a philosophy professor, a priest, and a software engineer
Learn English With Jokes
The Train, The Café, and The Scoffers
Intermediate · Past Simple · Phrasal Verb 'scoff at'
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Survolez les mots en ambre pour voir les définitions en français (CAPS).
A philosophy professor, a priestPRÊTRE, and a softwareLOGICIEL / INFORMATICIEN engineer are stuckBLOQUÉS on a small regional train that breaks down in the middle of nowhereAU MILIEU DE NULLE PART.
The conductorCONTRÔLEUR comes through and says, “We’ll be here for at leastAU MOINS two hours. Signal problem. Nothing to do but wait.”
The philosophy professor smiles serenelySEREINEMENT. “Ah. A perfect opportunity to contemplate the nature of patience.” The priest nodsHOCCHE LA TÊTE. “Or to pray.” The software engineer opens his laptopORDINATEUR PORTABLE. “I’ll see if there’s Wi-Fi.” There isn’t.
They sit in silence for a while. EventuallyFINALEMENT, the professor says, “You know, modern people have lost the ability to simply beÀ SIMPLEMENT ÊTRE. They scoff atILS SE MOQUENT DE stillness. They scoff at reflection. They scoff at doing nothing.” The priest says, “True. Many people scoff at prayerPRIÈRE too.” The engineer says nothing, just keeps tappingTAPANT keys as if Wi-Fi might appear out of pity.
An hour passes. The professor begins a long speechDISCOURS about how society is addicted to productivity. The priest offers moral support. The engineer finally sighsSOUPIRE and says, “I was trying to hotspotPARTAGER LA CONNEXION from the emergency brakeFREIN. No luck.”
Another half hour passes. The professor, clearly enjoying himself, says, “This is good for us. We should learn to embrace inconvenience. People scoff at inconvenience, but it builds character.” The priest agrees. “IndeedEN EFFET. We mustn’t scoff at the trials God sends us.” The engineer looks out the window. Across the fieldDE L’AUTRE CÔTÉ DU CHAMP, maybe 200 metres away, there’s a small café with people sitting outside drinking coffee.
He points. “We could just walk there.” The professor scoffs at the idea. “Abandon the train? That’s impulsive thinking.” The priest says, “We should stay where we are meant to beLÀ OÙ NOUS SOMMES CENSÉS ÊTRE.” Ten minutes later, the engineer is halfwayÀ MI-CHEMIN across the field.
Two hours later, the train still hasn’t moved. The professor is now hungry, the priest is thirstyASSOIFFÉ, and both are tired of being philosophical. The engineer returns, sipping an espressoSAVOURANT UN ESPRESSO, carrying a sandwich, and holding three takeaway coffeesCAFÉS À EMPORTER.
They stare at him. The professor says, “You left.” The priest says, “You weren’t patient.” The engineer shrugsHAUSSE LES ÉPAULES. “You two scoffed at the idea of leaving. I scoffed at the idea of waiting.”
📘 Key Vocabulary
📖 Grammar Points
1. Past simple for narrative sequence
The joke uses past simple throughout: “The conductor came through”, “The professor smiled”, “He returned”. This tense tells a completed story in chronological order. Note British spelling: travelled, signalled would follow the same rule, though not used here.
2. Phrasal verb + preposition: 'scoff at'
Scoff must be followed by at when it has an object: “They scoffed at the idea”. Without at, it’s intransitive: “He scoffed”. The preposition is fixed — we don’t say scoff on or scoff about in this meaning.
🔁 Synonyms & Alternatives
Both fit the tone: They mocked the suggestion or We were stranded for hours.
💬 Mini Dialogue
Context: Two neighbours, Priya and Ben, at a bus stop during a lift strike.
Priya: “We’ve been stuck here for ages. I scoffed at my husband when he said we should walk.”
Ben: “I nodded, but I didn’t believe him either. The café across the field looks tempting.”
Priya: “He shrugged and left. He’s probably sipping an espresso now.”
Ben: “Right. I was wrong to scoff at the idea. Let’s go.”
Uses past simple, 'scoff at', 'stuck', 'nodded', 'shrugged', 'across the field', 'sipping an espresso'.
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