Photo by Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious on Flickr.

Humor doesn’t always traduire (translate) well. What’s funny in one culture is often not that funny in another culture. Just imagine trying to explain why “to get to the other side” is une chute drôle (a funny punchline) to someone who’s never heard the famous chicken joke. En même temps, (at the same time) un anglophone probably won’t understand why asking someone “where is Brian?” is une blague (a joke) in France.

The easiest blagues françaises are les blagues Monsieur et Madame. They are the French equivalent of Knock Knock jokes, which means they are always very punny. After you’ve finished groaning, keep in mind that puns are incredibly useful for a language learner! They teach sound interactions and how native speakers intuit certain sound combinations. That also means you will have to read these jokes à haute voix (out loud) in order to really get them.

The typical setup for les blagues starts with giving M. et Mme (Mr. and Mrs.) a last name, followed by la question, “ils ont un fils/une fille. Comment s’appelle-t-il/elle ?” (They have a son/daughter. What is his/her name?) the answer being a play on words using the first and last names.

If you still don’t get it, don’t sweat it! Voilà the model for these jokes:

A: M. et Mme __________ ont un fils/une fille. Comment s’appelle-t-il/elle ?
B: _______.

Here are some examples you can use with tes amis français (your French friends):

A: M. et Mme Delors ont un fils. Comment s’appelle-t-il ?
B: Omer.

A: Mr. and Mrs. Delors have a son. What’s his name?
B: Omer.
Omer Delors — Oh merde alors

A: M. et Mme Pourfère-Lavécèle ont un fils. Comment s’appelle-t-il ?
B: Vladimir.

A: Mr. and Mrs. Pourfère-Lavécèle have a son. What’s his name?
B: Vladimir.
Vladimir Pourfère-Lavécèle — Voilà du Mir pour faire la vaisselle (Here’s some Mir* to wash the dishes)
*Mir is a common brand of dishwashing detergent in France.

A: M. et Mme Terrieur ont des jumeaux. L’un préfère rester dans sa chambre lire et écouter de la musique. L’autre aime le sport et l’aventure. Comment s’appellent-ils ?
B: Alain et Alex.

A: Mr. and Mrs. Terrieur have twins. One likes to stay in his room reading and listening to music. The other likes sports and adventure. What are their names?
B: Alain and Alex.
Alain Terrieur — À l’intérieur (indoors)
Alex Terrieur — À l’extérieur (outdoors)

I would like to remercier (thank) Tim Morley and Guillaume Armide for leurs blagues amusantes (their funny jokes)!

Do you have a favorite blague Monsieur et Madame? Let me know in the comments!