hombre ocupado
/ombɾe okupado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "busy man" is translated into Spanish as hombre ocupado.
hombre ocupado is used to describe a man who has a lot of work or many activities to do.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a busy woman, change the noun to mujer and the adjective to the feminine form ocupada.
Did you know?
- The word hombre shares a strange history with the word 'earthling' because it stems from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰmṓ, which refers to a creature of the earth.
- While hombre ocupado refers to a busy person, the word ocupado is also the standard way to say a bathroom or a telephone line is 'engaged'.
- In many Spanish-speaking contexts, describing someone as an 'hombre ocupado' can carry a slight connotation of being important or high-status, rather than just being overwhelmed by tasks.
Examples in context
- Ahora soy un hombre ocupado.I'm a busy man right now.This sentence is useful for stating that you are currently an hombre ocupado.Tatoeba #5979680 by diegohn, translation #11101549 by DJ_Saidez
- Es un hombre ocupado, así que la única forma que tienes de contactar con él es por teléfono.He's a busy man, so the only way you can contact him is by telephone.This sentence describes a man who is an hombre ocupado to explain why phone contact is necessary.Tatoeba #2094489 by Shishir, translation #2082734 by halfb1t
- Eres un hombre ocupado así que me adaptaré a tu horario.You are a busy man, so I will adjust myself to your schedule.This sentence recognizes that someone is an hombre ocupado in order to adapt to their schedule.Tatoeba #5332696 by mervert1, translation #7844 by Swift
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are discussing Daniel's hectic work schedule.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿tienes tiempo para un café mañana?Daniel, do you have time for a coffee tomorrow?
- DanielLo siento, soy un hombre ocupado esta semana.I'm sorry, I am a busy man this week.
- ElenaEntiendo, siempre tienes mucho trabajo.I understand, you always have a lot of work.
- DanielSí, pero buscaremos un hueco el próximo lunes.Yes, but we will find a gap next Monday.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hombre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
