Learn English With Jokes ✦ A Prince Under A Spell
Learn English With Jokes
A Prince Under A Spell
Intermediate · Past Simple · Conditionals
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Survolez les mots en ambre pour voir les définitions en français.
A prince was put under a spell so that he could speak only one word each yearUN SEUL MOT CHAQUE ANNÉE. If he chose not to speak for a year, he could carry those unused words forwardREPORTER CES MOTS NON UTILISÉS. So, if he remained silent for two years, he could say two words in the third year, and so on.
One day, he fell in love with a beautiful lady. To express his feelings properly, he refrained from speakingS'ABSTINT DE PARLER for two whole years. Then, in the third year, he used his saved words to say, "My darling"MA CHÉRIE.
But he wasn't done. He wanted to tell her that he loved her — so he waited another three years without uttering a wordSANS PRONONCER UN SEUL MOT. After those long, silent years, he said, "I love you"JE T'AIME.
Then came the big question. He decided to ask her to marry him — but to do so, he had to wait four more years. At the end of these nine years of silence, he took the lady to the most romantic spot in the kingdom and finally said, "My darling, I love you! Will you marry me?"MA CHÉRIE, JE T'AIME ! VEUX-TU M'ÉPOUSER ?
The lady looked at him and said, "Pardon me?"COMMENT ?
📘 Key Vocabulary
📖 Grammar Points
1. Past simple for completed narrative actions
The joke uses past simple throughout to tell the sequence of events: was put, fell, refrained, used, waited, said, decided, took, looked. This tense moves the story forward clearly and chronologically. Learners can see how English speakers use past simple to list what happened one after another — from the prince's spell to the final punchline.
2. Conditionals with "if" for hypothetical situations
The joke uses conditional structures to explain the prince's situation: "If he chose not to speak for a year, he could carry those unused words forward" and "if he remained silent for two years, he could say two words". These are type 2 conditionals (if + past simple, would/could + base form), used for hypothetical or imagined situations. For French speakers, this is similar to the conditionnel (s'il choisissait, il pourrait). The conditionals are essential for understanding the joke's premise.
🔁 Synonyms & Alternatives
Both fit the narrative tone: “he stopped speaking” or “without saying a word”.
💬 Mini Dialogue
Context: Two friends, Thabo and Lerato, are discussing a story Thabo heard about a man who proposed after years of silence.
Lerato: "I heard about a man who refrained from speakingS'ABSTINT DE PARLER for years to propose to his girlfriend."
Thabo: "How did he do that? He was only allowed one word each yearUN SEUL MOT CHAQUE ANNÉE."
Lerato: "He saved up his words for nine years and finally said, 'My darling, I love you! Will you marry me?'"
Thabo: "What did she say?"
Lerato: "She said, 'Pardon me?COMMENT ?' — she hadn't heard him!"
Uses past simple for narrative actions ("heard", "said", "saved"), conditionals implied, and vocabulary items integrated naturally.
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