occuper

Occuper is a French verb with several related meanings. It can denote taking up physical space or a surface, as in occuper une place or occuper une pièce. It can also mean to employ or engage someone, to fill time, or to seize and hold territory in a military or political sense. In reflexive use, s'occuper de means to take care of or deal with something, or simply to occupy oneself with an activity.

Etymology and related forms: The verb comes from Latin occupare, from ob- “against” or “toward” and capere “to seize.” It shares cognates across Romance languages, such as occuper in Italian or ocupar in Spanish. The noun forms occupation and occupier derive from the same root.

Conjugation: Occuper is a regular -er verb. Present: j'occupe, tu occupes, il occupe, nous occupons, vous occupez, ils occupent. Passé composé: j'ai occupé. Imparfait: j'occupais. Futur simple: j'occuperai. Imperatif: occupe, occupons, occupez. Subjonctif: que j'occupe. The pronominal form s'occuper is common and means “to take care of” or “to keep busy”: je m'occupe, tu t'occupes, il s'occupe, nous nous occupons, vous vous occupez, ils s'occupent; passé composé: je me suis occupé.

Usage notes: Common senses include occupying physical space (occuper une chaise), occupying time (occuper son temps), and holding a position of employment (occuper un poste). Politically or historically, l'occupation refers to the act or period of occupation of a territory. The noun occupant designates the person or group that occupies a place, while l'occupation can denote the broader act or state of occupying. See also occupation, occupant, s'occuper de.