Who said language studies shouldn’t be fun?
By learning some funny Spanish jokes, you’ll be able to understand many more of the linguistic nuances found in Spanish.
I’m gonna give you some funny Spanish jokes that had me laughing out loud, but I’ll also explain what makes them funny and how each Spanish play on words works.
Before long, you’ll be laughing right along with your Spanish-speaking friends!
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Funniest Jokes in Spanish
1. Wine and In-Laws
¿Cuál es el vino más amargo?
Vino mi suegra.
English Translation:
What’s the most bitter wine?
When my mother-in-law came to town.
Of course, in English, this doesn’t make much sense. That’s because it’s playing on the noun vino and the verb vino.
The noun vino means “wine” and the verb vino means “he/she came.”
2. Bird Imitation
Un hombre va al circo en busca de empleo.
El director le pregunta:
“¿Y usted qué sabe hacer?”
El hombre dice, “yo… imito a los pájaros.”
El director responde, “bueno… creo que no nos interesa, gracias.”
y el hombre se fue volando.
English Translation:
The man went to the circus to find a job
The boss asked him:
“What do you know how to do?”
The man says, “I imitate birds”
The boss answers, “well, we’re not interested, thanks.”
And the man flew away
When someone se va volando (goes flying) it’s similar to the English phrase, “he flew the coop,” meaning he left in a hurry.
3. A Ray of Sunshine
La nueva cocinera es un sol.
¿Cocina bien?
No, lo quema todo.
English Translation:
The new cook is a ray of sunshine.
Does she cook well?
No, she burns everything.
For this one I translated the meaning literally in English. We don’t use the phrase “ray of sunshine” the same way un sol is used in Spanish.
Un sol is someone who’s “a doll” in English. Of course, the pun here is that the sun burns everything, just like the cook. Clever, clever.
4. The Most Timely Pun
Padre, ¿qué puedo hacer por mis pecados?
Ora, hijo mío, ora.
Las once y media, padre.
English Translation:
Father, what can I do to have my sins forgiven?
Pray, my son, pray
It’s 11:30, father
Ora (pray) naturally sounds a lot like hora (hour) since the h isn’t pronounced in Spanish. I imagine that this boy was being a bit of a smarty pants with the priest. I like him.
5. Cowboy Talk
¿Cómo llama el vaquero a su hija?
¡Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiija!
English Translation:
How does the cowboy call to his daughter?
Dauuuuuuuuuughter!
Well, duh. Doesn’t every father call his daughter, daughter? That’s not the joke.
In Spanish, hiiiiiiija (ee-ha) sounds a whole like “yeeeeeee-haw!” Cowboys say “yee-haw” all the time, that is if you trust old John Wayne movies.
6. Love Between Houses
¿Qué le dijo un techo a otro techo?
Te echo de menos.
English Translation:
What did one roof say to the other roof?
I miss you.
Words in Spanish can be put together or split apart to create two completely different words. That’s what’s happening here.
Techo means “roof.” Te echo de menos means “I miss you.” When you combine te + echo into techo, that’s where the joke is.
7. One Fishy Pun
Un pez le pregunta a su amigo,
“¿Qué hace tu padre?”
El otro dice:
“Nada.”
English Translation:
One fish asks his friend,
“What does your dad do?”
The other fish says:
“Nothing”
This is probably the first joke I remember my dad telling me in Spanish. It still makes me smile every time.
The play on words in this joke is the fish’s answer, “nada.”
Nada means “nothing,” however, it’s also one of the conjugations for the verb nadar which means “to swim.”
8. Spanish Spelling Bee
¿Cómo se escribe calcetines en inglés?
Eso sí que es
English Translation:
How do you spell socks in English?
Yes, that’s right.
But no one ever spelled socks in the joke…or did they? Read this one out loud.
Eso sí que es sounds a lot like S-O-C-K-S. This one is the perfect joke for your friends who speak Spanish and English.
9. A Little Math Joke
¿Qué le dijo el número dieciocho al número dos?
¡Vente conmigo!
English Translation:
What did the number 18 say to the number 2?
Come with me!
Vente in Spanish is an informal command which means “come,” but the similar-sounding word veinte means “twenty.” When we plug that in, the punchline sounds more like “20 with me!”
10. Double Meanings
Un tipo y una mujer en la playa:
“Y usted, ¿no nada nada?”
“No traje traje.”
English Translation:
A man and a woman on the beach:
“You aren’t going to swim at all?”
“I didn’t bring my swimming suit”
Nada means “nothing” or “not at all.” But, as noted in the above fish-dad joke, it’s also a conjugation of the verb nadar. So, together, no nada nada means that the person doesn’t swim at all.
Traje means “suit.” This can be a business suit or, in this case, a swimming suit. Like nada, it’s also a conjugated verb: traer means “to bring” and traje is the first person past tense conjugation of traer.
11. Counting Stars
¿Cuántas estrellas hay en el cielo?
Cincuenta.
English Translation:
How many stars are in the sky?
Fifty.
Once again, Spanish words are tricky when you smash them together or pull them apart.
Cincuenta may mean “fifty,” but sin cuenta…that means “countless.”
If these jokes have got you right at your funny bone, then don’t stop at this post.
Watch comedy skits in Spanish, find Spanish comedians or watch comedy videos on FluentU—a language learning program that helps you learn Spanish through authentic videos with interactive subtitles.
Keep on having fun and make your Spanish studies filled with laughter!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
