Spend any length of time chatting online or texting with a Spanish speaker, and you’re likely to see the letters jajaja. Think of the pronunciation of the Spanish letter jota (letter j) and you realize that this stands for laughter, just like “hahaha” in English.
Laughter and understanding chistes (jokes) in Spanish is one of the most fun rewards for your dedication to your new language. We’ve rounded up 50 of the best funny Spanish jokes—with explanations, so si no lo captas (if you don’t get it), you’ll at least learn something new about Spanish!
Table of Contents
Spanish jokes to learn vocabulary
Funny Spanish jokes are helpful for learners, because even if you don’t know all of the important Spanish words, jokes can provide meaningful context in which to learn and remember vocabulary.
1. el intermitente
- Mamá: Miguelito, bájate del coche y dime si funciona el intermitente de la izquierda. = Miguelito, get out of the car and tell me if the left blinker is working.
- Miguelito: Ahora sí, ahora no. Ahora sí, ahora no. Ahora sí…= Now it is, now it’s not. Now it is, now it’s not. Now it is…
Hence the word intermitente (intermittent) for blinker.
2. una mesita de noche
- Una mujer contrata un carpintero y le dice: = A woman hires a carpenter and says to him:
- ¿Podría hacerme una mesita de noche? = Could you make me a nightstand?
- El carpintero responde: = The carpenter replies:
- Lo siento, pero solo trabajo al día. = Sorry, but I only work in the daytime.
The phrase de noche (by night/at night) is part of mesita de noche (a small table you put by a bed/a nightstand).
3. un millón de dólares
- Este año planeo ganar mi segundo millón de dólares. = This year I plan to earn my second million dollars.
- ¿En serio? ¿Eres millonario? = Seriously? You’re a millionaire?
- Pues no, es que el primero fue demasiado difícil y me rendí. = Well, no, the first million was too hard and I gave up.
4. mi sueño
- Sueño con ganar trescientos mil dólares como mi padre. = I dream of earning 300.000 dólares like my father.
- ¿Tu padre gana trescientos mil dólares? = Your father makes $300,000?
- No, él también lo sueña. = No, he dreams of it, too.
Mil (thousand) and millón (million) is an important distinction for counting in Spanish.
5. prestar
- Amigo 1: Oye, ¿me puedes prestar 50 dólares? = Hey, can you lend me 50 dollars?
- Amigo 2: Lo siento, sólo tengo 10. = I’m sorry, I only have 10.
- Amigo 1: Está bien, puedes darme los 10 y me debes 40. = It’s ok, you can give me the 10 and you owe me 40.
Prestar in this sense means “to lend.”
6. prestar atención
- Mujer: Cariño, ya no me prestas atención cuando te hablo. ¿Qué te pasa? = Honey, you don’t pay attention to me when I’m talking anymore. What’s wrong with you?
- Marido: Cualquier cosa, no tengo mucha hambre. = Anything’s fine, I’m not that hungry.
The husband, answering the question ¿Qué quieres para cenar? (What do you want for dinner?) is proving her point. No está prestando atención. (He’s not paying attention.) Prestar atención is directly translated as “to lend attention” in Spanish.
7. saludable
- Amigo 1: Soy una persona muy saludable. = I’m a really healthy person.
- Amigo 2: ¿Porque haces ejercicio y comes sano? = Because you exercise and eat healthy?
- Amigo 1: Claro que no. Es que cuando la gente me saluda por la calle, yo siempre devuelvo el saludo. = Of course not. It’s because when people wave at me on the street, I always return the wave.
Saludable means “healthy,” coming from the noun salud (health), but this friend made a pun by mixing the adjective with saludar (to greet/to wave at).
8. y pico
- ¿Qué pesa más, un pájaro de tres kilos o un gato de tres kilos? = What weighs more, a three kilo bird or a three kilo cat?
