忙しいです
isogashii desu
In Japanese, "I am busy" is expressed as 忙しいです (isogashii desu).
This phrase is a statement used to say that you have a lot of work or activities to do.
Which one should you use?
While 忙しいです is a standard way to state your status, you can use 多忙です to emphasize that you are very busy and めちゃめちゃ忙しい to informally emphasize a very high level of busyness. If you want to express that you are busy according to certain expectations or assumptions, you can use the informal phrase やっぱり忙しいんだ.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that you were busy in the past, use 忙しかったです. Dropping the desu from the standard form makes the phrase informal.
How do you pronounce it?
isogashii desu
Did you know?
- The kanji for 'busy' 忙 is composed of the radicals for 'heart' 心 and 'death' 亡, visually suggesting that being too busy kills the heart.
- If you are being indirect to avoid a social confrontation, you might say ちょっと… ('a little…') and trail off. In Japanese culture, this ellipsis is a common way to communicate that you are too busy to accept an invitation without saying it explicitly.
- While 忙しい refers to having many tasks, the word hectic in English often implies chaos. In Japanese, the term バタバタしている (batabata shite iru) mimics the sound of flapping feet to describe a busy, frantic state.
Examples in context
- 忙しいです。I am busy.This sentence is useful for stating that you are busy.Tatoeba #1683211 by bunbuku, translation #2425776 by bionicboy
- 今はとても忙しいです。Ima wa totemo isogashii desu.I am very busy right now.
- 来週は仕事で忙しいです。Raishuu wa shigoto de isogashii desu.I am busy with work next week.
Example conversation
Youta asks Misaki if she wants to go to a cafe.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さん、カフェに行きませんか？Misaki-san, kafe ni ikimasen ka?Misaki, would you like to go to a cafe?
- 美咲 Misakiすみません、今日は忙しいです。Sumimasen, kyou wa isogashii desu.I'm sorry, I am busy today.
- 陽太 Yotaそうですか。残念です。Sou desu ka. Zannen desu.Is that so? That's too bad.
- 美咲 Misakiまた今度誘ってください。Mata kondo sasotte kudasai.Please invite me again another time.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
