Forum Rocket German German Grammar The work "steht" in this particular joke

The work "steht" in this particular joke

Grant-K1

Grant-K1

I recently read a joke in German....Eine Ärztin geht zum Essen. Sie bemerkt das der Kellner ständig seinen Kopf krazt. Sie fragt: “Haben Sie Juckreiz?”
Der Kellner antwortet: “Wenn es nicht auf der Speisekarte steht haben wir es nicht
 
The joke is ok I guess, afterall, humour is in the eye of the beholder right?. What I want to know is...what business is "steht" doing there in the last sentence?
Byron-K21

Byron-K21

That's an idiomatic usage in German.  We use stand more literally in English, but in German it is often used to mean in existence or there.
Grant-K1

Grant-K1

Great thanks Byron, that's cleared it up for me. That's the best answer I've had and I've posted it on another forum as well

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