Occupé (or its feminine form, occupée) is the most common way to say “busy” in French. But sometimes, that one word just doesn't quite capture the full extent of your schedule, does it? Whether you're truly swamped, just a little tied up, or juggling a million things, you'll want to express exactly how busy you are with nuance and flair. Knowing a variety of terms will not only enrich your vocabulary but also make your French sound much more natural and expressive. So, let’s dive into 9 different ways to say “busy” in French, helping you master the art of sounding perfectly productive in any situation!

The standard 'busy' – occupé(e)

The standard 'busy' – occupé(e)

Occupé(e) is the most common and versatile word for 'busy' in French.

Like many French adjectives, occupé(e) must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. You'll see it as:<ul><li>occupé - masculine singular (e.g., Il est occupé. - He is busy.)</li><li>occupée - feminine singular (e.g., Elle est occupée. - She is busy.)</li><li>occupés - masculine plural or mixed group (e.g., Ils sont occupés. - They are busy.)</li><li>occupées - feminine plural (e.g., Elles sont occupées. - They are busy (all female).)<

You can use occupé(e) in almost any situation, from casual conversations with friends to more formal professional settings. It's your reliable go-to for expressing that someone or something is busy.

Beyond describing a person's state, occupé(e) can also mean 'occupied' in the sense of a place or object being in use or taken.

When referring to a person, occupé(e) means they are 'busy' with tasks or activities. When referring to a place or thing, it means it is 'occupied' or 'in use'. Context usually makes this clear. For instance, you might hear Les toilettes sont occupées (The toilets are occupied/in use), not 'busy'.

So, Je suis occupé ce matin means 'I am busy this morning'. But Cette place est occupée means 'This seat is taken/occupied'.

A very common phrase is être occupé à faire quelque chose, meaning 'to be busy doing something'. For example, Elle est occupée à lire un livre (She is busy reading a book).

Fortunately, distinguishing between 'busy' and 'occupied' is usually straightforward given the context. If you're talking about a person, it's 'busy'. If it's a place or object, it's 'occupied'.

In French culture, it's generally polite to ask if someone is libre (free) before launching into a request, rather than assuming they aren't occupé(e). This shows respect for their time and potential commitments.

💡 * Je suis très occupé en ce moment. (I am very busy right now.)

• Mon collègue est occupé, je peux prendre un message ? (My colleague is busy, can I take a message?)
• La ligne téléphonique est occupée. (The phone line is busy/occupied.)
• Toutes les chambres sont occupées. (All the rooms are occupied.)
• Nous étions occupés à préparer le dîner. (We were busy preparing dinner.)

The 'taken' or 'engaged' – pris(e)

The “taken” or “engaged” – pris(e)

When you want to know if someone is romantically unavailable, or to state that you are, the French adjective pris(e) is often used. It literally means 'taken' or 'occupied'.

Like many French adjectives, pris must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. So, for a man, it's pris, and for a woman, it's prise.

You'll most commonly hear pris(e) in questions like Tu es pris(e)? (Are you taken/busy?) or statements like Je suis pris(e) (I am taken/busy). While it can mean 'busy' in a general sense, in a romantic context, it clearly implies being in a relationship.

While pris(e) implies being in a relationship, it doesn't necessarily mean 'engaged' in the formal sense. It simply indicates that someone is romantically unavailable. For 'engaged to be married,' you'd typically use fiancé(e).

It's a very direct and common way to ask or state one's relationship status, especially in informal social settings. For example, if someone is trying to flirt with you, you might say Désolé(e), je suis pris(e).

💡 * Excusez-moi, êtes-vous pris(e) ? (Excuse me, are you taken?)

• Non, je ne suis pas pris. (No, I am not taken. - said by a man)
• Oui, je suis prise. (Yes, I am taken. - said by a woman)
• Il ne peut pas venir, il est déjà pris. (He can't come, he's already taken/busy.)
• Elle m'a dit qu'elle était prise. (She told me she was taken.)

The 'swamped' or 'overwhelmed' – débordé(e)

When you're feeling completely swamped or overwhelmed in French, the word you're looking for is débordé(e).

Literally meaning 'overflowing' or 'bursting at the seams,' débordé(e) perfectly captures the feeling of having too much on your plate, whether it's work, tasks, or even emotions.

As an adjective, débordé(e) must agree in gender and number with the subject it describes: débordé (masculine singular), débordée (feminine singular), débordés (masculine plural or mixed group), débordées (feminine plural).

You will almost always use débordé(e) with the verb être (to be) to express this state. For instance, 'I am overwhelmed' becomes Je suis débordé(e) (adjusting for your gender).

