Funny Quotes in Spanish With English Translation

25 Funny Mexican Spanish Quotes with English Translations

Understanding funny Spanish quotes with English translations is one of the most entertaining ways to learn Spanish.

Not only will these quotes give you a taste of Mexican culture, but also of our unique sense of humor.

Some of these are fun, some are clever, and others are a bit puzzling, but don't worry because by the end of this post you will be able to understand and use all of them.

¡A darle! Let's get to it!

Idiomatic Expressions

These idiomatic expressions reveal fascinating aspects of Mexican traditions. While their variety is endless, I've selected the following based on what I consider to be the most valuable within our culture:

• Moms
• Food
• Animals

Do these categories seem unrelated? Because they're not to us! You'll soon find out—these three cultural elements are sacred to Mexican culture, which is why there are so many colloquial phrases from and about them.

Mom Phrases

Mothers are the most important person to any Latino. They represent wisdom and (tough) love, and they are known for their wisdom. Common phrases that come from our mothers are our most important educational and cultural references.

These funny Spanish quotes with English translations are not only supposed to be humorous but also pedagogic.

1. O sea que si tus amigos se tiran de un puente, tú también.
So if your friends jump off a bridge, so do you.

It means: I don't care what your friend did or if everyone was doing it.

Lesson: Don't do what the crowd does. Be your own self.

2. ¿Y si lo encuentro que te hago?
And if I find it, what do I do to you?

This is a feared phrase. It comes right after you were supposed to look for something and didn't find it. Congratulations! You are about to get punished.

3. Te voy a lavar la boca con jabón.
I'm going to wash your mouth with soap.

Moms threaten you with this for swearing. If you keep doing it she might actually wash your mouth with soap.

4. Ya tendrás tus hijos.
You will have your own children one day.

Meaning: you will suffer with your own kids the way I suffer with you. Karma will get you.

5. Me tienes con el Jesús en la boca.
Literal translation: You have me with Jesus in the mouth.

Latinos say the expression ¡Jesús! when they are surprised, scandalized or worried. In this scenario, a mom is telling her kid that she was worried sick for not knowing where he or she was.

Bonus mom phrase!

¿Quieres que te de una razón para llorar?
Do you want me to give you a reason to cry?

This is said when a child cries for no reason or for an absurd or insufficient one. If he or she wants to cry, mom can give you a bigger excuse.

Food Phrases

The second most important thing that defines us as a society is food. And this is clear with food-related phrases we say to this day. Food for Latin people means so much more than just meals—it's an excuse to get together and to learn from your mother, aunts, and grandmas about the signature family recipe.

Our dishes are nutritious, nostalgic, and the core of our interpersonal relationships. Like they say, we have Thanksgiving every Sunday.

Enjoy these funny Spanish quotes with English translations about food.

6. Dar atole con el dedo.
Give atole with the finger.

Atole is a delicious aztec beverage made of corn and dough. "Giving atole with the finger" means to fool someone by not keeping your promise. When your boss tells you he will promote you but continues to stall while giving you the same speech again and again, he's giving you atole con el dedo.

7. Le echa crema a sus tacos.
Put cream on your tacos.

They will say this to you if you brag and exaggerate over what you did. Someone that got an A+ that keeps going on and on about how the teacher complimented his or her skills, knowledge, ability, is someone that le echa crema a sus tacos.

8. Mi mero mole.
My very own mole.

Mero is a word we use in Mexico to add emphasis to our point. It loosely translates to "very," or "exact," and in this sentence, it translates to "very own." Mi mero mole means "this is what I'm good at" or "this is what I like the most." For me, mi mero mole is writing funny Spanish quotes with English translations!

9. De chile de dulce y de manteca.
Of chili, sweets and butter.

This phrase has other variations such as de chile, mole y pozole. Either way, we are talking about a mix of very different foods and flavors. You use this expression to explain that something can't be put together or it looks bad in combination. It's also a common way to express the idea of "a little bit of everything." For example, when someone's attire has too many colors or when someone's house was made with too many different styles, it looks de chile, de dulce y de manteca.

10. Las penas con pan son menos.
Pain with bread is less.

True. It means pains are relieved with food. If you are nourished, every other problem looks a bit smaller. Latin people say it to offer relief but also empowerment. When someone is sad and needs to be lifted up, you say ¡a comer que las penas con pan son menos!, meaning "let's eat because food will take your pain away!"

Animal Phrases

As a society we have always been close to animals—and not just in rural regions, but in many bigger Latin American cities. Mexico city is a cosmopolitan megacity, and you can still hear cows mooing and roosters crowing from some of our neighborhoods.

Of the many I could choose from, here is a list of five funny Spanish quotes with English translations related to animals.

11. Burro hablando de orejas.
The donkey talking about ears.

This applies to someone who's criticizing others' defects while he has the same himself. Those defects can either be physical, moral, emotional, spiritual, social or of any kind. If an emotionally unstable person criticizes you for not going to therapy, he is a burro hablando de orejas.

12. Hay pájaros en el alambre.
There are birds on the wire.

This phrase signals that you can't talk freely since there are people or children around. Adults tend to say this all the time around little kids, especially when gossiping or discussing something serious.

