What to Know About Kölsch, Cologne's Beloved Dialect

Kölsch has some unique sounds and pronunciation compared to standard German. For example, the “ch” sound is often pronounced as a “sh” sound, so “ich” (I) becomes “is” and “nicht” (not) becomes “nisht.” Additionally, certain vowels are pronounced differently, such as the “u” sound, which is often pronounced closer to an “i” sound.

The ch sound in ich, goes to isch, but the isch sound in Fisch goes to fich.
The hard g typical of most German words goes to a j pronounced like a y.
Kölsch avoids the hard r wherever possible – Karte becomesKaat; kurz becomeskoot, etc.
Where standard German uses a pf as in Apfel or Pfanne, Kölsch uses the more modern p – Appel, Pann (apple, pan).
On the other hand, where standard German uses the modern t sound in Tag or tun, Kölsch keeps the older d – Daach, donn (day and do).

Right this second – standard German doesn’t have any continuous tenses. I walk means I walk sometimes and I am walking right now, the right now meaning comes from context. Kölners have gotten around this problem by using gerade, which means just. You might hear – Ich gehe gerade zur Bibliotek, for example – I go now to library.

French – Charlemagne was in Cologne for a while and, more recently, Cologne was occupied by the Napolean’s troops from 1794-1815. Some notable words and expressions include parapluie for umbrella, portmonnaie for wallet (money carrier) and plümo for duvet (plume being French for feather).

Kölle Alaaf! – the classic Carnival phrase, shouted by hundreds of thousands of tourists in the street at all hours of the day and night. Kölle is the Kölsch word for Cologne and Alaaf is a contraction of all af or alles ab/weg, which means everything gone. A perfectly sensible thing to shout during the massive party in the days before Lenten fasting begins.

Et es wie et es – it is how it is – in standard German: Es ist wie est ist. This is the foundation of the basic Cologne life philosophy and one of the basic 13 Rules of Cologne Life. Whatever happens, there’s not much to be done about it, so we may as well have a beer and a laugh.

Et hätt noch immer jot jejange – it’s gone well so far – in standard German Es ist noch immer gut gegangen. In English: It’s gone well so far. If you have a look at the letter swaps at the beginning of this piece and compare the two versions you can start to see how the two differ.

As with any language learning, the best thing to do is listen, listen, listen. Learn a little bit more with Konrad Adenauer, Cologne native and former Chancellor of Germany.

Kölsch has its own vocabulary and expressions that are specific to the region. Many of these words and phrases are not commonly used in standard German. For example, “Köbes” is the term used for the waiters who serve Kölsch beer, as I mentioned earlier.

Despite the influence of standard German and globalization, there have been efforts to preserve and promote Kölsch dialect. There are local associations, cultural events, and even radio stations dedicated to preserving and celebrating the dialect. Additionally, some Kölsch-speaking individuals actively use the dialect in their daily lives to maintain the linguistic heritage of the region.

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