interesante
/inteɾeˈsante/
The English word "interesting" is interesante in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists que tiene interés.
Meaning: arousing or holding the attention (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| interesante | /inteɾeˈsante/ |
| que tiene interés | /ke tjene inteɾes/ (from spelling rules) |
interesante is an adjective used to describe something that is arousing or holding the attention.
Which one should you use?
Use interesante to describe a noun, but use interesado to describe a person who feels interest (interested).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Latin America, padre can mean cool or awesome, while chido can mean cool or nice.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective interesante is invariant in gender, meaning it stays the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. To make the adjective plural, add an -s to form interesantes.
How do you pronounce it?
/inteɾeˈsante/
Did you know?
- While you might use interesante to describe a book, if you describe a person as interesado, you are actually calling them 'self-serving' or 'opportunistic' rather than 'interested'.
- Spanish uses the phrase me llama la atención to describe something interesting, which literally translates to 'it calls my attention'.
- The Spanish word interesante and the English word 'interesting' are distant cousins, both tracing back to the Latin word 'interesse', which means 'to be among' or 'to make a difference'.
Examples in context
- Eso no es interesante.That's not interesting.This sentence is useful for saying something is not interesting using interesante.Tatoeba #1225740 by wallebot, translation #954331 by CK
- Tom es muy interesante.Tom is very interesting.This sentence is useful for saying a person is very interesting using interesante.Tatoeba #3654199 by ficion, translation #3439376 by CK
- Esto es muy interesante.This is very interesting.This sentence is useful for saying something is very interesting using interesante.Tatoeba #2442811 by hayastan, translation #2436411 by Hybrid
- La conferencia fue interesanteThe conference was interesting
- El libro que leí fue realmente captivadorThe book I read was truly captivating
- La historia antigua es fascinanteAncient history is fascinating
- La trama de la película es muy intriganteThe plot of the movie is very intriguing
- 392 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are discussing a documentary they watched.
- Elena¿Viste el documental?Did you watch the documentary?
- DanielSí, es muy interesante.Yes, it is very interesting.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿te gustó la historia?Daniel, did you like the story?
- DanielSí, la historia es interesante.Yes, the story is interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “interesting” translations and entries interesante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries interesante, interés, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
