entretener
“entretener” means “to entertain” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to entertain
Also: to amuse, to pass the time
📝 In Action
El payaso entretuvo a los niños durante toda la fiesta.
A2The clown entertained the children during the whole party.
Me gusta entretener a mis invitados con buena música y comida.
B1I like to entertain my guests with good music and food.
Para entretenerse en el avión, ella siempre lleva un libro.
B1To pass the time on the plane, she always brings a book.
to delay
Also: to hold up
📝 In Action
Perdón por la demora, es que me entretuvo un cliente.
B1Sorry for the delay, it's just that a client held me up.
No quiero entretenerte mucho porque sé que tienes prisa.
B2I don't want to delay you much because I know you're in a hurry.
Se entretuvo hablando con el vecino y llegó tarde.
B1He got held up talking to the neighbor and arrived late.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: entretener
Question 1 of 3
How would you say 'I entertained' in the past tense?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin 'inter' (between) and 'tenere' (to hold). It literally means to 'hold someone in between' tasks or moments, keeping their attention.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'entretener' the same as 'to maintain'?
No. Although it looks like the French 'entretenir' (which can mean maintain), in Spanish, 'maintain' is 'mantener.' 'Entretener' is almost always about fun or delays.
Is it a regular verb?
No, it is highly irregular because it conjugates exactly like the verb 'tener' (to have).
Can I use it to say I am 'busy'?
Yes! If you say 'Estoy entretenido con el trabajo,' it means you are occupied or kept busy by your work.