¡Diviértete! Have fun!
It’s pronounced “dee-vee-air-teh-tay“, and it’s a useful phrase to have in your arsenal, one that you can say to a friend before they leave for a night on the town or a trip to the theater.
But as in English, there are several ways to say this and we’ll take a closer look in this article.
Have Fun in Spanish
The expression “have fun” works a little differently in Spanish. If we do a direct translation, it will look something like, tener divertido, with “tener” being the verb “to have” (divertido can also be used to mean “funny”).
But in Spanish, you don’t “have” fun the same as you do in English. Tener implies ownership, which doesn’t really work in the Spanish language.
Instead, it makes more sense to use the imperative form of divertir which is diviértete.
In this way, it becomes an instruction. It’s the equivalent of saying “have fun” instead of “you are having fun” or “you will have fun”. In another context, it’s like saying “close the door” instead of “you are closing the door”.
The imperative is an instruction, which is usually what you intend when you say, “have fun”.
¡Pásalo bien! – Pass it Well
Another interesting way to say “have fun” in Spanish is ¡Pásalo bien!.
Technically, this means “pass it well”, which is like saying, “I hope your time is well spent”. It may seem like a strange way to wish someone a good time, but you will see many similar expressions in other languages, suggesting that the English language may actually be the strange one here.
In Greek, for instance, you may say “καλά να περνάτε” (if you want to be formal or you’re addressing multiple people) or “καλά να περνάς” (for informal/singular). It also means “you pass it well”.
It might sound like you’re wishing them a speedy expulsion of a kidney stone, but a Spanish speaker will always understand this to mean “have fun”.
Other Ways to Say “Have Fun” in Spanish
There are a few other ways to wish someone a good time in Spanish. Some of these are formal and some are a little harder to remember, but all will get your meaning across:
- ¡Que te lo pases bien! = Have a good time!
- Pasatela genial = Have a great time (formal)
- ¡Que te diviertas! = I hope that you have fun
- Yo quiero que te diviertas = I want you to have a good time
- Bueno, espero que te diviertas = Well, I hope you have a good time
How to Conjugate Divertir in Spanish
Although you can’t really use these phrases to instruct someone to have fun at the theater or on vacation, it helps to know how the word “fun” (divertir) is conjugated in the Spanish language:
- Me divierto (first person singular). Me divierto en el teatro = I have fun at the theater.
- Te diviertes (second person singular). Te diviertes en el teatro = you have fun at the theater.
- Se divierte (third person singular). Se divierte en el teatro = he/she has fun at the theater.
- Nos divertimos (first person plural). Nos divertimos en el teatro = we have fun at the theater.
- Os divertís (second person plural). Os divertís en el teatro = you (all) have fun at the theater.
- Se divierten (third person plural). Se divierten en el teatro = they have fun at the theater.
More Words Related to Fun in Spanish
“Joy” translates as la alegría, a feminine noun pronounced as “la ah-leh-gree-ah”.
“Entertainment” is el entretenimiento, a masculine noun that you pronounce like “el en-tray-ten-ee-mee-en-toh”. Use the adjective entretenido if you want to describe something as being entertaining.
“Mockery” or “Teasing” is la burla or “la bur-la”. You can use it when you want to poke fun at a friend or joke around with them.
“Funny” is often translated as divertido, but as this is also used to mean “fun”, it might be a little confusing. Instead, use gracioso when you want to refer to something that you find funny.
Which One Should you Use?
If you want a phrase that will always be understood as meaning “have fun” and can suit most occasions, we recommend diviértete or ¡Pásalo bien!
If you’re a beginner struggling to get a grip on the language, it really all comes down to which one feels right and which one you will remember the most. Maybe the fact that ¡Pásalo bien! directly translates to “pass it well” is too confusing for you. Maybe conjugation is still a big challenge and you can never remember diviértete in its correct form.
The great thing about Spanish, and language in general, is that there are always other ways to express yourself.
Etymology Check
The word divertircomes from the Latin “dīvertere”, which meant “to separate” or “to distract”. It is from this word that we get the English word “divert”.
Initially, it may seem like an odd and even random connection, but the connections seem to have been formed because anything that’s fun can “divert” your attention.
Today, you’ll often hear people stating that they enjoy video games, reading, knitting, and other such tasks as they provide a distraction for the mind, and this is where the term comes from.
In fact, while it’s rarely used as a reference to entertainment/amusement in modern English, Merriam-Webster still lists the following as a definition:
something that diverts or amuses.
The word “entertainment”, which is directly related to the Spanish entretenimiento has a similar origin.
It comes from the Latin words “inter” and “tenir”, meaning “among” and “to have/to hold”, and it referenced the act of keeping someone in a specific frame of mind. It was used in reference to hospitality, as your purpose as a host was to keep your guest amused/distracted during their stay, thus “entertaining” them.
The word alegría, meaning “joy“, comes from the Latin “alacrem”, which had a similar meaning. “Alacrem” is also the root word for the Italian “allegro”, which literally means “lively” or “joyful”, but is often used to refer to music of a brisk and lively tempo.