der Schwank
humorous tale
A short, lighthearted, often bawdy story about a comical incident.
EXAMPLE
Mein Großvater erzählte uns einen lustigen Schwank aus seiner Jugend.
My grandfather told us a humorous tale from his youth.
der Schwank
humorous tale / farce
der Schwank, die Schwänke
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Meanings
der Schwank
farce
A comic play, usually with a simple plot and exaggerated or surprising situations.
EXAMPLE
Die Laienspielgruppe führt dieses Jahr einen Schwank in drei Akten auf.
The amateur theater group is putting on a farce in three acts this year.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Schwank, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Schwänke |
| genitive | des Schwanks |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Schwank | die Schwänke |
| accusative | den Schwank | die Schwänke |
| dative | dem Schwank | den Schwänken |
| genitive | des Schwanks des Schwankes | der Schwänke |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Register and style
'Schwank' (humorous tale / farce) sounds rather old-fashioned, is mainly used in literary and theatrical language, and is often associated with older, folk-style or humorous stories and plays.
EXAMPLE
In der Zeitung wurde ein amüsanter Schwank aus dem Dorfleben abgedruckt.
An amusing tale about village life was printed in the newspaper.
Context clue
You can often tell whether 'Schwank' (humorous tale / farce) refers to a story or a play from the verb and the surrounding words: verbs such as 'erzählen' (to tell) indicate a story, while verbs such as 'aufführen' (to perform) or references to acts indicate a play.
EXAMPLE
Der Schwank wird im Gemeindesaal aufgeführt und hat nur zwei Akte.
The farce is being performed in the community hall and has only two acts.
Bei der Familienfeier erzählte er einen Schwank aus seiner Kindheit.
At the family gathering, he told a humorous tale from his childhood.
Typical collocations
For the storytelling sense, typical phrases include 'einen Schwank erzählen' (to tell a humorous tale), 'ein lustiger Schwank' (a funny tale), and 'ein Schwank aus dem Leben' (a humorous tale from real life).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Essen erzählte die Nachbarin einen amüsanten Schwank aus ihrem Berufsleben.
After dinner, the neighbor told an amusing tale from her working life.
Theater context
In a theatrical context, 'Schwank' (farce) is often used with verbs such as 'aufführen' (to perform), 'spielen' (to act in or perform), or 'inszenieren' (to stage), as well as references to acts and roles.
EXAMPLE
Das Stadttheater inszeniert im Frühjahr einen Schwank mit vielen Verwechslungen.
The city theater is staging a farce with plenty of mistaken identities in the spring.
In real life
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