishly funny. So the contrast is: 'ernst' is about seriousness, while 'albern' is about inappropriate or exaggerated fun.
albern
Der Fahrer macht im Supermarkt alberne Geräusche, und die Kinder lachen laut.
The driver makes silly noises in the supermarket, and the children laugh loudly.
ernst
Greta bleibt im Gespräch ernst, weil es um ein wichtiges Problem geht.
Greta stays serious during the conversation because it is about an important problem.
In real life
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