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How to Say “I’m Busy” in Turkish

The usual way to say “I’m busy” in Turkish is Meşgulüm. It is neutral: safe in almost any situation. Below are 3 alternatives, how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.

In Turkish

Meşgulüm

Literally
“busy + I am”
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Neutralsafe in almost any situation

How Meşgulüm is built

  1. meşgulbusy, occupied
  2. -ümI am (front vowel after the soft l)
Grammar guideTurkish Vowel Harmony: The Complete Guide to 2-Way & 4-Way Harmony →Grammar guideTurkish Personal Pronouns & Verb 'To Be' Suffixes (Ben, Sen, O...) →

Other ways to say “I’m busy”

  • İşim varNeutral

    “I have work (to do)”

    Very common, polite excuse.

  • Çok yoğunumNeutral

    “I’m very busy”

    Yoğun = dense, swamped.

  • Şu an müsait değilimNeutral

    “I’m not available right now”

    On the phone or at work.

How to reply

  • Tamam, sonra konuşuruz.

    OK, we’ll talk later.

Example dialogue

  1. A

    Bir dakikan var mı?

    Have you got a minute?

  2. B

    Şu an biraz meşgulüm, yarım saat sonra arayayım mı?

    I’m a bit busy right now; shall I call you in half an hour?

Related phrases

All phrases →
Are you available?Müsait misiniz?FormalI don’t have timeVaktim yokNeutralI’ll call you backSizi sonra ararımFormalI’m in a hurryAcelem varNeutral

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“I’m busy” in Turkish: FAQ

How do you say “I’m busy” in Turkish?

The most common way is Meşgulüm (literally “busy + I am”), which is neutral: safe in almost any situation. You will also hear İşim var (“I have work (to do)”): very common, polite excuse.

How do you reply to Meşgulüm?

Typical replies are Tamam, sonra konuşuruz. (“OK, we’ll talk later.”).

What does each part of Meşgulüm mean?

meşgul = busy, occupied; -üm = I am (front vowel after the soft l). Meşgul is an exception to vowel harmony: its final l is “soft”, so it takes front-vowel endings: meşgulüm, meşgulsün.

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