divertissant
/di.vɛʁ.ti.sɑ̃/masculine
The English word entertaining translates to French as divertissant. If unsure, use divertissant. Wiktionary also lists distrayant.
Meaning: amusing (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| divertissant | /di.vɛʁ.ti.sɑ̃/ | masculine |
| distrayant | /dis.tʁɛ.jɑ̃/ /dis.tʁe.jɑ̃/ |
The adjective is used to describe something that is amusing.
Which one should you use?
While distrayant can mean entertaining, it is more frequently used to mean 'distracting' in modern French, whereas divertissant specifically implies amusement or diversion.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form divertissant changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: the feminine form is divertissante, the masculine plural is divertissants and the feminine plural is divertissantes.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /di.vɛʁ.ti.sɑ̃/ and has 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French philosophy, specifically in the writings of Blaise Pascal, divertissement is used to describe the desperate human need to keep the mind occupied to avoid thinking about death.
- The noun form for a diversion or entertainment, un divertissement, is also the French word for a 'diversion' used in military or tactical contexts.
- If you call a movie divertissant, it can sometimes sound slightly faint or lukewarm, as if it passed the time without being truly spectacular.
Examples in context
- Cela aurait été divertissant.That would've been entertaining.This sentence uses divertissant to show how to talk about a past possibility.Tatoeba #6828954 by Aiji, translation #4664807 by CK
- Ce jeu est très divertissant.This game is very entertaining.This sentence uses divertissant to describe a game.Tatoeba #7702266 by Maxence, translation #4856328 by Hybrid
- Le basket-ball est très distrayant.Basketball is very entertaining.This sentence uses distrayant to describe basketball.Tatoeba #13085 by nimfeo, translation #3674945 by karloelkebekio
- Ce film était divertissantThis film was entertaining
- La comédie de ce soir était vraiment amusanteTonight's comedy was really entertaining
- Le livre que j'ai lu était captivantThe book I read was captivating
- La soirée d'hier était vraiment chouetteLast night's party was really entertaining
- Le sketch était vraiment rigoloThe sketch was really entertaining/funny
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are discussing a movie they just watched.
- ChloéTu as aimé le film, Lucas ?Did you like the movie, Lucas?
- LucasOui, je trouve que c'était très divertissant.Yes, I think it was very entertaining.
- ChloéC'est vrai, on ne s'ennuie jamais.That's true, you never get bored.
- LucasC'est le spectacle le plus divertissant de l'année.It is the most entertaining show of the year.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “entertaining” translations and entries divertissant, distrayant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
