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Talking About Fun and Enjoyment in Spanish

How do you talk about having fun and enjoying yourself in Spanish? Today's lesson will cover several ways!

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"Fun" Spanish Verbs

There are several Spanish verbs that mean "to have fun," "have a good time," "enjoy oneself," etc. Let's take look. 

 

​Pasarlo bien 

The Spanish verb pasarlo bien can be translated as "to have fun" or "to have a good time." By extension, pasarlo muy bien is "to have a lot of fun" or "a great" or "really good time." Let's see these in action:

 

Mucho calor, pero lo pasamos muy bien

Very hot, but we had a really good time.

Caption 24, Blanca y Mariona Proyectos para el verano

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Sometimes we hear the reflexive version:

 

Nos lo pasamos muy bien. -Ah. 

We have a great time. -Oh.

Caption 31, Karla e Isabel Alquilar una habitación - Part 2

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Other times, we might hear the alternative version pasarla bien:

 

la pasamos bien y pudimos avanzar. 

we had a good time and we were able to move forward.

Caption 56, Eduardo y Luciana de Argentina Historia del Rio

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While all of our examples thus far have been in the preterite tense, now, let's see how we can use this verb to tell one or more people to "Have fun!" using either the command form or the present subjunctive form with que, as in the following captions:

 

pásenlo bien, hagan del mundo un mundo más bonito y

have a good time, make the world a nicer world, and

Caption 41, Víctor en Caracas Santa Claus

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Por supuesto que no. ¡Qué lo paséis bien! 

Of course not. Have fun!

Caption 38, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 7: La gemela - Part 6

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By the way, there are many, more slangy verbs to say you had a lot of fun in Spanish that involve the verb pasar and might be thought of as similar to the English expression "to have a blast." These include, but probably aren't limited to: pasarlo re bienpasarlo super (bien)pasarlo bomba, and pasarlo de diez

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Divertirse 

The Spanish verb divertirse also means "to have fun" or "have a good time." Let's see a couple of examples, one in the infinitive and another in the preterite:

 

Recuerda que lo importante es divertirse

Remember that the important thing is to have fun.

Caption 79, Isabel Lavesa Dibujo en acuarela

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¡Nosotros nos divertimos un montón!

We had a ton of fun!

Caption 6, Guillermina y Candelario La Peluqueria del Mar - Part 1

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Now, let's see the informal singular command form of this verb:

 

Eso es: Diviértete

That is: Have fun.

Caption 39, De consumidor a persona Short Film - Part 1

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Disfrutar

The Spanish verb disfrutar means "to enjoy." Let's take a look at it in action in its present indicative and subjunctive forms:

 

Disfruto tanto dibujando en acuarela o bocetando,

I enjoy watercolor painting or sketching so much

Caption 8, Isabel Lavesa Dibujo en acuarela

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Pues, que disfruten su estancia,

Well, [I hope] that you enjoy your stay,

Caption 68, Yabla en Yucatán Vicente

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Note that the Spanish verb disfrutar will often be accompanied by the preposition de to indicate what's being enjoyed:

 

nos vamos a disfrutar de la fiesta.

we are going to enjoy the party.

Caption 19, Marta Vocabulario de Cumpleaños

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Gozar 

The Spanish verb gozar also means "to enjoy" or "have a good time." Let's take a look at an example in the present indicative:

 

Lloran, se ríen, gozan;

They cry, they laugh, they enjoy;

Caption 34, Mariachi El amor de la música mexicana

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Like disfrutar, the verb gozar in Spanish is often accompanied by the preposition de to indicate what's being enjoyed, as in the sentence "Gozamos mucho del tiempo que pasamos en la costa" (We really enjoyed the time we spent on the coast). 

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"Fun" Spanish Nouns

Now, let's look at a couple of nouns that mean "fun" in Spanish. Note their similarity to some aforementioned Spanish verbs.

 

la diversión (the fun)

 

Pero a veces, la diversión no les dura ni diez minutos. 

But sometimes, the fun doesn't last even ten minutes for them.

Caption 34, Ana Carolina Bebés y medio ambiente

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el goce (the enjoyment, the pleasure)

 

El placer es una sensación de goce o satisfacción

Pleasure is a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction

Caption 10, Aprendiendo con Silvia Pequeños grandes placeres - Part 1

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"Fun" Spanish Adjectives

Let's conclude with some Spanish adjectives that mean "fun" or "entertaining." Remember that adjectives must agree in terms of number and gender with the nouns they modify.

 

Divertido/a(s) (fun/enjoyable/amusing)

 

¡Guau! Eso sí que era divertido

Wow! That really was fun,

Caption 36, Aprendiendo con Silvia Recuerdos de infancia - Part 2

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Entretenido/a(s) (fun/entertaining/enjoyable)

 

pero en los libros vas a encontrar palabras nuevas en historias muy divertidas y entretenidas.

but in books, you're going to find new words in very amusing and entertaining stories.

Captions 5-6, El Aula Azul Mis libros preferidos - Part 1

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On that note, esperamos que hayan disfrutado de esta lección (we hope you've enjoyed this lesson), and don't forget to leave us your comments and suggestions

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