Key Facts
- Hangul: 바쁘다 (bappeuda)
- Meaning: busy
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 바쁘
- Class: ㅡ-drop
What Does 바쁘다 Mean?
바쁘다 is busy with work or a packed schedule. 요즘 바빠요 is a standard answer to 'how are you', and 지금 바빠요 is a standard excuse for not talking now. It can also be asked as a question, 바쁘세요?, in the honorific. The word describes the person, so the busy person is the topic or the subject, and a cause can be given in a clause like 일이 많아서.
How Do You Pronounce 바쁘다?
No tensing happens in the dictionary form: it is said as it looks. The ㅡ drops before 아, so the polite present is 바빠요. The past 바빴어요 is [바빠써요], the formal 바쁩니다 is [바쁨니다] and the long negative 바쁘지 않아요 is [바쁘지 아나요].
How Do You Use 바쁘다 in a Sentence?
요즘 일이 많아서 바빠요.
I have a lot of work lately, so I'm busy.
요즘 일이 많아서 바빠요 gives the cause 일이 많아서 ('there is a lot of work') before the feeling of being busy.
바쁜 하루였어요.
It was a busy day.
바쁜 하루였어요 places 바쁜 before 하루 and ends in the past of the copula, 였어요.
지금 바쁘지 않아요.
I'm not busy now.
지금 바쁘지 않아요 is the long negative, polite and calm, used when you can talk.
Usage Notes for 바쁘다
지금 바빠요 is a polite way to decline, so the phrase carries a social meaning beyond the schedule. The honorific question 바쁘세요? checks courteously whether someone has a moment, and asking whether someone is free is its mirror image. In writing, 바쁜 하루 is a neat way to sum up a packed day. Keep in mind that 바쁘다 describes the schedule, not the character: a busy person is not necessarily 부지런하다.
How Does Bappeuda Conjugation Work?
바쁘다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 바빠요 | ||
| Polite past | 바빴어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 바쁠 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 바쁘겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 바쁩니다 | ||
| Formal past | 바빴습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 바쁠 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 바빠 | ||
| Casual past | 바빴어 | ||
| Casual future | 바쁠 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 바빠서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 바쁘면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 바쁜 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 바빴던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 바쁠 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 바빠요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 바쁘지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 바빠요 | — |
| Polite past | 바빴어요 | [바빠써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 바쁠 거예요 | [바쁠꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 바쁘겠어요 | [바쁘게써요] |
| Formal present | 바쁩니다 | [바쁨니다] |
| Formal past | 바빴습니다 | [바빧씀니다] |
| Formal future | 바쁠 것입니다 | [바쁠꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 바빠 | — |
| Casual past | 바빴어 | [바빠써] |
| Casual future | 바쁠 거야 | [바쁠꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 바빠서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 바쁘면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 바쁜 | — |
| Modifier, past | 바빴던 | [바빧떤] |
| Modifier, future | 바쁠 | — |
| Short negative | 안 바빠요 | — |
| Long negative | 바쁘지 않아요 | [바쁘지 아나요] |
Is 바쁘다 Regular or Irregular?
바쁘다 drops its ㅡ before 아/어. Since 바 has ㅏ, the ending is 아 and the result is 바빠. In front of consonants the stem is whole, as in 바쁘면 and 바쁘지 않아요. The ㅡ-drop lesson shows the rule step by step.
Common Mistake with 바쁘다
Wrong: ✗ 바쁘어요
Correct: ✓ 바빠요
Why: The stem's ㅡ vanishes in front of 아. Writing 바쁘어요 keeps it, whereas the right form is 바빠요.
바쁘다 Versus 한가하다 and 분주하다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 한가하다 | 한가하다 is the opposite: free. |
| 분주하다 | 분주하다 is more formal and describes hurry and bustle. |
Checking before Asking a Coworker for Help
One coworker wants help with a document. The first question checks availability before making the request.
Mina
지금 바쁘세요?
Jigeum bappeuseyo?
Are you busy right now?
Jun
아까는 바빴어요. 지금은 괜찮아요.
Akkaneun bappasseoyo. Jigeumeun gwaenchanayo.
I was busy earlier. Now is fine.
Mina
이 서류 좀 봐 주세요.
I seoryu jom bwa juseyo.
Please take a look at this document.