This colloquial saying has a lot of funny variations, such as:

Hay calzones en el tendedero.
There are underpants on the cloth rack.

Hay cocas en el refri.
There are cokes inside the fridge.

13. Mal del puerco.
Pig's disease.

After eating a ridiculous amount of food you normally feel like taking a nap. This is because your blood goes to your digestive system and leaves you feeling sleepy, which is an experience called mal del puerco. If this feeling is extreme you have mal del jabalí or "wild pig disease" because it's the same but wilder.

14. Estás más loco que una cabra.
You are crazier than a goat.

Sometimes baby goats run wild for no reason and their mothers have to run behind them to ensure they don't hurt themselves. This phrase is said when sharing an eccentric thought or a crazy idea.

15. Echarte los perros.
Throw you the dogs.

This phrase means that someone is sending you signals that they like you. Although it's supposedly a hint, it's pretty obvious.

Bonus Animal Sayings:

Animal manos y patas or hands and paws also get in the mix of phrases often said. If you visit Mexico, you will hear all of them—which is when these funny Spanish quotes with English translations will come in handy.

Here are some bonus examples and what they mean.

Manita de puerco.
Pig's little hand.

When someone is doing you manita de puerco means he is forcing you to do something you don't want to do. It comes from the physical manita de puerco which is when someone forces your hand so you agree to do something.

Manita de gato.
Cat's little hand.

To give yourself a manita de gato means you will get ready or freshen up. This is when you need to look good for an important meeting, party or reunion.

Pata de perro.
Dog's paw.

To be a pata de perro means you're always outside or traveling, you can't stay in one place only.

Meter la pata.
Tu put in the paw.

This is simply to screw up. When you say something you shouldn't have, you say: metí la pata.

Funny Quotes From Movies, TV, and Memes

To understand Latin American culture to the fullest it's important to get to know its pop culture and how it influences society. These funny Spanish quotes with English translations will help you get there and tell you a little about the most iconic shows, movies, and online trends.

16. Hasta la vista baby.

I bet you know this one. This quote from Terminator is larger than life and it's still often used in Latin America when saying goodbye.

17. Aguántame el corte.
Hold the commercial break for me.

This phrase got famous when Mexican TV host Nino Canún started to say it to delay upcoming commercial breaks and keep the show going. People picked it up immediately and nowadays it's a way of saying "wait a little bit longer" or "I'm not finished talking."

18. Siéntese señora. / Siéntese señor.
Sit down ma'am. / Sit down sir.

This phrase was invented online. When someone gets too offended or has a long and moralist opinion about something on social media that people get tired of listening to, they tell her or him to take a seat.

19. Te lo catafixio.

Catafixiar is a made up verb that started to take over Mexico's longest TV show ever in 1967. It lasted for 48 years straight. When someone wants to catafixiar something it means he wants to exchange an object for another. Let's say your mom has candies and chocolates and gives you candy. You can say mom, te la catafixio (I'll exchange it) for a chocolate.

20. No contaban con mi astucia.
You weren't counting on my cleverness.

This common Spanish saying comes from the beloved Chespirito (which means little Shakespeare). His TV shows are popular in both Latin American and around the world, and they've been translated into more than 50 languages. One of his most iconic characters, El Chapulín Colorado, used to say this phrase when catching thieves (or trying to). We still say this five decades later when we cleverly solve a problem or win a game.

Common Spanish Jokes

These funny Spanish quotes with English translations would be incomplete without common Spanish jokes. In this section, you will find cute jokes, trick questions, and clever puns you can tell to impress your Mexican friends.

21) ¿Qué le dijo un tenis a otro tenis? Tenisisito.
What did a sneaker tell another sneaker? I need you.

A sneaker is called a tenis in some parts of Latin America. A little tenis would be tenisito, so tenisisito would be really tiny tenis. But at the same time "I need you" in Spanish is said te necesito, which resembles the word tenisisito.

22. ¿Qué le dijo un jaguar a otro jaguar? Jaguar you.
What did a jaguar say to another jaguar? Jaguar you.

"Jaguar" in Spanish is pronounced like "how are" in English. So the thing the jaguar said was: "how are you?"

23. ¿Por qué llevas pegamento a un restaurante? Por si rompo la dieta.
Why are you taking glue to a restaurant? In case I break my diet.

24. ¿Qué le dijo una pared a otra? Nos vemos en la esquina.
What did a wall say to another wall? See you at the corner.

25. ¿Por qué el libro de matemáticas lloraba? Porque tenía muchos problemas.
Why did the math book cry? Because it had a lot of problems.

Bonus Spanish Joke!

In a beach, a man asks a woman:

¿Usted no nada nada?
Do you not swim at all?

And she replies:

No traje traje.
I didn't bring a swimsuit.

The word nada means "nothing" as well as "swim," and together in this sentence, they mean "swim at all." The word traje means "suit" or "brought." In the context of this joke, traje is short for swimsuit or traje de baño.

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Blogger, content creator, and marketer. Proudly Mexican. Been to 30 countries. I love learning from different cultures and trying their cuisines. Obsessed with Asia. Fluent in Spanish and English, not so much in French.

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