The Imperfect Tense of Entretener is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo entretenía a los niños con cuentos. (I entertained the children with stories.)

This verb follows the standard conjugation pattern for regular verbs ending in -er in the Imperfect Tense, with the ending -ía for the first person singular.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Entretener (to entertain) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of entretener is used to describe ongoing, repeated or habitual actions in the past.

To entertain or amuse: For example, Los payasos entretenían a los niños con sus trucos graciosos. (The clowns entertained the children with their funny tricks.)

To distract or occupy: For example, Entretenía a su hermanito con juguetes mientras su mamá cocinaba. (She kept her little brother occupied with toys while her mom cooked.)

To delay or prolong (colloquial): For example, No me entretengas más y dime la verdad. (Don’t stall me any longer and tell me the truth.)

To waste time (rude): For example, Siempre se la pasa entreteniéndose en vez de trabajar. (He’s always wasting time instead of working.)

Examples

Examples of Entretener in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, mi abuela entretenía a toda la familia con sus cuentos e historias. (When she was a child, my grandmother used to entertain the whole family with her stories and tales.)

El payaso entretenía a los niños en la fiesta con sus trucos graciosos. (The clown was entertaining the children at the party with his funny tricks.)

Durante el vuelo, la azafata entretenía a los pasajeros con películas y juegos. (During the flight, the flight attendant was entertaining the passengers with movies and games.)

En la reunión familiar, mi tío entretenía a todos con sus chistes e imitaciones. (At the family gathering, my uncle was entertaining everyone with his jokes and impersonations.)

La banda entretenía al público con su música animada y contagiosa. (The band was entertaining the audience with their lively and catchy music.)

Mientras esperábamos en la sala de espera, el mago entretenía a los niños con sus trucos de magia. (While we were waiting in the waiting room, the magician was entertaining the children with his magic tricks.)

En la fiesta de cumpleaños, el animador entretenía a los invitados con juegos y actividades divertidas. (At the birthday party, the entertainer was entertaining the guests with fun games and activities.)

Antes de dormir, mi madre entretenía a mis hermanos y a mí con cuentos de hadas. (Before bedtime, my mother used to entertain my siblings and me with fairy tales.)

Durante el viaje en autobús, el guía turístico entretenía a los pasajeros con anécdotas e información sobre los lugares que visitábamos. (During the bus tour, the tour guide was entertaining the passengers with anecdotes and information about the places we were visiting.)

En la boda, el DJ entretenía a los invitados con música bailable y animada. (At the wedding, the DJ was entertaining the guests with danceable and lively music.)

Mientras esperábamos en la sala de emergencias, la enfermera entretenía a los niños con libros y juguetes. (While we were waiting in the emergency room, the nurse was entertaining the children with books and toys.)

En el parque de diversiones, los artistas callejeros entretenían a los transeúntes con sus actuaciones y espectáculos. (At the amusement park, the street performers were entertaining the passersby with their performances and shows.)

Durante el viaje en tren, el vendedor entretenía a los pasajeros con sus bromas y chistes. (During the train ride, the vendor was entertaining the passengers with his jokes and banter.)

En la fiesta de la oficina, el comediante entretenía a los empleados con su rutina cómica. (At the office party, the comedian was entertaining the employees with his comedy routine.)

Mientras esperábamos en la fila, el mimo entretenía a la gente con sus actuaciones silenciosas y expresivas. (While we were waiting in line, the mime was entertaining people with his silent and expressive performances.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Entretener (to entertain) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.