Divertir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

divertir means "to amuse, to entertain" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Divertir means "to amuse" or "to entertain" — a film amuses you, a joke entertains the children, a party diverts the guests. It is also used in the gustar-like pattern: me divierte el cine, the cinema amuses me. It is an -ir stem-changing verb: the e becomes ie in yo, tú, él and ellos (divierto, diviertes, divierte, divierten) but stays e in nosotros and vosotros (divertimos, divertís). Its gerund is also irregular — divirtiendo, not divertiendo. Its reflexive partner divertirse (to have fun) is a separate verb with its own page, and the two are easy to confuse, so this page keeps them apart. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of divertir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the divertir present tense page.

divertir in everyday use: examples with translations

Amusing people

  1. El payaso divierte a los niños. — "The clown amuses the children."
  2. Tú diviertes a tus invitados. — "You entertain your guests."
  3. El mago divirtió al público anoche. — "The magician entertained the audience last night."
  4. El payaso divertía a los niños cada domingo. — "The clown used to amuse the children every Sunday."

Things that amuse you

  1. Me divierte el cine. — "The cinema amuses me."
  2. No me divierte esa película. — "That film doesn't amuse me."
  3. Me divertirá la fiesta de mañana. — "Tomorrow's party will amuse me."
  4. Me ha divertido mucho el espectáculo. — "The show has amused me a lot."

Entertaining everyone

  1. El chiste divierte a todos. — "The joke amuses everyone."
  2. Yo divierto a mis amigos con chistes. — "I amuse my friends with jokes."
  3. El espectáculo divertiría a todos si hubiera música. — "The show would amuse everyone if there were music."
  4. Nosotros divertimos a nuestros invitados. — "We entertain our guests."

divertir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use divertir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

At a children's party, the clown performs.

  • Madre: El payaso divierte a los niños. — "The clown amuses the children."
  • Padre: Yo divierto a mis amigos con chistes. — "I amuse my friends with jokes."
  • Madre: El chiste divierte a todos. — "The joke amuses everyone."
  • Padre: El mago divirtió al público anoche. — "The magician entertained the audience last night."

Two friends talk about films.

  • Ana: Me divierte el cine. — "The cinema amuses me."
  • Bea: No me divierte esa película. — "That film doesn't amuse me."
  • Ana: Me divierte el teatro. — "The theatre amuses me."
  • Bea: Me divertirá la fiesta de mañana. — "Tomorrow's party will amuse me."

Common mistakes with divertir

The errors learners actually make with divertir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo diverto a mis amigos con chistes (no stem change).

✓ Correct: Yo divierto a mis amigos con chistes.

Divertir is an e → ie stem-changing verb: yo divierto, not diverto. The change hits yo, tú, él and ellos.

✗ *Nosotros diviertimos a nuestros invitados.

✓ Correct: Nosotros divertimos a nuestros invitados.

Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: divertimos, divertís. The ie change never reaches them.

✗ *El payaso divierte los niños (missing the personal a).

✓ Correct: El payaso divierte a los niños.

People take the personal a: divertir a los niños, not divertir los niños.

✗ *Yo divierto el cine (using divertir as a normal verb for "the cinema amuses me").

✓ Correct: Me divierte el cine.

For "the cinema amuses me", use the gustar-like pattern: me divierte el cine. Yo divierto means "I amuse (someone)".

Quiz: divertir in use

Ten questions on divertir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: El payaso ______ a los niños. — "The clown amuses the children."

  • a) divirtió
  • b) diviertes
  • c) divierte
  • d) divierto

2. Complete the sentence: El mago ______ al público anoche. — "The magician entertained the audience last night."

  • a) divierte
  • b) divertí
  • c) divertiste
  • d) divirtió

3. Complete the sentence: No me ______ esa película. — "That film doesn't amuse me."

  • a) divirtió
  • b) divierte
  • c) divierto
  • d) diviertes

4. Complete the sentence: El chiste ______ a todos. — "The joke amuses everyone."

  • a) divirtió
  • b) divierte
  • c) divierto
  • d) diviertes

5. Which is the correct present tense form of divertir for yo?

  • a) diviertes
  • b) divierte
  • c) divertimos
  • d) divierto

6. Which is the correct present tense form of divertir for tú?

  • a) divierto
  • b) divertimos
  • c) divierte
  • d) diviertes

7. Which is the correct present tense form of divertir for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) divierto
  • b) divierten
  • c) divierte
  • d) diviertes

8. Which sentence uses divertir correctly?

  • a) Nosotros divierte a nuestros invitados.
  • b) Nosotros divertimos a nuestros invitados.
  • c) Nosotros divertíamos a nuestros invitados.

9. What is the past participle of divertir?

  • a) divirtiendo
  • b) divertido
  • c) divirtió
  • d) divierto

10. What does divertir mean in English?

  • a) to have fun
  • b) to go
  • c) to amuse, to entertain
  • d) to have

Answer key

  1. c) divierte — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: divierte.

  2. d) divirtió — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite: divirtió.

  3. b) divierte — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: divierte.

  4. b) divierte — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: divierte.

  5. d) divierto — The present tense form for yo is divierto.

  6. d) diviertes — The present tense form for tú is diviertes.

  7. b) divierten — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is divierten.

  8. b) Nosotros divertimos a nuestros invitados. — Nosotros divertimos a nuestros invitados. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. b) divertido — The past participle is divertido. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he divertido, has divertido, ha divertido.

  10. c) to amuse, to entertain — divertir means "to amuse, to entertain".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use divertir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as divertir a los niños and me divierte el cine. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between divertir and divertirse?

divertir means "to amuse, to entertain", while divertirse means "to have fun". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use divertir when you mean "to amuse, to entertain" and divertirse when you mean "to have fun".

Which tense do I need most with divertir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use divertir most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is divertir formal or informal?

divertir is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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