- El pájaro porque pesa tres kilos y pico. = A three kilo bird because it weighs three kilos and a little bit.
The expression y pico (and a little bit) is good for a small unspecified quantity. The word pico also means “beak.”
Funny Spanish jokes for children
These puns and jokes in Spanish have easy-to-catch punchlines perfect for the young or young at heart. Choose the right audience for these silly jokes or you may have to duck out of the room.
9. la ballena
- ¿Cuántos peces caben en una ballena? = How many fish fit in a whale?
- Ninguno, porque va llena. = None, because it goes around full.
The word ballena (whale) is pronounced exactly like va llena (goes full).
10. el brócoli
- ¿Cómo se llama el primo de Bruce Lee? = What’s Bruce Lee’s cousin’s name?
- Broco Lee. = Broco Lee
Would you know how to order food like brócoli (broccoli) in Spanish?
11. los fantasmas
- ¿Qué pinta fantasmas? = What do ghosts paint?
- Dibuuuuuuuuujos.= Drawings.
When the buuuuuu syllable is long and drawn out it sounds like a ghost saying “boooooo.”
12. el Hombre Araña
- ¿Qué dijo el hombre-araña en el restaurante? = What did Spiderman say in the restaurant?
- Mesero, no hay moscas en mi sopa. = Waiter, there are no flies in my soup.
The superhero Spiderman is sometimes translated literally as hombre araña. Arañas (spiders) eat moscas (flies), which would bother most diners.
13. las iguanas
- ¿Cómo sabes que las iguanas son gemelas?= How do you know that the iguanas are twins?
- Son iguanitas! = They’re “idennical!”
This is a purposeful mispronunciation of igualitas (which would be a cute way to say identical). Now it sounds more like “little iguanas” in Spanish. The pun is definitely lost in translation in this joke!
14. naranja
- ¿Cuál es la fruta más cómica? = What’s the funniest fruit?
- La naranjajajaja.= The orange (hahahaha).
La naranja (orange) extended by a few syllables sounds like laughter.
15. la pared
- ¿Qué le dijo una pared a la otra? = What did one wall say to the other?
- Nos encontramos en la esquina. = We’ll meet at the corner.
16. los perros
- ¿Qué raza de perro puede saltar más alto que los edificios? = What breed of dog can jump higher than buildings?
- Cualquier perro, porque los edificios no pueden saltar. = Any dog, because buildings can’t jump.
17. un pez
- ¿Qué hace un pez? = What does a fish do?
- Nada. = Nothing/it swims
Nada (nothing) is also the él/ella form of “to swim.”
18. el tomate
- ¿Por qué el tomate está en el café? = Why is the tomato in the café?
- Porque toma té. = Because he drinks tea.
The phrase toma té (he/she drinks tea) is similar in sound to tomate (tomato).
19. valiente
- ¿Qué árbol es el más valiente? = What is the bravest tree?
- Las palmeras porque duermen con el coco. = Palm trees, because they sleep with El Coco.
This one takes some cultural understanding. A common “monster” that strikes fear into children’s hearts in some Spanish-speaking cultures is called “El Coco/El Cuco.” He’s said to steal disobedient children away in their sleep. Coco is also the word for coconut, which grows on palmeras cocoteras (coconut palm trees).
>>Lots of funny Spanish jokes and riddles begin with the famous Spanish upside down question mark.
Pepito jokes in Spanish
A common category of funny jokes in Spanish relates to a fictional little boy named “Pepito” (sometimes “Jaimito” or “Miguelito”). This character likes to answer the teacher’s questions in an unconventional, yet humorous way.
Instead of profe (a Spanish slang word for teacher), he might call her maestra (teacher).
20. la campana
- Pepito: Profe, cómo se escribe “campana”? = Teacher, how do you write “bell?”
- Profe: A ver, Pepito.. exactamente como suena. = Let’s see, Pepito, exactly how it sounds.
