How to Say "to joke" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to joke” is “bromear” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
No te lo tomes en serio, solo estoy bromeando.
Don't take it seriously, I'm only joking.
A mi abuelo le encanta bromear con los camareros.
My grandfather loves to joke with the waiters.
Deja de bromear y concéntrate en el trabajo.
Stop messing around and concentrate on the work.
Using 'Con' vs 'Sobre'
Use 'con' to name the person you are kidding ('con ella') and 'sobre' to name the topic you are joking about ('sobre el clima').
The 'Gerund' for Current Actions
Just like in English, we often use 'estar' + the -ando form ('estoy bromeando') to emphasize that you are joking right at this very moment.
Don't use 'jokear'
Mistake: “Yo jokeo con mis amigos.”
Correction: Yo bromeo con mis amigos. 'Jokear' is an incorrect 'Spanglish' word; always use 'bromear'.
Bromeando WITH someone
Mistake: “Estoy bromeando tú.”
Correction: Estoy bromeando contigo. You must use 'con' to show who you are interacting with.
Related Translations
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