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I was out with a friend. A stranger heard the way we talked with each other. The stranger became offended at some of the vulgar language we used and I found him a bit uneasy and uncomfortable; so I decided to tell him in English:

  • Don't worry, he and I have jokes together.

Connotation: we often joke with each other.

I was wondering if the bold part above sounds correct to you. If not, then what is the naturally idiomatic way to express this matter?

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    You might be looking for "it's an inside joke" which is used to express the idea that it's a "running" or "ongoing" joke between the two of you. Be aware that in the English-speaking realm, if you used racist language you'll be marked as racist, and that's that. Nobody cares if it was a joke, or, a private ongoing joke.
    – Fattie
    Sep 23, 2019 at 10:54
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    I think the point @Fattie is trying to make is this: If you use offensive language (be it vulgar, racist, sexist, etc.), it doesn't really matter if you are only joking with your friend or not – people might still be offended.
    – J.R. ♦
    Sep 23, 2019 at 14:02

2 Answers 2

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I think the connotation would be :

we crack jokes at each other

I here with attach a linkto make things clear

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/crack-a-joke

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  • Thank you @JVL, just one more question. If my Japanese friend became offended, what he could say me from among my following made-up sentences: 1. "Did I ever joke with you?" --- 2. "Did I ever joke with you in this sense?" --- 3. "Did I ever crack jokes at you?" --- 4. "Did I ever crack such jokes at you?" Please let me know what is the most natural way to say this in English?
    – A-friend
    Sep 23, 2019 at 10:59
  • Also, I have almost always used this idiom "crack a joke at someone", "when someone wants to tell a joke" as it is clear in your shared link. I wonder if it has an alternate meaning too.
    – A-friend
    Sep 23, 2019 at 11:46
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat.
    – A-friend
    Sep 23, 2019 at 12:14
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As a native English speaker, "don't worry, he and I have jokes together" does not necessarily seem grammatically incorrect, however it does not sound natural. It also does not convey the message that I think you are trying to say. It would be better to say something along the lines of:

  • Don't worry, we always joke with each other like this.
  • Don't worry, we have quite a brutal way of joking with each other.
  • Don't worry, we have our own way of joking with each other.
  • Don't worry, we both know we are just joking.
  • Don't worry, we have some pretty harsh ways of joking / inside jokes.

Because to me 'we always have jokes with each other' seems like you are trying to say 'we always have a good time when we are together'.

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  • Decent suggestions, although "quite a brutal way" sounds a bit stilted in this context.
    – J.R. ♦
    Sep 23, 2019 at 11:30

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