This term is widely used in both professional and personal settings to describe an extreme state of busyness or having an unmanageable amount of responsibilities. It implies a sense of being unable to cope rather than just being busy.

To specify what is causing you to be overwhelmed, you can use the preposition par (by). For example, débordé par le travail (overwhelmed by work) or débordée par les tâches (overwhelmed by the tasks).

💡 * Je suis complètement débordé par mon travail cette semaine. (I am completely swamped by my work this week.)

• Elle se sent débordée avec trois enfants en bas âge. (She feels overwhelmed with three young children.)
• Nous étions débordés après l'annonce de la nouvelle. (We were overwhelmed after the news was announced.)
• Ne soyez pas débordés par les préparatifs de mariage. (Don't be overwhelmed by the wedding preparations.)

The 'having a lot to do' – avoir beaucoup à faire

To express 'having a lot to do' in French, you use the common phrase avoir beaucoup à faire.

This phrase directly translates to 'to have a lot to do' and is used in a variety of contexts, from work and studies to personal chores and social obligations, indicating a busy schedule.

The structure is straightforward: the verb avoir (to have) conjugated, followed by beaucoup (a lot), then à (to), and finally the infinitive verb faire (to do). You can replace faire with another infinitive verb to specify the action, e.g., avoir beaucoup à lire (to have a lot to read).

It's a highly versatile and essential phrase for everyday communication, allowing you to convey busyness or a heavy workload effectively across different situations.

💡 * J'ai beaucoup à faire aujourd'hui. (I have a lot to do today.)

• Nous avons beaucoup à faire avant les vacances. (We have a lot to do before the holidays.)
• Tu auras beaucoup à faire si tu veux finir ce projet. (You will have a lot to do if you want to finish this project.)
• Elles n'ont pas beaucoup à faire ce week-end. (They don't have much to do this weekend.)
• Il avait beaucoup à faire quand je l'ai appelé. (He had a lot to do when I called him.)

The 'having a busy schedule' – avoir un emploi du temps chargé

The 'having a busy schedule' – avoir un emploi du temps chargé

The French expression avoir un emploi du temps chargé directly translates to 'to have a loaded schedule' or 'to have a busy timetable.' It's a common way to express that someone has a full agenda.

This versatile phrase is widely used to indicate that an individual has numerous commitments, appointments, or work tasks, making them unavailable or short on free time.

It combines the verb avoir (to have), which must be conjugated according to the subject, with the noun phrase un emploi du temps (a schedule/timetable) and the adjective chargé (loaded/busy).

While quite formal in structure, its usage is very common in everyday French conversations. For a slightly more informal alternative, you might hear être débordé(e) (to be overwhelmed/swamped).

You can use this phrase in various situations, from politely declining an invitation to explaining a demanding period at work. It's a clear and polite way to convey your busyness.

💡 * J'ai un emploi du temps très chargé cette semaine. (I have a very busy schedule this week.)

• Elle ne peut pas venir, elle a un emploi du temps chargé. (She can't come, she has a busy schedule.)
• Nous avons eu un emploi du temps chargé pendant nos vacances. (We had a busy schedule during our vacation.)
• Avez-vous un emploi du temps chargé demain ? (Do you have a busy schedule tomorrow?)
• Malgré son emploi du temps chargé, il trouve toujours du temps pour ses amis. (Despite his busy schedule, he always finds time for his friends.)

The 'overloaded' – être surchargé(e)

The French equivalent for "to be overloaded" is être surchargé(e). This versatile phrase can describe anything from a busy schedule to an overpacked vehicle or an overwhelmed person.

The verb surcharger means "to overload," "to overcharge," or "to overburden." When used as an adjective, surchargé(e) means "overloaded," "overburdened," or "excessively charged." The (e) indicates that it agrees in gender with the subject.

When referring to a person, être surchargé(e) means they have too much work or too many responsibilities, feeling overwhelmed or bogged down. It's common in professional contexts to express being swamped.

This expression is also widely used for inanimate objects or systems. A car can be surchargée (overloaded with weight), a server can be surchargé (overloaded with traffic), or a schedule can be surchargé (too full).

While être surchargé(e) often implies a physical or task-based overload, être débordé(e) is another common phrase, specifically meaning "to be swamped" or "overwhelmed" with work, often with a stronger emphasis on feeling unable to cope.

