за́нятый
zánjatyj
Busy in Russian is за́нятый (zánjatyj), and to say I am busy you say Я занят/занята, with занята for a woman. If unsure, use за́нятый. Wiktionary also lists занято́й (zanjatój) and де́ятельный (déjatelʹnyj).
Meaning: engaged or preoccupied (adj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| за́нятый | zánjatyj | |
| занято́й | zanjatój | |
| де́ятельный | déjatelʹnyj | active |
In everyday speech the short form is used about yourself. Я очень занят/занята means I am very busy. You can also say У меня много дел, I have a lot of things to do or simply У меня дела.
Which one should you use?
занято́й, stressed on the last syllable, describes a person who is busy in general. де́ятельный describes someone naturally active or industrious rather than busy at the moment.
How does it change in a sentence?
The short form agrees with the subject. Use занята́ for a woman, заняты́ for several people and заня́то for an occupied place or situation.
How do you pronounce it?
Following the romanization zánjatyj, the stress falls on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- The word занятый shares a root with the verb занять, which means both 'to occupy oneself' and 'to borrow money'.
- In a telephone context, a 'busy signal' is described as занято, treating the line as a physical space that has been occupied.
- While English speakers often say they are 'busy with' something, Russians frequently use the phrase занят де́лами, which literally translates to being 'busy with deeds' or 'affairs'.
Examples in context
- Не могу выйти на ужин, у меня много дел.Can't go out for dinner, I have a lot to do.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “busy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
