occupé
/ɔ.ky.pe/
The English word 'busy' is translated to French as occupé.
occupé is used to describe a person who is engaged in an activity or preoccupied with something. If you wish to express the idea of keeping oneself busy with something, you can use the verb se livrer.
Meaning: engaged or preoccupied (adj)
Which one should you use?
While occupé refers to a person being preoccupied, use animé to describe a place that is busy or lively, such as a street or a cafe.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the subject. Use occupée for a female subject, occupés for a group of men or a mixed group and occupées for a group of women.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɔ.ky.pe/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using occupé to describe the atmosphere of a location or a street. While English speakers use 'busy' for this, in French, it is primarily used for people or specific objects like a phone line or a toilet.
Did you know?
- If you are 'too busy' to do something, you might say you are débordé, which literally means 'overflowing' like a river during a flood.
- The word occupé can also be used in a much more serious, historical context to describe a country or territory under foreign military occupation.
- To describe a busy schedule, French speakers often use the phrase avoir un emploi du temps chargé, which literally means having a 'charged' or 'loaded' timetable.
Examples in context
- Il a été occupé.He has been busy.This sentence uses occupé to show a completed state of being busy.Tatoeba #130949 by nimfeo, translation #290296 by CK
- Tom a été occupé.Tom got busy.This sentence uses occupé to describe someone becoming busy.Tatoeba #9311545 by Micsmithel, translation #2236315 by CK
- Tu es fort occupé.You're very busy.This sentence uses occupé to emphasize a high level of busyness.Tatoeba #2228757 by sacredceltic, translation #2218477 by CK
- Je suis occupé(e) en ce momentI am busy at the moment
- Je suis désolé(e), je suis pris(e) toute la journéeI'm sorry, I'm busy all day
- Je suis complètement débordé(e) en ce momentI'm completely swamped right now
- J'ai été surbooké(e) cette semaine avec tous mes rendez-vousI've been really busy this week with all my appointments
- 1120 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé calls Nathan to ask if he wants to go for a walk.
- ChloéSalut Nathan, tu es libre pour sortir ?Hi Nathan, are you free to go out?
- NathanDésolé, je suis très occupé en ce moment.Sorry, I am very busy right now.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu seras occupé demain aussi ?Will you be busy tomorrow too?
- NathanNon, je serai disponible toute la journée.No, I will be available all day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “busy” translations and entries occupé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
