French humour: calembours, Carambar jokes, le second degré and mdr
Short answer: a joke is une blague, and a pun is un calembour or un jeu de mots. French has many homophones (words that sound the same but are spelt differently), so puns are everywhere: in jokes, shop names and headlines. Much everyday humour is second degré: said with a straight face, meant the opposite. In texts, people laugh with mdr (mort de rire, “dying of laughter”).
La blague Carambarpick a sweet
Homophone
Quewhatditsaysun oignonan onionquandwhenil se cogne ?it bumps-itself
kuh dee uh-NYON kon eel suh KON-yuh · “What does an onion say when it bumps into something?”
Carambar caramels have a joke printed inside the wrapper; groaning is part of the fun.
Why French loves puns
Vert, verre, vers, ver: one sound, four words
Because French drops many final letters in speech, whole families of words sound identical. Tap a family to hear that they really are the same sound.
A classic joke format
Monsieur et Madame … ont un fils
A whole genre: “Mr and Mrs X have a son. What’s his name?” The family name plus the child’s first name, said aloud, makes a phrase. Read the names, then say them quickly.
M. et Mme Térieur ont deux fils…Alain et Alex
M. et Mme Zarella ont une fille…Maud
M. et Mme Nanas ont une fille…Ana
M. et Mme Tatouille ont un fils…Rat
M. et Mme Cétéra ont un fils…Hett
Irony and deadpan
C’est du second degré
Premier degré is literal; second degré means “not to be taken at face value”. If you miss the irony, someone will say C’était du second degré ! These lines are almost always ironic.
What is said
What is meant
That’s a disaster.
Thanks for nothing.
He’s really annoying.
This is going to be awful.
It isn’t funny at all.
Laughing in text and speech
Mdr, ptdr, je suis mort
Written laughter climbs a scale, from a polite haha to a helpless ptdr. In speech, French exaggerates: you are “dead” from laughing.
hahapolite, a smile
lolborrowed from English
mdrmort de rire, the standard
ptdrpété de rire, helpless
jppj’en peux plus: “I can’t any more”
JeIsuisammort !dead
zhuh swee MOR · “I’m dying (of laughter)!”
JeIsuisampliéfolded
zhuh swee plee-AY · “I’m in stitches.”
C’estit’stroptoodrôle !funny
say troh DROHL · “That’s so funny!”
Ellesheahasde l’humour.some humour
el a duh lü-MOOR · “She has a good sense of humour.”
Where French humour lives
Le sketch, le stand-up, la BD
French comedy has its own forms. Knowing the words helps you follow recommendations and reviews.
Teasing and being teased
Je te charrie ! Tu me fais marcher ?
Friendly teasing is common among French friends. These lines let you tease back, or check whether someone is joking.
JeIteyoucharrie !tease
zhuh tuh sha-REE · “I’m teasing you!”
Tuyoumemefaismakemarcher ?walk
tü muh fay mar-SHAY · “Are you having me on?”
C’estit’spourforrire.laugh
say poor REER · “Just kidding.”
Ilhen’a aucunhas-nohumour.humour
eel na o-KUHN ü-MOOR · “He has no sense of humour.”
Ellesheestispliée de rire.folded with laughter
el ay plee-AY duh REER · “She’s in fits of laughter.”