💡 *Je suis surchargé de travail cette semaine. (I am overloaded with work this week.)
*Le serveur est surchargé et le site ne répond plus. (The server is overloaded and the site is no longer responding.)
*Ne surchargez pas la voiture, c'est dangereux. (Don't overload the car, it's dangerous.)
*Mon emploi du temps est complètement surchargé. (My schedule is completely overloaded.)
*Elle se sent surchargée par toutes ses nouvelles responsabilités. (She feels overwhelmed by all her new responsibilities.)

The 'not having a minute to oneself' – ne pas avoir une minute à soi

The expression ne pas avoir une minute à soi literally translates to 'not to have a minute to oneself,' and it's used to describe a state of being extremely busy, without any free time whatsoever.

This phrase perfectly captures the feeling of being overwhelmed with tasks, work, or responsibilities, leaving no personal time for relaxation or personal activities. It highlights a complete lack of leisure time.

The 'à soi' part is crucial, as it emphasizes that the lack of time is specifically for personal use or leisure, distinguishing it from simply being busy with obligations. It means you lack time for yourself.

💡 *Je n'ai pas eu une minute à moi cette semaine. (I haven't had a minute to myself this week.)
*Avec trois jeunes enfants, elle n'a jamais une minute à soi. (With three young children, she never has a minute to herself.)
*Il rêve d'un week-end où il pourrait enfin avoir une minute à soi. (He dreams of a weekend where he could finally have a minute to himself.)
*Désolé, je ne peux pas venir, je n'ai vraiment pas une minute à moi en ce moment. (Sorry, I can't come, I really don't have a minute to myself right now.)

The 'being right in the middle of work' – être en plein travail

The phrase être en plein travail literally translates to 'to be in full work' or 'to be right in the middle of work.' It’s used to express that someone is deeply engrossed or actively engaged in their tasks.

The key element here is en plein, which means 'in the middle of,' 'in the thick of,' or 'fully.' It adds an emphasis of being completely immersed and occupied, implying that the person is not available or easily interrupted.

You'd use this expression when you want to convey that someone is busy and focused, perhaps too busy to talk or be disturbed. It highlights a state of intense activity, whether it's at an office, home, or any other setting where work is being done.

💡 *Désolé, je ne peux pas parler maintenant, je suis en plein travail. (Sorry, I can't talk right now, I'm right in the middle of work.)
*Elle ne répond pas au téléphone, elle est sûrement en plein travail. (She's not answering the phone, she's probably right in the middle of work.)
*Le chef est en plein travail sur le nouveau projet, ne le dérangez pas. (The boss is deep in work on the new project, don't disturb him.)
*J'ai vu mon voisin dans son jardin, il était en plein travail. (I saw my neighbor in his garden, he was deep in work.)

The 'having one's head in the handlebars' (idiomatic) – avoir la tête dans le guidon

The French idiom avoir la tête dans le guidon literally translates to 'to have one's head in the handlebars'. This vivid image, reminiscent of a cyclist intensely focused on their path, perfectly captures its figurative meaning.

Figuratively, avoir la tête dans le guidon means to be extremely busy, overwhelmed with work, or completely absorbed in a task, often to the point of not seeing the bigger picture or what's happening around you. It conveys intense focus and hard work.

This expression is typically used to describe someone who is deeply immersed in their work or a project, working tirelessly without a break. It implies a state of being 'in the trenches,' head down, pushing forward.

While it often suggests hard work and dedication, it can also carry a slight negative connotation of being so engrossed that one loses perspective, misses opportunities, or neglects other aspects of life. It implies a lack of time or ability to look up and survey the broader situation.

To use it, simply conjugate the verb avoir (to have) and place the idiom. For example, 'J'ai la tête dans le guidon' means 'I'm swamped' or 'I'm head down in work.' It's a common and very natural way to express being extremely busy in French.

💡 *Depuis le début du mois, j'ai la tête dans le guidon avec ce nouveau projet. (Since the beginning of the month, I've been swamped with this new project.)
*Il ne peut pas prendre de pause, il a la tête dans le guidon pour respecter la date limite. (He can't take a break, he's head down in work to meet the deadline.)
*Nous avons tous la tête dans le guidon à l'approche des examens. (We are all extremely busy/swamped as exams approach.)
*Elle a passé toute la journée la tête dans le guidon à rédiger son rapport. (She spent the whole day head down writing her report.)

Are there other ways to say 'busy' in French?

Are there other ways to say “busy” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “busy” in French. But there are other terms, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for “comment dire occupé en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms for occupé on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about being busy.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different states of being busy, or words related to workload in French, the WordReference entry for occupé is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is a perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of Voltaire: "Le travail éloigne de nous trois grands maux : l'ennui, le vice et le besoin." (Work keeps from us three great evils: boredom, vice, and want.)