- Pepito: Así que… D-I-N D-O-N… = So… D-I-N-G D-O-N-G
The teacher tells Pepito to spell “bell” just like it sounds, so Pepito spells the onomatopoeia for “ding dong.”
21. el colegio perfecto
- Profe: A ver, Pepito, ¿cómo te imaginas el colegio perfecto? = Let’s see, Pepito. How would you imagine the perfect school?
- Pepito: Cerrado. = Closed.
22. ¿cuántos?
- Profe: Vale, Pepito. En una mano tengo seis manzanas. En la otra tengo nueve. ¿Qué tengo? = Teacher: Ok, Pepito. In one hand I have six apples. In the other I have nine. What do I have?
- Pepito: Unas manos enormes.= Some enormous hands.
23. La Edad Media
- Pepito: Tuvo que ser estupendo vivir en la Edad Media. = Pepito: It had to be great to live in the Middle Ages.
- Amigo: ¿Por qué? = Friend: Why?
- Pepito: Porque tenían mil años menos de historia por estudiar. = Pepito: Because they had a thousand fewer years of history to study.
24. la tarea
- Pepito: Maestra, me castigaría usted por algo que no hice? = Pepito: Teacher, would you punish me for something that I didn’t do?
- Maestra: ¡Por supuesto que no, Pepito! = Teacher: Of course not, Pepito!
- Pepito: ¡Qué alivio! No hice la tarea de hoy. = Pepito: What a relief! I didn’t do the homework for today.
Spanish jokes about el trabajo (work)
The world of work isn’t to be taken too seriously. That’s why there are so many funny Spanish jokes about el trabajo.
25. adaptar
- Señor, no te vamos a contratar. = Sir, we’re not going to hire you.
- ¿Por qué no? = Why not?
- Pues, esto es una entrevista de trabajo, y te quedaste dormido en el sofá.= Well, this is a job interview, and you fell asleep on the couch.
- ¿Ves lo rápido que me adapto a nuevas situaciones? = See how quickly I adapt to new situations?
26. despedido
- Jefe: Queda usted despedido. = Boss: You’re fired.
- Empleado: ¿Cómo que despedido? ¡Yo no he hecho nada! = Employee: What do you mean fired? I didn’t do anything!
- Jefe: Por eso, por eso. = Boss: That’s why.
27. dos errores
- Empleado: Señor, este mes me han pagado de menos.= Employee: Sir, this month you’ve paid me less.
- Jefe: Sí, pero el mes pasado le pagamos de más.= Yes, but last month we paid you too much.
- Empleado: Bueno… un error se entiende, pero dos… = Ok, one mistake is understandable… but two…
28. en cinco años
(En una entrevista)= In an interview
- ¿Y dónde te ves en cinco años? = And where do you see yourself in five years?
- En el espejo.= In the mirror.
29. jardinero
- Hombre (entrando a una agencia de trabajo): ¿Tendrá algún empleo para mí? = Man (entering an employment agency): Will you have any employment for me?
- Podría ser. ¿Le interesa de jardinero? = Could be. Does gardener interest you?
- ¿Cómo dejar dinero? ¡Pero si lo que necesito es tener dinero! = Leave money? But what I need is to have money!
This punchline depends on us noticing that (trabajo) de jardinero (the work of a gardener) sounds a lot like dejar dinero (to leave/lend money).
Funny Spanish jokes for English speakers
These Spanish jokes and puns only work if you have some knowledge of both English and Spanish. They’d be great icebreakers to talk to bilingual children or language partners who are studying English.
30. alquilar
- Hola, me gustaría alquilar “Batman Forever.” = Hi, I’d like to rent Batman Forever.
- Imposible. Tienes que devolverla mañana. = Impossible. You have to return it tomorrow.
31. el jaguar
- ¿Cómo saluda un jaguar que habla inglés? = How does an English-speaking jaguar greet you?
- ¿Jaguar you? = “how are” you?
