Breakdown of Der Komiker hat Lampenfieber, worüber er Witze macht.
er
he
machen
to make, to do
haben
to have
worüber
what about
der Komiker
the comedian
der Witz
the joke
das Lampenfieber
the stage fright
Questions & Answers about Der Komiker hat Lampenfieber, worüber er Witze macht.
Why do we use worüber here instead of a regular relative pronoun?
The word worüber is a wo-compound. In German, when a relative clause refers back to an entire preceding situation (the fact that he has stage fright) rather than just a single noun, and the verb requires a preposition (here: Witze machen über), you must use a wo-compound.
Could worüber just refer to the noun Lampenfieber rather than the whole sentence?
Yes, it could! For inanimate nouns like das Lampenfieber, German often uses wo-compounds anyway (instead of über das). However, treating this as a continuative relative clause captures that he is joking about the whole situation of experiencing stage fright right now.
Where does the r in worüber come from?
When you form a wo-compound, you add a linking -r- if the preposition starts with a vowel. Since über starts with a vowel, wo + über becomes worüber so it is easier to pronounce.
What is the literal translation of Lampenfieber?
It literally means 'lamp fever'. It is the standard German word for 'stage fright', originating from the heat of old theatrical stage lamps that made performers sweat and feel anxious.
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