The Present Tense of Entretener is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, La película me entretiene. (The movie entertains me.)

Entretener is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugations do not follow the standard patterns of regular verbs. You’ll need to memorize its unique set of conjugations in the present tense.

Conjugations

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

Entretener generally means to entertain or amuse, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To entertain or amuse: for example, Los payasos entretienen a los niños en el circo. (The clowns entertain the children at the circus.)

To distract or occupy: for example, Entretengo a mi hijo con juegos mientras cocino. (I keep my son occupied with games while I cook.)

To delay or prolong: for example, No me entretengo con excusas, dime la verdad. (I’m not entertaining excuses, tell me the truth.)

To maintain a relationship (colloquial): for example, Juan entretiene a varias novias a la vez. (Juan is entertaining multiple girlfriends at once.)

To deceive or mislead (rude): for example, ¡Deja de entretenerme con mentiras! (Stop entertaining me with lies!)

Examples

Examples of Entretener in the Present Tense

Mis amigos y yo entretenemos a los niños con juegos y canciones. (My friends and I entertain the kids with games and songs.)

El payaso entretiene a la multitud con sus trucos graciosos. (The clown entertains the crowd with his funny tricks.)

¿Qué programa entretienes para ver esta noche? (What show are you entertaining yourself with tonight?)

La banda de rock entretiene a los fans con su música enérgica. (The rock band entertains the fans with their energetic music.)

Yo entretengo a mis sobrinos con cuentos e historias divertidas. (I entertain my nephews with fun stories.)

Los actores entretienen al público con su actuación impresionante. (The actors entertain the audience with their impressive performance.)

En las fiestas, mi tío entretiene a todos con sus chistes graciosos. (At parties, my uncle entertains everyone with his funny jokes.)

Los magos callejeros entretienen a los transeúntes con sus trucos de magia. (The street magicians entertain passersby with their magic tricks.)

¿Qué actividades entretenemos para mantenernos ocupados durante las vacaciones? (What activities do we entertain ourselves with to stay busy during the holidays?)

Los YouTubers entretienen a millones de personas con sus videos divertidos. (YouTubers entertain millions of people with their funny videos.)

Cuando estoy aburrido, entretengo mi mente con libros o rompecabezas. (When I’m bored, I entertain my mind with books or puzzles.)

Los cómicos entretienen al público con su ingenio y sentido del humor. (Comedians entertain the audience with their wit and sense of humor.)

En las fiestas infantiles, los payasos entretienen a los niños con sus trucos y bromas. (At kids’ parties, clowns entertain the children with their tricks and jokes.)

¿Qué tipo de música entretienes para escuchar mientras trabajas? (What kind of music do you entertain yourself with while working?)

Los artistas callejeros entretienen a los peatones con sus actuaciones creativas. (Street artists entertain pedestrians with their creative performances.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.