three old men are talking

Passez la souris ou touchez les mots soulignés pour voir la traduction.

Three old men are discussing their failing memoriesLA MÉMOIRE QUI FLANCHE.

The first old man says, “Today I was at the top of the stairsEN HAUT DES ESCALIERS, and I couldn’t remember if I had just gone up or was about to go downSI JE VENAI[S] DE MONTER OU SI JE DEVAIS DESCENDRE.”

The second old man says, “I was sitting at the edge of my bed and I couldn’t remember if I was about to sleep or had just woken upSI J’ALLAIS M’ENDORMIR OU SI JE VENAI[S] DE ME RÉVEILLER.”

The third man scoffsRICANE and says, “My memory is as good as everMA MÉMOIRE EST AUSSI BONNE QU’AVANT, knock on woodTOUCHE DU BOIS.” With this he hits the table twice with his knuckleARTICULATION DU DOIGT, looks up in surprise and yellsCRIE “Who’s there?”

---

Vocabulary

Scoff: to mock or express scorn.

Knock on wood: a superstitious phrase said while touching wood to ward off bad luck.

The third man scoffsRICANE at the others.

He says “knock on woodTOUCHE DU BOIS” and knocks on the table.

Grammar

The joke mainly uses past simple to narrate events and reported speech, with a mix of past perfect and past continuous for confusion of sequence or state.

Past simple: Three old men discussed their failing memories.

Past perfect: I couldn’t remember if I had just gone up or was about to go down.

Reported speech / indirect question: He couldn’t remember if he was about to sleep or had just woken up.

Synonyms & Alternatives

Scoff: sneer, jeer, laugh derisively.

Failing memories: poor memory, memory loss, weakening recall.

As good as ever: perfect still, unimpaired, sharp as always.

Knock on wood: touch wood, fingers crossed (similar protective phrase).

Mini Dialogue

First man: I stood at the top of the stairs and forgot whether I had just gone upVENAIS DE MONTER or was going down!

Second man: I sat on my bed and couldn’t remember if I was about to sleepALLAIS M’ENDORMIR or had just woken up.

Third man: My memory is as good as everMA MÉMOIRE EST AUSSI BONNE QU’AVANT, knock on woodTOUCHE DU BOIS!

Third man (surprised): Who’s there?

---

© — This blog collects and shares light-hearted jokes that have been passed along by word of mouth. I do not claim ownership of any of them. You are welcome to copy, share, or tell them at weddings, dinner parties, your braai, or bar mitzvah. If you have a favourite clean joke, drop it in the comments and we may, if it's really good, feature it here. Check out our Privacy Policy.

💡 Get fresh ESL jokes straight to your inbox:

🌱 If you enjoy this blog, consider buying me a coffee.