entretenido
adjectiveCEFR B1
What does “entretenido” mean in English?
entertaining, enjoyable — used with ser to describe content as having the inherent quality of being entertaining; estar entretenido = being absorbed/occupied
entertaining, enjoyable — used with ser to describe content as having the inherent quality of being entertaining; estar entretenido = being absorbed/occupied (person, not content)
Example sentences
La película era muy entretenida aunque la crítica la había tratado mal: pasamos una tarde estupenda en el cine riendo y disfrutando.
The film was very entertaining even though the critics had treated it badly: we had a great afternoon at the cinema laughing and enjoying ourselves.
El libro es entretenido pero bastante superficial: si buscas una lectura de profundidad, te recomendaría algo más exigente.
The book is entertaining but quite superficial: if you want reading with depth, I would recommend something more demanding.
Estaba tan entretenida leyendo la novela que no me di cuenta de que habían pasado tres horas y era casi medianoche.
She was so absorbed in reading the novel that she didn't notice that three hours had passed and it was almost midnight.
How to use it
Entretenido/a is an adjective meaning 'entertaining', 'enjoyable', or 'fun to watch/read'. It agrees in gender and number: entretenida (fem), entretenidos (masc pl), entretenidas (fem pl). It is typically used with ser (not estar) to categorise a cultural work as entertaining: la película es muy entretenida (the film is very entertaining — an inherent quality of the film itself). Compare estar entretenido/a (to be occupied/absorbed/distracted — applied to a person in a specific state). The noun is el entretenimiento (entertainment, as a category or industry).
Common mistake
Ser entretenida vs estar entretenida: ser entretenida describes the content (the film is entertaining as a quality); estar entretenida describes a person (she is occupied/absorbed right now). This ser/estar distinction is tested at B1. El entretenimiento is the industry/category noun (the entertainment industry = la industria del entretenimiento).