How to Say "to have fun" in Spanish
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How to Have Fun in Spanish – Really!

First of all, as the little introduction above tells my readers, you do not use tener divertido in Spanish when you want to say to have fun. Beyond there being a verb that answers nicely to the English expression, there are a few other things that you need to observe in order to cover a range of related expressions about having a good time.

The verb for expressing to have fun is divertirse. It is irregular (a stem-changing verb) and reflexive:

The singular forms, first- through third person are:

me divierto: I have or am having fun

te diviertes: You have or are having fun

se divierte: He, she or you formal: has fun or is having fun (or, if the subject is you, have or are having fun)

The plural forms, first- through third person are:

nos divertimos: We have or are having fun

os divertís: You have or are having fun

se divierten: They have or are having fun

Another related verb (plus preposition), meaning to enjoy is gozar de. The preposition de is followed by a noun that refers to the thing enjoyed:

Juan goza de su familia (Juan enjoys his family).

Gozamos de las fiestas patrias (We enjoy national holidays).

Similar to the previous verb is disfrutar – also followed by de:

Ella siempre ha disfrutado de buena salud (She has always enjoyed good health).

Yo disfruto de mi buena fortuna (I enjoy my good fortune).

Finally, no discussion of fun and enjoyment would be complete without a reminder about the verb gustar. It is always used with an indirect object showing the person or persons who are pleased. It is not an equivalent of the verb to like. Note that a clarifying phrase can be used to indicate to whom le (or les) refers.

Me gustan las fiestas (literally, Parties please me). The grammatical subject is fiestas.

A Juan le gusta navegar en barco de vela (literally, To sail pleases Juan). The grammatical subject is navegar.

References

  • Author’s more than 20 years experience teaching and translating Spanish.

This post is part of the series: Spanish Usage

The articles in this series deal with various questions about the right choice of word or phrase when English may have one or two structures but Spanish has more. They often deal with prepositional issues.

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  2. Using “Actual” and “Actually” in Spanish
  3. A Problem Preposition: The Ways “About” is Expressed in Spanish
  4. The Many Spanish Faces of the English Verb “to Agree”
  5. Spanish Usage Questions: Ways to say “Again”
  6. Expressing the Many Meanings of After
  7. Spanish Usage Questions: How to Say “Ahead”
  8. Spanish Usage Questions: “Anyone” and “Anybody”
  9. Using “Anyway…” in Spanish
  10. Let’s Learn About How to Talk About Appointments & Dating
  11. What Do You Use for “Around” in Spanish
  12. The Spanish Verbs Meaning “to Ask” are Many!
  13. Beware of False Cognates! How to Express “Attend,” “Assist,” and “Help”
  14. Are You “Cool” or “Cold”? Explore the Nuances in Spanish
  15. The Difference Between “Why” and “Because” in Spanish
  16. The Temporal and Spacial Meanings of “Before”: How to Get it Right in Spanish
  17. Don’t Be Left in the Dust! Learn to Express the Meanings of “Behind” in Spanish
  18. Get the Low Down on the Preposition “Below” and Say it Right in Spanish!
  19. Understand Saying “Help” in Spanish
  20. Translating “Beside” & “Besides” into Spanish: Interesting Solutions!
  21. Not all Meanings of “But” Are Equal!
  22. Expressing the Various Meanings of the Preposition “By” in Spanish
  23. What Can the English Word “Can” Mean and How to Get it Right in Spanish
  24. Spanish Usage Questions: “Corner”
  25. The Word “Country” in Spanish
  26. The Various Meanings of “Outweigh” in English and How to Express Them in Spanish
  27. Expressing the Idea of “Ownership” in Spanish
  28. How to Express “Time & Distance” in Spanish
  29. Treat, Try, Attempt, Deal with… In Spanish, You Probably Need “Tratar”
  30. Spanish Usage Questions: “Having Fun”
  31. Even a Word Like “Even” Has Many Counterparts in Spanish
  32. Don’t Go Wrong When You Look for Ways to Express “to fail”
  33. Do You Mean “Fair” Weather, a “Fair” Game or a “Fair” Complexion? Learn How to Say Them in Spanish!
  34. Love, Desire and Wanting – Spanish Style!
  35. Discover the Right Spanish Verbs for Taking, Holding, Grabbing… and More
  36. You Have Nothing to Fear Except Not Knowing How to Say “Fear” in Spanish!
  37. Spanish Equivalents of the Common English Word “Find”
  38. Discover the Various Meanings of “Middle” and How to Say Them in Spanish
  39. Not All Spanish Words Meaning “Worker” Are Created Equal