01
scherzen
to joke
To make jokes or say something in a non-serious, humorous way.
example
Er scherzt gerne mit seinen Kollegen, um die Stimmung aufzulockern.
He likes to joke with his colleagues to lighten the mood.
scherzen
to joke
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'scherzen' (to joke) belongs to the noun 'der Scherz' (the joke). So someone who 'scherzt' (jokes) makes jokes.
EXAMPLE
„Das war doch nur ein Scherz!“, sagte er, als sie beleidigt war.
'That was only a joke!' he said when she was offended.
Sentence structure with prepositions
'Scherzen' (to joke) is often used with prepositions. You joke 'mit jemandem' (with someone, dative) or 'über jemanden/etwas' (about someone/something, accusative).
EXAMPLE
Bitte scherze nicht über sein neues Auto.
Please don't joke about his new car.
Fixed expression
The expression 'mit jemandem ist nicht zu scherzen' (someone is not to be joked with) is a fixed structure. The person who does not tolerate jokes always appears in the dative after the preposition 'mit' (with).
EXAMPLE
Nach der schlechten Nachricht war mit ihm den ganzen Tag nicht zu scherzen.
After the bad news, he was not to be joked with all day.
Compare with
scherzen vs lachen
to laugh
'lachen' and 'scherzen' are both connected with humor, but they describe different actions. 'lachen' means the reaction: you show joy or amusement with your face and voice. 'scherzen' means actively making jokes or saying something that is not meant seriously. Learners may confuse the words because people often laugh when someone jokes. But you can laugh without making a joke yourself, and you can joke without everyone laughing. Memory aid: 'scherzen' is saying something; 'lachen' is reacting to it.
scherzen
Max scherzt mit seinen Kollegen, damit die Stimmung im Büro besser wird.
Max jokes with his colleagues to improve the mood in the office.
lachen
Beim Abendessen lachen wir über eine lustige Geschichte.
At dinner, we laugh about a funny story.
In real life
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