Mastering Humor as a Second Language

Cracking Jokes in English

I think all the immigrants out there can relate to this. At some point, expressing yourself in English becomes much easier, whether it's making small talk or diving into a deeper conversation.

But joking around? That’s a different story! Whenever I manage to pull one off, I feel just as thrilled as the first time.

Recently, I was playing doubles tennis, and while I was standing at the net, I completely missed a ball that was clearly coming into play. It was just one of those moments. My partner was quite far from it and could only watch what happened next. He politely said to me:

• "If you want me to take it next time, just let me know."
• "Yes, please! Next time, just come from another county and grab that ball!"

I spent the rest of the practice talking to myself, thinking, “Varya, good job! You chose the word 'county' instead of 'city' or 'country'!”

Do I always manage to be funny? Not really. Later that same day, with those same friends, we were discussing ponds in Hampstead. I mentioned that my husband swims in both the men's and mixed ponds, but he prefers the mixed one because the men's pond has a lot of old, naked men.

At the moment I decided to share this, I realized the men I was talking to were actually all over 50—thankfully not naked! I got nervous and ended up mumbling some words in the sentence.

In the end, I think I might have implied that my husband enjoys swimming in the men's pond because there are lots of old, naked men.

😂