Best Eye-Rolling, Corny Dad Jokes in Spanish
One of the defining moments for a man today is when you become a father. You nurture your children during their development and love them with every ounce of your being. However, an unintended side effect comes with becoming a dad: the sudden urge to make terrible jokes and take everything literally. And for bilingual dads like you, dad jokes in Spanish are a gold mine!
“Dad humor” allows fathers worldwide to easily navigate through their daily lives, getting grunts of disapproval in return. But don’t be fooled, the eye-rolls and scoffing only amplifies their amusement! It’s fascinating to know that dad jokes are experienced by people from many different cultures and languages, including Spanish.
Let’s explore some hilarious dad jokes in Spanish that will entertain you as much as they make your kids want to roll their eyes.
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Polysemic Dad Jokes in Spanish
A polysemic word is a word that holds two or more meanings and Spanish has no shortage of them. A good example in English would be “school.” The word has multiple meanings: you can find a school of fish or join a school of thought. You can school a bad dancer. And kids, you better stay in school!
In Spanish, words like these are the secret ingredient for great jokes by up-and-coming dads. Here are some notable examples:
Me siento mal
Niño: Papá, me siento mal.
Papá: ¡Pues siéntate bien!
Translation:
Kid: Dad, I feel bad.
Dad: Sit well, then!
The (arguably) funny part of this bit is lost in translation, as is the case with most translated jokes. So, what makes this a dad joke, you wonder?
Why It’s Funny
Me siento mal does indeed mean “I feel bad.” It’s a common expression for when you have a tummy ache or a migraine. But in Spanish, siento is a shared conjugation of the verbs sentir (to feel) and sentar (to sit). So telling your kid to sentarse bien is an obvious misinterpretation of their current stomach pain, DAD!
(For a more thorough explanation of these differences, read Sentirse vs. Sentarse: me siento, lo siento, lo que siento.)
Me duele aquí
Yo: Papá, me duele aquí.
Papá: ¡Pues muévete para allá!
Translation:
Me: Dad, it hurts here.
Dad: Then move over there!
This joke translates a bit better, and it’s also about feeling pain. Are all dad jokes ways to get your kids to stop complaining? If that’s the case, they might not be very effective. I guess I’ll find out when I have kids of my own.
Why It’s Funny
Me duele aquí is a common thing to say at the doctors office. You’ll usually point at the part of your body that hurts to let the other person know where you’re hurting. However, aquí can also be interpreted as the place you’re standing on rather than the place where your body hurts.
¿Te cuento?
Yo: Papá, cuéntame qué hiciste ayer.
Papá: ¿Te cuento? Uno, dos, tres…
Translation:
Me: Dad, tell me what you did yesterday.
Dad: I’ll tell you! One, two, three…
Why It’s Funny
This might be the poorest translation we’ve seen, so let me explain. Contar means “to count,” but it also means “to tell.” So when your kid asks you to tell them something, you start counting numbers instead!
Rhyme Based Jokes
It’s no surprise that a romance language such as Spanish will derive some of it’s humor on rhyming. These classic dad jokes are really more rhymes than jokes, but they have the same effect. Let’s take a look at some of these jokes! Do keep in mind that these won’t rhyme at all in English.
Tengo hambre
Hijo: Tengo hambre
Papá: Chupate el dedo grande.
Translation:
Kid: I’m hungry
Dad: Suck on your big thumb
Tengo sed
Hijo: Tengo sed
Papá: Toma de la pila de la merced
Translation:
Kid: I’m thirsty
Dad: Drink from the mercy fountain
Tengo frío
Hijo: Tengo frío
Papá: Tapate con el poncho de tu tío
Translation:
Kid: I’m cold
Dad: Cover yourself with your uncles poncho
Tengo calor
Hijo: Tengo calor
Papá: Toca el tambor
Translation:
Kid: I’m hot
Dad: play the drum
Why Are These Funny, You Wonder?
These jokes have a rhyme, not reason. They’re funny simply because they rhyme and they serve the purpose of buying some time when you can’t immediately take care of your kid’s needs. These meaningless, melodic responses to your kids’ questions get annoying, but you’re just getting them back for years of “Are we there yet?”
Bringing Families Together Through Laughs
Reminiscing over these rhymes makes me think fondly of my own dad and his corny jokes. Ultimately, your repertoire of dad jokes in Spanish may be cringe-worthy, but behind the kids’ grunts and eye rolls, a playful sense of joy faintly shines through.
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Jokes are a Great Way to Learn Spanish
One of the best ways to practice Spanish is, of course, through jokes! Understanding jokes is a milestone for any language learner. Playing with language requires imagination and creativity. Sort of how a kid grabs a broom and says it’s a horse! If you want to learn some more funny stuff to say, sign up for a free class with one of our native Spanish-speaking teachers. They love to laugh and they’re eager to share some more jokes with you.
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