très occupé
The English phrase "very busy" is translated into French as très occupé.
The phrase is used to describe someone who has a lot of things to do or a very full schedule.
What does it mean word for word?
This is a literal translation of "very occupied", where très means "very" and occupé means "occupied".
Which one should you use?
While très occupé refers to having a full schedule, the word débordé is a stronger term used when someone is feeling swamped or is literally "overflowing" with work.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender and number with the subject. Add an extra e to occupé to form très occupée if the person being described is female. For a group, use très occupés for a group of men or a mixed group and très occupées for a group of only women.
Did you know?
- In a professional setting, French employees might describe a busy period as le coup de feu, which literally means 'the gunshot'.
- To express being incredibly busy, you can use the idiom avoir du pain sur la planche, which translates to 'having bread on the cutting board'.
- In casual French, someone who is very busy might say they are sous l'eau, which literally translates to being 'under the water'.
Examples in context
- Tu es très occupé.You're very busy.This sentence shows how to use très occupé to address someone.Tatoeba #2228760 by sacredceltic, translation #2218477 by CK
- Sami est très occupé.Sami is very busy.This sentence shows how to use très occupé to describe a third person.Tatoeba #7280620 by tras, translation #7278575 by OsoHombre
- Elle est très occupée.She is very busy.This sentence shows the feminine form très occupée.Tatoeba #134537 by qdii, translation #315715 by CK
- Je suis désolé, mais je suis très occupé(e) cette semaine.I'm sorry, but I'm very busy this week.
- Désolé(e), je ne peux pas sortir ce soir, je suis super occupé(e).Sorry, I can't go out tonight, I'm really busy.
- Je suis overbooké(e) jusqu'à la fin de la semaine, donc pas le temps de prendre une pause.I'm swamped until the end of the week, so no time to take a break.
- J'en ai plein le dos avec tous ces projets à terminer.I'm overwhelmed with all these projects to finish.
- Je suis totalement surchargé(e) en ce moment, je n'ai pas une minute à moi.I'm completely swamped at the moment, I don't have a minute to myself.
- 129 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are talking on the phone about their schedules.
- ChloéNathan, tu es très occupé en ce moment ?Nathan, are you very busy right now?
- NathanOui, je suis très occupé avec mon nouveau travail.Yes, I am very busy with my new job.
- ChloéJe comprends, je suis très occupée aussi cette semaine.I understand, I am very busy this week too.
- NathanOn s'appelle quand on aura plus de temps !Let's call each other when we have more time!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
