Why Disfrutar Is the Verb of Really Enjoying It
Disfrutar is the everyday verb for enjoying something: a meal, a trip, a song, life itself. It is a regular verb, and it goes beyond gustar: it is about enjoying the experience, not just liking the thing.
Learn the six chunks below and you will be able to wish people a good time, describe what you enjoy, and say you had a blast.
Pattern 1: ¡Que disfrutes! — "Enjoy!"
The warm thing to say to someone who is about to enjoy something: a trip, a meal, a show. Use ¡que disfrutes! for a moment or ¡que lo disfrutes! for a specific thing. For trips, see [Viajar] Chunks.
- ¡Disfruta! — Enjoy!
- ¡Que disfrutes del viaje! — Enjoy the trip!
- ¡Que lo disfruten mucho! — I hope you all enjoy it a lot!
Chunk to learn:
¡Que disfrutes! / ¡Que lo disfrutes!
Pattern 2: Disfrutar de… — "To enjoy…"
Use de plus the thing you enjoy. In everyday speech you can also drop it: disfruto la música is fine too. Disfrutar de is also the formal verb for having something good, like health or a scholarship.
- Disfruto de la tranquilidad del campo. — I enjoy the peace of the countryside.
- Disfrutó de la compañía de sus nietos. — She enjoyed her grandchildren's company.
- Mi abuelo disfruta de buena salud. — My grandfather enjoys good health.
Chunk to learn:
Disfrutar de + [algo] / Disfrutar de buena salud
Pattern 3: Disfrutar + gerund — "To enjoy doing…"
For an activity, Spanish prefers the gerund directly after disfrutar: disfruto cocinando. You can also say disfruto de cocinar. Compare it with me gusta cocinar; see [Gustar] Chunks.
- Disfruto cocinando para mi familia. — I enjoy cooking for my family.
- Ella disfruta viajando sola. — She enjoys traveling alone.
- No disfruto manejando de noche. — I don't enjoy driving at night.
Chunk to learn:
Disfrutar + [gerundio] / Disfrutar de + [infinitivo]
Pattern 4: Disfrutar como un niño — "To have a blast"
A vivid chunk for enjoying something with total joy. Como un niño works everywhere; como un enano is very common in Spain. For more on play, see [Jugar] Chunks.
- Disfruté como un niño en el parque de atracciones. — I had a blast at the amusement park.
- Disfrutamos como enanos en la playa. — We had a great time at the beach.
- Los niños disfrutaron como nunca. — The kids had the time of their lives.
Chunk to learn:
Disfrutar como un niño / como un enano / como nunca
Pattern 5: Disfrutar de la vida — "To enjoy life"
The chunk for the big picture: enjoying life, each moment, your time. For more on living, see [Vivir] Chunks.
- Hay que disfrutar de la vida. — You have to enjoy life.
- Disfruta de cada momento. — Enjoy every moment.
- Quiero disfrutar más de mi familia. — I want to enjoy my family more.
Chunk to learn:
Disfrutar de la vida / de cada momento
Pattern 6: Disfrutar un montón — "To enjoy it a lot"
Add an intensifier right after the verb to say how much you enjoyed it. Un montón and muchísimo are the most natural; cada minuto says you enjoyed all of it.
- Disfruté un montón. — I enjoyed it a lot.
- Disfrutamos muchísimo del concierto. — We enjoyed the concert so much.
- Disfruté cada minuto del viaje. — I enjoyed every minute of the trip.
Chunk to learn:
Disfrutar + [un montón / muchísimo / cada minuto]
Disfrutar vs. Gustar vs. Aprovechar
Gustar says you like something in general: me gusta la playa. Disfrutar says you are enjoying it now: disfruto la playa. Aprovechar says you make the most of it; see [Aprovechar] Chunks. Use all three and you can describe liking, enjoying and making the most of the same day.
Start with ¡que disfrutes! and disfruté un montón. You will use both the first time you say goodbye to someone who is going on a trip.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.