15 Funny Spanish Puns That Make You Laugh While You Learn
Every language has its own share of puns that play with words to make us laugh. Most of them are only funny in that language, although every once and then you may find one that works in two different languages.
Learning Spanish is a process with many moving parts—grammar, conjugations, pronunciation, listening, and reading, among many others. However, sometimes it pays to get away from the “hard” knowledge and immerse yourself into “soft” stuff such as jokes, puns, or riddles. This lighter stuff helps you practice what you already know and exposes you to specific cultural expressions that help you understand the language as a whole.
In this post, we’ll learn what puns are and how they can help us learn Spanish. Let’s have a laugh while learning 15 of the funniest Spanish puns out there!
What’s a Pun Anyway?
Humor is a great way to learn a new language, as it allows the learner to grasp the cultural peculiarities that are so hard to explain in a book or classroom. Here at Homeschool Spanish Academy, we strive to bring you a wide variety of fun and different ways to learn Spanish. We’ve done it through jokes before, and now it’s time for some puns.
So, what’s a pun anyway? According to the dictionary, a pun is “a humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word.” They exist in most languages and Spanish is no exception.
Enjoy this compilation of some of the funniest Spanish puns available out there. Pay attention to them and try to understand the different meanings some words may have. Make connections with the previous knowledge you had about them.
15 Funny Spanish Puns
First, let me start by saying that most puns are untranslatable. They might be funny in Spanish but will make no sense in English (or any other language for that matter). However, I’m adding a little explanation below each pun to help you grasp the idea behind each one of them, and then you can judge if they are funny or just silly.
1. The One About Bees
¿Qué hace una abeja en el gimnasio?
¡Zumba!
What does a bee do in the gym?
Zumba!
This Spanish pun uses the double meaning of the word zumba. Zumbar is a verb that means “to buzz,” so bees actually buzz around flowers when looking for their all-important pollen. Then you have the exercise program that uses Latin rhythms for fitness purposes. This pun wouldn’t have made any sense just a few years ago when instead of Zumba fever we had Pilates fever.
2. When Bread Starts Talking
¿Cómo haces para que un pan hable?
Lo pones en agua toda la noche y a la mañana siguiente ya está blando.
How do you get bread to talk?
Put it in water all night, and the next day it will be soft.
Obviously, this doesn’t make any sense in English, but it’s quite funny in Spanish. The key to this pun is the “está blando” part. These two words mean “it’s soft,” however if you say it quickly it sounds like está hablando, which means “it’s talking”. So, by skipping one little syllable you can change the whole meaning of the sentence.
3. Having a Conversation With Your Shoes
Hijo, ¿por qué hablas con tus zapatillas?
Es que en la caja dice Converse.
Son, why are you talking to your shoes?
Because on the box it says Converse.
This Spanish pun also relies on the double meaning of one term, and in this case, that term is “Converse.” The conjugation of the second person (the formal way using usted) of the imperative mood of the Spanish verb conversar is converse. Just like the famous U.S. brand of tennis shoes.
4. The One with an Angry Bear
¿Cómo se llama un oso enojado?
¡Furioso!
What do you call an angry bear?
Furious!
This one is a simple wordplay with the ending of the word furioso, as oso means bear in Spanish.
5. House Wine?
Se acerca el mesero y pregunta: ¿Vino de la casa?
Pues claro, ¿de dónde más?
A waiter approaches the table and asks: House wine?
Of course, where else?
I love this Spanish pun because it’s a bit more complex than the previous ones. The key here is in the word vino which means wine, and it’s also a conjugation of the verb venir or “to come.” The waiter is actually asking if the customers would like some house wine, but the customer understands that he is asking “did you come from the house?” Hence the answer.
6. About Flip Flops
¿Quién es el santo patrono de los zapatos?
San Dalia.
Who is the patron saint of shoes?
Saint Dalia.
This one is a wordplay too. San Dalia put together is sandalia, which means sandal or flip flop.
7. Fruits Waiting for the Bus
Llega un plátano a la parada del autobús, ve una pera ahí y le pregunta:
¿Hace mucho que espera?
–Nací así.- le responde la pera.
A banana comes to the bus stop, see a pear there and asks her:
Have you been waiting for a long time?
I was born like this.
8. A Negative Fish
¿Cómo se llama el pez más negativo?
¡Pesimista!
What do you call the most negative fish?
A pessimist!
9. About Noah’s Ark
¿Cuál fue el último animal en entrar al Arca de Noé?
El delfín
What was the last animal to enter Noah’s ark?
The dolphin.
This Spanish pun uses the sound of the word delfín, which means “dolphin”, but if divided into del and fin, it means “at the end.” So, the dolphin is the animal del fin or “at the end.”
10. A Sincere Number
¿Qué le dijo el número 1 al número 10?
Si quieres ser como yo, tienes que ser sincero.
What did number 1 say to number 10?
If you want to be like me, you have to be sincere.
In this Spanish pun, sincero means sincere, but once you divide it into sin cero, it means “without zero.”
11. About Banks and Benches
Un banco le dice a otro:
Que te preste dinero otra vez… ¿tengo cara de banco?
One bench says to another one:
Lending you money again… do I look like a bank?
In Spanish, banco has two meanings: bench and bank. So, for a banco to ask if it looks like a bank is ironic.
12. The Polite Chemists
¿Cómo se despiden dos químicos?
Ácido un placer.
How do two chemists say goodbye?
It’s been a pleasure.
Ácido which means “acid,” sounds just like ha sido which means “it’s been.”
13. About Smelly Plants
¿Cuál es la planta más apestosa?
La planta del pie.
What’s the stinkiest plant?
The sole of the foot.
In Spanish, the sole of the foot is called the planta del pie, and planta in most other contexts means “plant.”
14. About a Tsunami
¿Qué dijo el surfer cuando vio venir el tsunami?
¡Hola!
What did the surfer say when he saw the tsunami approaching?
Hello!
This Spanish pun uses the same sound and different meaning of two words, hola and ola. Hola means “hello,” while ola means “wave.”
15. A Classic
¿Y tú qué tomas para estar mejor?
Yo tomo distancia.
What do you take to feel better?
I take distance.
Mafalda is a classic comic in the Spanish-speaking world. Think of Calvin & Hobbes and you’ll get an idea of the kind of character we are talking about. Here, the pun comes from the double meaning of the word tomo, which is a conjugated form of the verb tomar. You can tomar a medicine, but also distance.
¡Converse!
Do you want to practice your puns with a native Spanish speaker? Sign up for a free class today and make your Spanish teacher laugh!
Let us know which of the Spanish puns you just learned is your favorite by leaving a comment below, and start a conversation with other Spanish students around the world!
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