The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Entretener is used to give orders or instructions to entertain someone, for example Entretén a los niños mientras preparo la cena. (Entertain the children while I prepare dinner.)

Entretener is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugations do not follow the typical patterns of regular verbs. You’ll need to memorize its specific conjugations in this tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Entretener (to entertain) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Entretener generally means to entertain or amuse, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To entertain or amuse: This is the most common meaning. For example, Entretenedlos con juegos mientras preparo la cena. (Keep them entertained with games while I prepare dinner.)

To distract or divert attention: For example, Entretenedlo para que no se dé cuenta de la sorpresa. (Keep him distracted so he doesn’t notice the surprise.)

To delay or prolong: For example, No los entretengas más, diles la verdad. (Don’t keep them waiting any longer, tell them the truth.)

To occupy time (colloquial): For example, Entreteneos un rato mientras termino esto. (Occupy yourselves for a bit while I finish this.)

To mislead or deceive (rude): For example, ¡No me entretengas con excusas! (Don’t waste my time with excuses!)

Examples

Examples of Entretener in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

Para pasar el rato, entretengamos a la familia con algunos juegos de mesa. (To pass the time, let’s entertain the family with some board games.)

Mamá, entretenga a los invitados mientras termino de cocinar. (Mom, entertain the guests while I finish cooking.)

En el viaje en carro, entreten a los niños con canciones y juegos. (On the road trip, entertain the kids with songs and games.)

¡Entretengan a la audiencia con chistes apropiados durante el espectáculo! (Entertain the audience with appropriate jokes during the show!)

Mientras esperamos, entretengamos a la gente con una pequeña actuación. (While we wait, let’s entertain people with a little performance.)

En la fiesta, entreten a los invitados con sus habilidades de baile. (At the party, entertain the guests with your dancing skills.)

Artistas, ¡entretengan al público con sus mejores trucos! (Artists, entertain the audience with your best tricks!)

Para mantener a los niños ocupados, entretenga con juegos y manualidades. (To keep the kids busy, entertain them with games and crafts.)

En el evento corporativo, entretengamos a los asistentes con presentaciones interactivas. (At the corporate event, let’s entertain the attendees with interactive presentations.)

Payasos, entreten a los niños en la fiesta con sus rutinas cómicas. (Clowns, entertain the kids at the party with your comedic routines.)

Mientras viajamos, entretengamos al grupo con historias y chistes. (While we travel, let’s entertain the group with stories and jokes.)

En la sala de espera, entretenga a los pacientes con revistas y rompecabezas. (In the waiting room, entertain the patients with magazines and puzzles.)

Animadores, entretengan a los turistas con danzas folclóricas. (Entertainers, entertain the tourists with folk dances.)

Para hacer tiempo, entretengamos a los niños con juegos de adivinanzas. (To pass the time, let’s entertain the kids with guessing games.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Entretener (to entertain) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.