Portuguese · Emotions & Descriptions

"Busy" in Portuguese: ocupado/a

ocupado/a

Say it: oh-koo-PAH-doo / oh-koo-PAH-dahadjective/o.ku.ˈpa.du/, /o.ku.ˈpa.da/

Busy in Portuguese is ocupado or ocupada. Say estou ocupado/a or a linha está ocupada when you or a phone line is tied up.

Rescheduling

Hoje estou ocupada até as seis.
Today I'm busy until six.
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How to pronounce ocupado/a

Say it

oh-koo-PAH-doo / oh-koo-PAH-dah

/o.ku.ˈpa.du/, /o.ku.ˈpa.da/

oh-koo-PAH-doo / oh-koo-PAH-dah

"Busy" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
ocupado / ocupadabusy

Gender agreement.

estou ocupado/aI'm busy

Self-status.

linha ocupadabusy line

Phone.

agenda ocupadabusy schedule

Calendar.

How to use ocupado/a in real life

  1. 1Rescheduling

    Hoje estou ocupada até as seis.

    Today I'm busy until six.

    Feminine.

  2. 2Call fail

    A linha dele está ocupada de novo.

    His line is busy again.

    Phone.

  3. 3Office

    A sala está ocupada—vamos para o café.

    The room is busy/occupied—let's go to the café.

    Space taken.

Mistakes English speakers make with ocupado/a

Incorrect: Estou busy.

Correct: Estou ocupado/a.

Use ocupado/a.

Incorrect: Ela está ocupado.

Correct: Ela está ocupada.

Agree gender.

Good to know

Brazilians often soften estou ocupado/a with agora or um minutinho. A busy calendar can still fit a café if you ask com carinho.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Trying to set a call

  1. ChatPal

    Você está ocupada agora?

    Are you busy right now?

  2. You

    Um pouco ocupada, mas tenho dez minutos.

    A bit busy, but I have ten minutes.

  3. ChatPal

    Perfeito. Se ficar ocupada, me avisa.

    Perfect. If you get busy, tell me.

  4. You

    Combinado.

    Deal.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Busy" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Busy" in Portuguese

I'm busy?

Estou ocupado / estou ocupada.

Busy line?

Linha ocupada.

Gender?

Ocupado / ocupada.

Softener?

Estou ocupado agora—te ligo já.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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