It’s what lights up the stage, fills your screen on Saturday night, or keeps you entertained on a rainy day. In German, it’s die Show. This is your German Word of the Day—flashy, borrowed from English, and widely used in media and pop culture.

The noun Show means show—typically a TV show, stage show, or live entertainment event—and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It’s almost always used in the same way as in English, especially when referring to modern entertainment formats.

It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Show (want to master gender with zero stress? Our video lesson makes it stick for good).

Pronunciation

Show is pronounced [shoh]

• Just like in English: “show”

• One syllable

• Clear and crisp: Show

Example sentences

• Die Show war wirklich beeindruckend.
  The show was really impressive.

• Hast du gestern die neue Show im Fernsehen gesehen?
  Did you see the new show on TV last night?

• Ich liebe solche Shows mit viel Musik und Tanz.
  I love shows like that with lots of music and dance.

Nuance and usage tips

🎤 Show is typically used for:

• TV entertainment

  • Castingshow – talent show

  • Spielshow – game show

  • Talkshow – talk show

  • Reality-Show – reality show

  • Abendshow – evening entertainment

• Live performances

  • Bühnenshow – stage show

  • Musikshow – music show

  • Lichtshow – light show

  • Lasershow – laser show

📺 More general examples:

• Die Show läuft um 20:15. – The show airs at 8:15 PM.

• Er hat die Show moderiert. – He hosted the show.

• Ich habe die ganze Show aufgenommen. – I recorded the whole show.

🗣️ Germans often pronounce it exactly like English but will conjugate it with German articles, plurals (Shows), and grammar.

How does this word come up in real conversations?

• "Kennst du diese neue Show auf Netflix?"
  Do you know that new show on Netflix?

• "Die Show war komplett ausverkauft."
  The show was completely sold out.

• "Ich will nicht in der Show auftreten!"
  I don’t want to appear in the show!

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Tobi: Guckst du heute Abend die Show?
Nina: Klar – ich mag den Moderator total!
Tobi: Und ich bin gespannt auf die Gäste.
Nina: Hoffentlich ist es keine langweilige Show wie letzte Woche.

Translation:
Tobi: Are you watching the show tonight?
Nina: Of course—I really like the host!
Tobi: And I’m curious about the guests.
Nina: Hopefully it’s not as boring as last week’s show.

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Show beginnt um acht.
The show starts at eight.

Accusative:
Ich habe die Show aufgenommen.
I recorded the show.

Dative:
Mit der Show hat er berühmt geworden.
He became famous with that show.

Genitive:
Das war das Highlight der Show.
That was the highlight of the show.

Word variations and language tidbits

• Showszene – the entertainment scene

• Showbusiness – show business

• Showmaster – show host (a bit old-fashioned)

• Showeinlage – short show performance or segment

• Publikumsshow – audience-based show

🎭 Fun fact: The word Show is often used in Germany instead of older German words like Vorstellung or Aufführung when something feels modern, commercial, or international. Think “TV-Show” instead of “Fernsehsendung.”

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Show
🎥 Want to star in your own language Show? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 German nouns—with grammar tips and real-life examples that make learning a performance worth watching.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Do you know what Sport means? A good Show often includes it.
And what about Störung? You’ll hope there’s none during your favorite Show.