der Narr
fool
A person who behaves unreasonably or very foolishly. The word can also be used as an insult for a stupid person.
EXAMPLE
Du Narr, warum hast du den Schlüssel im Schloss stecken lassen?
You fool, why did you leave the key in the lock?
der Narr
fool / jester
der Narr, die Narren
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Meanings
der Narr
court jester
A jester and entertainer at a prince's court, especially in the Middle Ages and the early modern period.
EXAMPLE
Der Narr unterhielt den König mit Späßen und Liedern.
The court jester entertained the king with jokes and songs.
der Narr
carnival reveler
A person dressed up or performing as a fool at Carnival or a similar festival.
EXAMPLE
Beim Umzug trug jeder Narr ein buntes Kostüm.
At the parade, every carnival reveler wore a colorful costume.
jemanden zum Narren halten
to make a fool of someone
To deliberately deceive someone or make fun of them.
EXAMPLE
Er hat mich die ganze Zeit zum Narren gehalten.
He made a fool of me the whole time.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Narr, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Narren |
| genitive | des Narren |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Narr | die Narren |
| accusative | den Narren | die Narren |
| dative | dem Narren | den Narren |
| genitive | des Narren | der Narren |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Context clues
Signal words help identify the meaning: 'Hof' (court), 'König' (king), or 'Unterhaltung' (entertainment) point to the jester, while 'Karneval' (Carnival), 'Umzug' (parade), or 'Kostüm' (costume) point to the festival character. As a direct form of address or an insult, 'Narr' (fool) usually refers to a foolish person; in 'jemanden zum Narren halten' (to make a fool of someone), it is part of a fixed expression.
EXAMPLE
Der König ließ den Narren vor den Gästen auftreten.
The king had the jester perform in front of the guests.
Beim Karnevalsumzug waren überall Narren mit bunten Masken zu sehen.
At the Carnival parade, fools wearing colorful masks could be seen everywhere.
Du Narr, das war doch eine Falle!
You fool, that was a trap!
Form of address and style
As a form of address, 'Narr' (fool) often comes directly after 'du' (you), frequently with an adjective, as in 'du alter Narr' (you old fool). In this meaning, the word often sounds humorous, ironic, or somewhat old-fashioned, but it can still be insulting.
EXAMPLE
Du alter Narr, glaubst du wirklich, dass das funktioniert?
You old fool, do you really think this will work?
Courtly context
The historical meaning often appears in phrases such as 'der Narr am Hof' (the court jester), 'der Narr des Königs' (the king's jester), or 'den König unterhalten' (to entertain the king). These expressions refer to a role in courtly entertainment.
EXAMPLE
Der Narr des Königs durfte selbst über wichtige Herren scherzen.
The king's jester was even allowed to joke about important lords.
Carnival context
In its festival meaning, 'Narr' (fool) particularly often appears together with words such as 'Kostüm' (costume), 'Umzug' (parade), 'Kappe' (cap), or 'Karneval' (Carnival). In the plural, 'Narren' (fools) can also refer to the costumed participants in a festival.
EXAMPLE
Die Narren zogen singend durch die Straßen und warfen Süßigkeiten.
The fools walked through the streets singing and threw sweets.
Fixed expression
'Jemanden zum Narren halten' (to make a fool of someone) is a fixed expression: the deceived or mocked person is in the accusative, and 'zum Narren' remains as part of the expression.
EXAMPLE
Die Verkäuferin hielt den Kunden mit einer erfundenen Geschichte zum Narren.
The saleswoman made a fool of the customer with an invented story.
In real life
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