This joke relies on the pronunciation of jaguar which sounds a lot like “how are” in English.
32. nunca
- Jefe: ¿Usted sabe bien inglés? = Boss: Do you know English well?
- Entrevistado: ¿Sí, claro.” = Interviewee: Yes, of course.
- Jefe: ¿Cómo se dice ‘never’? =Boss: How do you say “never?”
- Entrevistado: Nunca = Interviewee: Never
- Jefe: ¿Y ‘never ever’? = Boss: And “never ever?”
- Entrevistado: Nunca unca Interviewee: Never “unca.”
- Jefe: Contratado. = Boss: You’re hired.
While the fun of the phrase “never ever” in English is achieved by getting rid of the “n,” the same is not effective in Spanish, as it leaves only a rhyming nonsense word “unca.” There are many such jokes in Spanish relating to job candidates misrepresenting their level of English or Spanish.
33. silla
What did the chair say when it left Spanish class?
- Silla.
Silla means “chair” and sounds like “see ya!”
34. crime show
Have you heard of the new crime show about the missing chairs?
- It’s called “¿Cuántas: C. S. I.?”
¿Cuántas? means “how many.” If you pronounce the three letters in English, you end up with the Spanish question ¿Cuántas sillas hay? (How many chairs are there?)
35. driver
Why did the man only make right hand turns?
- Because izquierda turning left.
This funny Spanish joke makes use of the pronunciation of izquierda (left), since it sounds a little like “he’s scared a..” (he’s scared of) in English.
Spanish jokes for grownups or older teens
These funny Spanish jokes might make you think a little, and require a little knowledge from secondary studies. Try out these jokes and watch the faces of your listeners stare back at you for a moment or two. If they don’t laugh, you could say, ¿Lo captas? (Do you get it?)
36. un romano en un bar
- Un ciudadano de la antigua Roma entra en un bar. Levanta dos dedos y dice “cinco cervezas, por favor.” = An ancient Roman citizen walks into a bar. He lifts two fingers and says “five beers, please.”
Think about the numerals the Roman would use. (The ‘V” of his two fingers looks like the Roman numeral for 5).
37. otro bar
- El camarero dice, “lo siento, pero aquí no servimos a las que viajan en el tiempo.” = The waiter says, “I’m sorry, but we don’t serve time travelers here.”
- Un viajero en el tiempo entra en un bar. = A time traveler walks into a bar.
Did the events perhaps take place out of order?
38. un espantapájaros
- ¿Por qué el espantapájaros ganó un premio? = Why did the scarecrow win an award?
- Por destacar en su campo.= For standing out in his field.
This is an outstanding pun. Espantapájaros (scarecrow) is on our list of beautiful and interesting Spanish words, and the verb destacar (to stand out) is also very useful.
39. el gato de Schrödinger
- “Señor Schrödinger, tu gato ha sufrido un accidente. Tengo buenas y malas noticias.” = Mr. Schrödinger, your cat has suffered an accident. I have good and bad news.
You need to understand the thought experiment called “Schrödinger’s cat” to understand this joke in Spanish. (Spoiler: the cat could be either dead or alive).
40. la nostalgía
- La nostalgia ya no es lo que solía ser.= Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
Nostalgia is a longing for the past.
41. para cambiar una bombilla
- ¿Cuántos surrealistas hacen falta para cambiar una bombilla? = How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb?
- Elefante. = Elephant.
Even though the “change a lightbulb” style joke is a familiar format, the punchline makes absolutely no sense. You get a completely unexpected and random answer that seems as confusing as, say, Salvador Dalí’s paintings. He and other surrealist painters are known for breaking from expectations, which is why the joke is so bizarre and yet still works.
42. el sodio
- ¿Alguien sabe algún chiste sobre el sodio? = Does anyone know a joke about sodium?
- Na..
