distraído
/distɾaˈido/
The English word "distracted" is translated into Spanish as distraído.
distraído is a common term used to describe someone whose attention has been diverted or who is preoccupied. In a personality context, it can also mean being "absent-minded." Other ways to express related concepts include desatento for being inattentive, ausente for being mentally absent and the idiom en las nubes (literally "in the clouds") to describe someone who is daydreaming.
Meaning: having one's attention diverted, preoccupied (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, distraído must agree in gender and number with the person or people being described. Use distraída for a female, distraídos for a group of men or a mixed-gender group and distraídas for a group consisting only of women.
How do you pronounce it?
/distɾaˈido/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish dialects, if someone is being particularly 'distracted' or spacey, you might hear they are despistado, which comes from 'pista' (clue or track). It implies someone has 'lost their track'.
- Spanish distinguishes between está distraído, meaning someone is currently distracted, and es distraído, meaning they are a naturally absent-minded person.
- While distraído refers to a state of mind, Spanish uses the verb distraerse as a reflexive action to describe the act of killing time or amusing oneself, such as me distraigo leyendo.
Examples in context
- Hoy pareces estar distraído.You seem distracted today.This sentence is useful for describing how someone appears today using distraído.Tatoeba #1339912 by Shishir, translation #1339899 by darinmex
- Lo siento, estaba distraído.I'm sorry, I was distracted.This sentence is useful for apologizing after being distraído.Tatoeba #5414629 by baudelaire, translation #5418244 by mailohilohi
- Tom parecía bastante distraído.Tom looked pretty distracted.This sentence is useful for describing how someone looked using distraído.Tatoeba #12974786 by Alejandr0, translation #2643221 by CK
- Estoy distraído con tantas obligaciones.I am distracted with so many obligations.
- El alumno se muestra desatento durante las clases.The student appears distracted during class.
- Últimamente, mi jefe ha estado muy ausente y no presta atención a los detalles.Lately, my boss has been very distracted and not paying attention to details.
- Estoy en las nubes hoy, no logro concentrarme en el trabajo.I'm distracted today, I can't concentrate on work.
- No me hagas caso, estoy despistado y no sé dónde dejé mis llaves.Don't mind me, I'm distracted and I can't remember where I left my keys.
- Luis parece desenfocado últimamente, no logra terminar sus tareas.Luis seems distracted lately, he can't finish his tasks.
- Juan se quedó embobado mirando el paisaje y no se dio cuenta del tiempo que pasó.Juan got distracted staring at the landscape and didn't realize how much time had passed.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier is forgetting things during a meeting.
- JavierPerdón, me quedé distraído por un momento.Sorry, I got distracted for a moment.
- ElenaNo te preocupes, Javier. Te repito la idea.Don't worry, Javier. I'll repeat the idea.
- JavierGracias, Elena. Estoy un poco distraído hoy.Thanks, Elena. I am a bit distracted today.
- ElenaEstá bien, vamos a concentrarnos ahora.It's okay, let's focus now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “distracted” translations and entries distraído, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
