beschäftigt
/bəˈʃɛftɪkt/
The German word for busy is beschäftigt.
beschäftigt is used to describe a person who is engaged or preoccupied. If you want to describe a chaotic and busy environment, you can use the word hektisch instead.
Meaning: engaged or preoccupied (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
beschäftigt is the past participle of the verb beschäftigen, which means 'to employ' or 'to occupy'.
Which one should you use?
While beschäftigt means preoccupied, it is more common in German to express being busy with tasks by using the phrase viel zu tun haben (to have a lot to do).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, beschäftigt follows standard German adjective declension rules when placed directly before a noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/bəˈʃɛftɪkt/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use beschäftigt to describe a busy street or a busy place. In those instances, use belebt or viel los instead.
Did you know?
- To describe a phone line as busy, Germans use the word besetzt, which means 'occupied' or 'taken'.
- In a professional context, beschäftigt can refer specifically to being an employee of a company rather than just being preoccupied.
- While beschäftigt describes a person, the word belebt used for a busy street literally translates to 'enlivened' or 'brought to life'.
Examples in context
- Tom war so beschäftigt.Tom was so busy.This sentence shows how to use beschäftigt to describe a person's state.Tatoeba #7592613 by wolfgangth, translation #2648913 by CK
- Ich bin zu beschäftigt.I'm too busy.This sentence demonstrates how to express being too busy.Tatoeba #8317299 by Luiaard, translation #2046654 by CK
- Er sah beschäftigt aus.He looked busy.This sentence shows how to describe someone appearing busy using beschäftigt.Tatoeba #10017327 by wolfgangth, translation #8477896 by CH
- Entschuldigung, ich kann heute nicht ausgehen. Ich bin beschäftigt.Excuse me, I can't go out today. I'm busy.
- Entschuldigung, aber ich habe im Moment viel um die Ohren. Können wir uns später treffen?Sorry, but I'm really busy at the moment. Can we meet later?
- Vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail. Ich bitte um Verständnis, aber ich bin gerade beschäftigt. Ich werde so schnell wie möglich antworten.Thank you for your email. I kindly ask for your understanding, but I am currently busy. I will reply as soon as possible.
- Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt, vielen Dank für Ihre Anfrage. Ich habe momentan viel zu tun, aber ich werde mich so bald wie möglich um Ihr Anliegen kümmern.Dear Mr. Schmidt, thank you for your inquiry. I have a lot to do at the moment, but I will attend to your request as soon as possible.
- Die Stadt ist hektischThe city is busy/hectic
- Ich bin ständig beschäftigtI am constantly busy
- Es geht, ich habe viel zu tunIt's going, I have a lot to do
- Ich habe einen vollen TerminkalenderI have a full schedule
- In den nächsten Tagen/Wochen bin ich sehr beschäftigtIn the next few days/weeks, I am very busy
- 1133 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah calls Lukas at his office.
- SarahHallo Lukas, hast du kurz Zeit?Hello Lukas, do you have a moment?
- LukasTut mir leid, ich bin gerade beschäftigt.I'm sorry, I am busy right now.
- SarahIst der Chef gerade auch beschäftigt?Is the boss busy right now too?
- LukasJa, er ist in einem Meeting.Yes, he is in a meeting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “busy” translations and entries beschäftigt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