Check out sodium on the periodic table. Unless you’d rather say “Na (nah), I don’t want to” like this joke.
43. la química
- Conté un chiste sobre la química, pero no hubo reacción. = I told a chemistry joke, but there was no reaction.
Anyone? Anyone? Chemical reaction?
Funny Spanish jokes to learn grammar
Learning grammar doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, learning the patterns and exceptions of Spanish grammar rules will help you to understand them in authentic Spanish, just like in these funny Spanish jokes. Noticing the patterns, in turn, will help you speak and write more accurately in Spanish.
44. conjugate andar
- Profe: Conjuga el verbo ‘andar.’ = Teacher: conjugate the verb “andar.”
- Estudiante: Ando…… andas….. anda… = I walk… you walk… he walks…
- Profe: ¡Más rápido! = Faster!
- Estudiante: Corro… corres… corre… = I run… you run… he runs…
Anyone who has the experience of conjugating common Spanish verbs will probably understand what the student is doing, and why he’s doing it slowly at first! Conjugating verbs can be a chore, but when the teacher says “faster,” the student changes from “walk” to “run.”
45. deja
- Paciente: Doctor, me duele cuando hago así. ¿Qué me recomienda? = Patient: Doctor, it hurts when I do this. What do you recommend?
- Doctor: Que deje de hacer así. = Doctor: That you stop doing that.
This is a great example of the Spanish subjunctive. The doctor uses que deje because he’s giving someone else (the patient) a recommendation.
46. hace mucho que
- Dos frutas están esperando el autobús. = Two fruits are waiting for the bus.
- La manzana: ¿Hace mucho que espera? = The apple: Have you been waiting long?
- La pera: Uy… sí, desde que era pequeña. = The pear: Um… yes, since I was little.
We use hace (time period) que to talk about how long something has been occurring, so when the apple says hace mucho que espera, he’s asking “have you been waiting a long time?” Espera sounds a lot like es pera, which could be “you are a pear” in the usted form. The pear interprets the question as “Have you been a pear for a long time?”
47. ni… ni…
- Niño: Papá, ¿Por qué no tenemos ni un iPhone ni un iPad? = Child: Dad, why don’t we have an iPhone or an iPad?
- Papá: Porque no iDinero. = Because there is no money.
The father is saying no hay dinero (there is no money). Spanish uses the negative construction ni…ni… in this joke.
48. soy y estoy
- Profesor: ¿Listo? = Ready?
- Estudiante: Soy y estoy = I am and I am
This is a ser vs estar joke. Some adjectives change meaning depending whether they are used with ser or estar. In this joke, soy listo means “I’m intelligent/clever,” but the professor meant ¿estás listo? (are you ready?). The student’s quip is that he’s both.
49. traje
- Señora, ¿no nada nada? = Ma’am, you’re not swimming at all?
- Es que no traje traje. = It’s because I didn’t bring a suit.
This fun play on words depends on the identical meanings of nada. One is the usted form “you swim” and the other is “nothing,” which in this context is “not at all.” The joke is even funnier with the dual meanings of traje (suit/brought): the preterite tense of traer (to bring) and a word for swimsuit.
50. el fin
With the hopes that learning funny Spanish jokes has improved your Spanish and brightened your day, here’s one final joke in Spanish to wrap things up:
- ¿Cuál es el último animal que subió a la arca de Noé? = Which is the last animal that boarded Noah’s ark?
- El delfin. = The dolphin.
Get it? El del fin? (“The one at the end.”)
Laugh your way to fluency with Rosetta Stone
Being able to understand (and perhaps create) Spanish puns and chistes is a remarkable accomplishment. Funny Spanish jokes can show that you understand words on two levels—and can pronounce them well!
Our brains are wired to recall words better when they’re part of narratives (or jokes!). That’s why Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method focuses on stories and helps you build your vocabulary in engaging and meaningful contexts, not through lists of words to memorize. Get started today!
0 Commentaires