Jun
네. 오후에는 바쁠 거예요. 지금 볼게요.
Ne. Ohueneun bappeul geoyeyo. Jigeum bolgeyo.
Sure. I’ll be busy this afternoon. I’ll look now.
바쁘세요 asks respectfully about the other person. 바빴어요 describes an earlier period, and 바쁠 거예요 predicts the afternoon. Jun answers with a specific time window, which makes the reply useful for arranging the work.
A Busy Day, a Busy Person and a Busy Period
바쁜 하루 means a busy day. The modifier 바쁜 describes how the day was filled, so the phrase fits classes, errands, childcare or travel as well as paid work. It does not say whether the day was enjoyable or stressful. The existing example 바쁜 하루였어요 reports the overall experience afterward.
바쁜 시간 means a busy time or period. 바쁜 일정 means a packed schedule: 일정 names the planned activities rather than the person doing them. A busy schedule can contain both work and personal plans. The adjective alone does not tell you which activities take up the time.
눈코 뜰 새 없이 바쁘다 is an idiomatic way to say someone is extremely busy. The wording mentions eyes and nose, but the expression means that tasks leave almost no breathing room. It is stronger and more vivid than a simple 지금 바빠요.
Where Will You Hear 바쁘다?
In messages, 요즘 바빠요 explains why someone has been slow to reply or unable to meet. 요즘 points to a recent stretch of time. 지금 바빠요 instead concerns the present moment. A person can be busy now but generally have a relaxed week, or have a busy month while being free for a short call.
At work, 바쁘세요? checks whether it is a suitable time to interrupt. The question is respectful because of 시, not simply because it ends in 요. For your own schedule, 바빠요 is the usual polite form. Saying 바쁘세요 about yourself would honor yourself.
In a shop, a staff member can be busy serving customers. A packed shop itself is better described as crowded; 바쁘다 usually highlights the person’s work or activity. Likewise, a road with heavy traffic needs a description of congestion rather than a direct translation of English “busy road”.
Why Is 바쁜 Different from 바빠요?
Only an 아/어 ending triggers the ㅡ loss in 바빠요 and 바빠서. The adjective modifier ㄴ attaches directly to the vowel-ending stem, giving 바쁜. It does not require the same vowel contraction. This is why the word’s useful forms alternate between 바빠 and 바쁘.
The short negative 안 바빠요 can reassure someone who wants to interrupt. 안 stays separate from the adjective, while 바빠요 keeps the same contracted form as a positive statement.
The conditional 바쁘면 also preserves ㅡ. It is useful when making a plan that depends on someone’s schedule: the condition concerns being busy, rather than a completed action. Compare that form with 바빠서, which presents being busy as a reason.
Being busy and being tired are separate facts. 바쁘다 concerns demands on your time; 피곤하다 concerns fatigue. Someone may have a full schedule and still feel energetic. 부지런하다 describes diligence, so it praises a habit or character rather than merely counting tasks.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 일정 | schedule | Names the arrangement of planned activities. |
| 업무 | work duties | Useful for explaining what keeps an employee busy. |
| 여유 | spare time / room to spare | Describes breathing room in time or resources. |
| 한가하다 | to be free / not busy | Contrasts with having too much to do. |
The office vocabulary lesson supplies words for the work behind a busy schedule.
Mini Drill: Where Does ㅡ Stay?
- Make 바쁘다 polite in the present.
- Complete “a busy day”: ____ 하루.
- Give the conditional “if busy”.
- Give the polite past “was busy”.
Show drill answers
- 바빠요.
- 바쁜 하루.
- 바쁘면.
- 바빴어요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 바쁘다 necessarily mean tired?
- Which expression refers to now: 지금 바빠요 or 요즘 바빠요?
- Would you normally use 바쁘세요 to describe your own schedule?
Show answers
- No. 피곤하다 describes tiredness.
- 지금 바빠요.
- No. Use 바빠요; 시 honors the person whose state you describe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'I'm Busy Now'?
Say 지금 바빠요.
How Do I Ask If Someone Is Busy?
Say 바쁘세요?, which is respectful.
Is 바쁘다 Only about Work?
Mostly, but it fits any full schedule, such as a busy day: 바쁜 하루.
What Is the Long Negative?
바쁘지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 바쁘다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 한가하다 as the opposite, then 부지런하다 for diligence and 일하다 for working. The Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.