Another Incomprehensible Spanish Joke

Question

En la panadería: - ¿Me da una barra de pan? - Tendrá que ser duro. Le trinca por la solapa, le da un par de bofetadas y le dice: - ¡¡¡Me da una barra de pan!!!

Something is lost in the translation - I don't understand the joke

George

Never heard of it! - Silvia, Jul 21, 2010

Answer 1

Jokes don't translate well, even if you understand the words.

Customer: Give me a loaf of bread.

Baker: It will have to be stale.

Customer picks up the baker by the lapels, slaps him a couple of times, and shouts, "Give me a loaf of bread!"

It's sort of a pun. Tendrá que ser duro means It will have to be stale. It also means You'll have to be tough/harsh.

Don't get it. Does anybody know the country of origin of the joke? - Silvia, Jul 21, 2010

ah well done, pipped at the post :( - Kiwi-Girl, Jul 21, 2010

Like Maria-Claire said, the baker says, "It will have to be stale", but the customer thinks he said, "You'll have to be tough". In English we would call this a groaner - KevinB, Jul 21, 2010

great kevin, voting - 00494d19, Jul 22, 2010

Answer 2

Here's one that you will understand....

Advertencia: Cambio lindo perro Doberman por mano ortopédica.

Exchange lovely Doberman dog for orthopaedic hand.

I do not want to see this in the phrasebook but it gets my vote! - LateToDinner, Jul 21, 2010

Answer 3

This joke relies on the customer's misinterpretation of "Tendrá que ser duro. i.e., You will have to be tough. :0

Hope that helps

Answer 4

On the subject of hard bread, posted in a bakery window:

Day old bread is not hard, having no bread is hard.

Pan viejo es no duro, al no tener el pan es duro.

.

.

It's too late to save my English pero corrija mi español, por favor.

Oh, very nice. - margaretbl, Jul 21, 2010

Maybe, but definitely no fun! - LateToDinner, Jul 21, 2010

One of dad's friends, who lived on welfare and deer meat, used that line. Someone said, "This venison is tough". He replied, "No, it's only tough when you don't have any." - KevinB, Jul 21, 2010

Saw it in a window 30 years ago and haven't forgotten it. They missed an opportunity, there should have been a jar for donations! - LateToDinner, Jul 21, 2010