in an ice-cream parlour

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

A man walked into an ice cream shop and ordered a chocolate cone.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the clerkLE VENDEUR said politely. “We’re out ofEN RUPTURE DE chocolate.”

“Oh, that’s unfortunateC'EST DOMMAGE. In that case, I’ll have a chocolate cone with sprinklesDES VERMICELLES.”

“I apologise, sir, but as I mentioned, we’re out of chocolate.”

“Alright then, how aboutET POURQUOI PAS a chocolate-vanilla twist?”

The clerk paused and leaned forward slightlySE PENCHA LÉGÈREMENT. “Let me ask you something. How do you spell the ‘van’ in ‘vanilla’?”

“V-a-n.”

“Good. We’re on the same pageON EST D'ACCORD. And how do you spell the ‘straw’ in ‘strawberry’?”

“S-t-r-a-w.”

“Excellent. Now, how do you spell the ‘fuck’ in ‘chocolate’?”

The man frownedFRONÇA LES SOURCILS. “There is no ‘fuck’ in ‘chocolate.’”

The clerk threw up his handsLEVA LES BRAS AU CIEL. “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you!”

---

Vocabulary

To frown: to contract the eyebrows to show confusion or annoyance.

To be out of (something): to have none left in stock.

The customer frownedFRONÇA LES SOURCILS when he heard the news.

The shop was out ofFÛMES À COURT DE chocolate all day.

Grammar

The joke mainly uses past simple for narration, with present perfect continuous to stress repeated action.

Past simple: The clerk leaned forward and asked a question.

Present perfect continuous: I have been trying to tell you.

Synonyms & Alternatives

Frowned: scowled, looked displeased.

Threw up his hands: raised his arms in frustration.

Mini Dialogue

Oliver: Are you out ofÊTES À COURT DE printer ink again?

Hannah: Yes, and I’ve been trying to explain it all morning.

Oliver: How aboutQUE DIRIEZ-VOUS DE checking the storage cupboard?

Hannah: I did — and I frownedAI FRONCÉ LES SOURCILS when I saw it was empty.

---

© — 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 in your inbox:

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