prison jokes

Placez le pointeur de la souris sur les mots soulignés, sans cliquer.

After a lengthy trial, Bob is found guilty and sentenced to life in a medium security prisonPRISON DE SÉCURITÉ MOYENNE.

Arriving just in time for the daily lunch, Bob introduces himself to his fellow inmatesDÉTENUS as he waits in line for the meal.

Somebody yells out “56!”, and everyone around Bob starts laughing.

“143!” another inmateDÉTENU declares, and the laughter continues.

“What’s withQU’EST-CE QUI SE PASSE AVEC the numbers?” Bob asks.

“Those are jokes,” replies inmateDÉTENU Tom. “All of us have been here so long we memorisedAVONS MÉMORISÉ every joke, so each joke is represented by a number.”

Bob, wanting to fit inS’INTÉGRER, yells out “three thousand, three hundred and thirty-three!”

After a moment of silence, the prison erupts in guffawsÉCLATS DE RIRE. Tom slaps him on the back and says, “Good one! We haven’t heard that one before!”

---

Vocabulary

Inmates: people who are in prison.

Guffaws: loud, unrestrained laughter.

Bob introduces himself to his fellow inmatesDÉTENUS.

The prison erupts in guffawsÉCLATS DE RIRE.

Grammar

The joke uses past simple for main narration and present perfect for experiences up to a point in the past, with reported speech introduced by "replies".

Past simple: Bob yells out “three thousand, three hundred and thirty-three!”

Present perfect: We haven’t heard that one before.

Synonyms & Alternatives

Inmates: prisoners, convicts.

Memorised: learnt by heart, committed to memory.

Guffaws: belly laughs, roars of laughter.

Fit in: blend in, integrate.

Mini Dialogue

Alice: Why is everyone shouting random numbersDES NOMBRES AU HASARD in the library?

Ben: We’ve all memorisedAVONS MÉMORISÉ the book of riddles, so we just call out the number!

Alice: Brilliant! Let me try… “One hundred and forty-seven!”

Ben (laughing): Excellent! We hadn’t heard that one before!

---

© — This page presents light-hearted jokes adapted for English learners. I do not claim ownership of traditional jokes. Please use them kindly and responsibly.

💡 Get fresh ESL jokes straight to your inbox:

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