45 Tengo mucho divertido WRONG

Having explained the reflexive, it’s time to make sense on why TENGO MUCHO DIVERTIDO is wrong. It’s a copy of the expression “I have fun”, but in Spanish FUN is not something you just have, it’s something that you do and you receive. You are both the agent and the object of the fun you have. That is why you use the verb in the reflexive DIVERTIR + SE.

Big problem: DIVERTIR + SE is both a stem changing verb E to IE and a verb ending in IR. To conjugate in the you form:

• Me divierto=I fun/enjoy myself. Pronounce it MEH DEE-VYÉR-TOH
• Te diviertes=You fun/enjoy yourself. Pronounce it TEH DEE-VYÉR-TES
• Se divierte=He/She funs/enjoys her/himself. Pronounce it SEH DEE-VYÉR-TEH
• Nos divertimos=We fun/enjoy ourselves. Pronounce it NOS DEE-VER-TÉE-MOS (same as preterit)
• Se divierten=They funs/enjoys themselves. Pronounce it SEH DEE-VYÉR-TEN

In the past tense of single event, or PRETERIT, you conjugated this way:

• Me divertí=I funned/enjoyed myself. Pronounce it MEH DEEVERTÉE
• Te divertiste=You funned/enjoyed yourself. Pronounce it TEH DEEVERTÉESTE
• Se divirtió=He/She funned/enjoyed him/herself. Pronounce it SEH DEEVEERTYÓ (too many of i)
• Nos divertimos=We funned/enjoyed ourselves. Pronounce it NOS DEE-VER-TÉE-MOS (same as present)
• Se divirtiéron=We funned/enjoyed ourselves. Pronounce it SEH DEE-VEER-TYÉ-RON

To be having fun=divirtiendo. Pronounced DEE-VEER-TYÉN-DO.

Third persons (he/she and they) change  E ot I.

NOT WILLING TO GO THROUGH THIS TROUBLE? USE AN EASY SYNONYM: PASAR=to pass, to spend time. No reflexive needed, and the verb is regular, basic, with no changes.

• Pasar bien=to have a good time
• Pasar mal=to have a bad time

To sound even cooler, you can add the word LA or LO to the verb, but if you say it without it, no big deal:

A: Hola, ¿la estás pasando bien?

B: Sí, la estoy pasando bien. Siempre la paso bien contigo.

OR

A: Hola, ¿lo estás pasando bien?

B: Sí, lo estoy pasando bien. Siempre lo paso bien contigo.

OR

A: Hola, ¿estás pasando bien?

B: Sí, estoy pasando bien. Siempre paso bien contigo.

The difference may be according to geographical region. In Colombia they say more LA, in Spain they say more LO in this idiomatic expression.

And this sounds better than saying tengo mucho divertido.

Sample conversation:

Fun situations:

Conjugating in the present indicative, ask and respond when you have a good time.

A: ¿Cuándo la ________ (=pasar) bien?

B: Yo la ________ (=pasar) bien cuando ___________________________________ (add situation).

Situations: estar en una fiesta (=to be in a party), hacer deportes (=to do sports, hago=I do), comer pizza (=to eat pizza), tomar café (=to drink cofee), manejar (=to drive), viajar (=to travel), hablar con ________ (=to speak to ________), ver televisión (=to watch TV)

Change this to divertirse if you want to challenge yourself:

A: ¿Cuándo te ________ (=divertir)?

B: Yo me ________ (=divertir) bien cuando ___________________________________ (add situation).

Fun according to situations:

Pretend you are in a party and certain title is sounding in the background. Respond whether you’re having a good time with such background song. Conjugate in the present progressive.

A: Está sonando ______________________ (add title). ¿Cómo la ________  ________ (=pasar)

B: La ________  ________ (=pasar) BIEN or MAL. Me gusta OR No me gusta ____________________ (repeat title). OR No conozco esa canción = I don’t know that song.

Title sample: La gasolina de Daddy Yankee, Callaíta de Bad Bunny, Bichota de Karol G, Como la flor de Selena, Despacito de Fonsi, Yo perreo sola de Bad Bunny (or add any famous title you remember)

Ask your partner a different situation

A: __________________________________ (state situation). ¿Cómo la ________  ________ (=pasar)

B: La ________  ________ (=pasar) BIEN or MAL.

Sample situations:

• estamos en un yate=we are in yatch
• estamos caminando bajo el sol=we’re walking under the sun
• estamos bailando cumbia norteña=we’re dancing Northern cumbia
• está nevando=it’s snowing
• estamos volando en avión=we are flying in an airplane
• estamos comiendo pizza=we are eating pizza
• estamos viendo televisión=we are watching TV

Challenge yourself creating other situations