Bezig

Bezig is a Dutch adjective meaning occupied, busy, or engaged in an activity. It describes someone who is actively involved in something or a situation that is in progress. In everyday Dutch the most common construction is bezig met followed by a noun or gerund: for example, Ik ben bezig met mijn huiswerk or Ze is bezig met een project. Bezig can also appear with a form of zijn to indicate a current state, as in Ik ben bezig, though the with-met construction is the typical pattern.

The word has a productive family in Dutch. The noun bezigheid refers to an activity or occupation, and bezigheden is the plural. The related verb is bezighouden, meaning to occupy or engage someone with something, and zich bezighouden met means to concern oneself with a particular matter, as in Zij houdt zich bezig met onderzoek.

Bezig is used in both the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders), generally in neutral to informal contexts. It often carries a nuance of ongoing effort or focus on a task, rather than simply being tired or distracted. A common intensifier is druk: druk bezig zijn emphasizes being thoroughly occupied. Synonyms include druk and actief; antonyms include vrij or nietsdoen.

In summary, bezig conveys the state of current engagement in an activity and is most often seen in the met construction, with bezigheid as its noun form and bezighouden as the related verb for occupying oneself or others.