occupé

Occupé is a French adjective and past participle derived from the verb occuper. In gender and number forms it appears as occupé (masc. sing.), occupée (fem. sing.), occupés (masc. pl.), and occupées (fem. pl.). It is used to describe someone who is busy, or something that is in use or taken up.

Usage and meanings can be categorized in two main senses. First, as a description of a person’s state: Je suis occupé (I am busy), or Elle est occupée en ce moment. Second, in relation to a thing being in use or unavailable: le téléphone est occupé (the line is busy), cette chaise est occupée (this chair is taken), or la place est occupée (the seat/place is taken). The word can also describe a situation or time that is filled by tasks: un agenda occupé describes a busy schedule.

Grammatical notes clarify how occupancy is expressed. Occupé functions as the past participle of occuper and is used with the auxiliary avoir in compound tenses to indicate that someone or something has occupied something: J’ai occupé le poste pendant trois ans. In passive or invariable contexts, it can appear with être: La place est occupée par quelqu’un. The term can also describe territorial or political situations, as in territoire occupé (occupied territory).

Etymology traces occupé to the verb occuper, from Latin occupare, meaning to seize or take possession. The word remains widespread in everyday French, with both everyday and formal uses, and its meaning is closely tied to whether the subject is busy, occupied, or in use.