空いていますか？
aite imasu ka?
In Japanese, "are you available" is expressed as 空いていますか？ (aite imasu ka?)
The phrase 空いていますか？ is used to ask if a person has free time or if a physical space, such as a room or a seat, is unoccupied. If you want to ask specifically if someone is not busy with a particular task, you can say 手が空いていますか？, which literally translates to "Are your hands free?"
Which one should you use?
While 空いていますか？ is a general way to ask about availability, 手が空いていますか？ focuses specifically on whether someone is busy with a task. In terms of social context, you may also use 暇？ to ask "Are you free?" or 予定ある？ to ask "Do you have plans?" in casual settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal situations, you can use お時間はございますか？ (Do you have time?) or ご都合はいかがですか？ (Is your schedule favorable?). In casual conversation with friends or family, you can use the shortened form 空いてる？ or 暇？
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the statement 空いています (is available) into the question "are you available?", the particle か is added to the end.
How do you pronounce it?
aite imasu ka?
Did you know?
- The verb 空く ('to be empty') is used not just for people and rooms, but also to describe a road when there is no traffic or a stomach when one is hungry.
- Asking a superior if they are 暇 (free/idle) can be unintentionally insulting. In Japanese, 暇 often carries a nuance of being 'idly wasting time,' so it is much safer to use お時間がありますか? when speaking to a boss.
- The concept of 'availability' in Japanese is often expressed through the idea of 'emptiness' 空, which links a free person to an empty room or a clear road.
Examples in context
- お時間はございますか？Do you have time?
- ご都合はいかがですか？Is your schedule favorable?
- 暇？Are you free?
- 予定ある？Do you have plans?
- この席、空いていますか？Kono seki, aite imasu ka?Is this seat available?
- 午後は空いていますか？Gogo wa aite imasu ka?Are you free in the afternoon?
- 今、空いていますか？Ima, aite imasu ka?Are you available right now?
Example conversation
Yota asks Himari if she is free for lunch.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵さん、明日の昼は空いていますか？Himari-san, ashita no hiru wa aite imasu ka?Himari, are you available tomorrow at lunch?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、空いていますよ。Hai, aite imasu yo.Yes, I am free.
- 陽太 Yotaよかった。一緒にランチに行きませんか？Yokatta. Issho ni ranchi ni ikimasen ka?Great. Would you like to go to lunch together?
- 陽葵 Himariいいですね、ぜひ！Ii desu ne, zehi!That sounds good, I'd love to!
