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Questions & Answers about Ти зайнятий зараз?
Why is there no word for “are” in this sentence?
In Ukrainian the present-tense form of “to be” (бути) is usually omitted. So Ти зайнятий зараз? literally reads “You busy now?” and that’s the normal, natural way to say it. Avoid adding є here; Ти є зайнятий? sounds unnatural. Use є mainly for existence/possession (e.g., У мене є час “I have time”).
What’s the difference between ти and ви here?
- ти = informal, singular “you” (to a friend, peer, child).
- ви = polite/formal “you” to one person, or “you” plural.
With ви, the adjective must be plural: Ви зараз зайняті?
Why is зайнятий masculine? What if I’m talking to a woman or to several people?
Adjectives agree with who you’re addressing:
- To a man: Ти зараз зайнятий?
- To a woman: Ти зараз зайнята?
- To several people or polite “you”: Ви зараз зайняті?
Is the word order fixed? Where should I put зараз?
Word order is flexible. Common, natural options include:
- Ти зараз зайнятий?
- Зараз ти зайнятий? The original Ти зайнятий зараз? is also correct, just a bit less typical than putting зараз earlier.
Can I drop the pronoun ти?
Yes, in casual speech if it’s clear who you’re talking to:
- To a man: Зайнятий зараз?
- To a woman: Зайнята зараз? Including ти is the neutral, safest default.
Can I omit зараз? Does it change the meaning?
You can say Ти зайнятий?, which usually still means “Are you busy (right now)?” from context. Зараз just makes the “now” explicit.
What’s the difference between зараз and тепер for “now”?
- зараз = “right now, at this moment.”
- тепер = “now (as opposed to before), these days, from now on.” For this sentence, зараз is the natural choice.
How do I pronounce the words?
- ти: “ty” (the vowel is like a short, relaxed i).
- зайнятий: break it up as “zai-nya-tyy.” Notes:
- зай sounds like “zai” (as in “eye”).
- ня is “nya” (like “canyon”’s “ny”).
- Final -тий is roughly “tyy” (the last sound is like y in “boy” but shorter).
- зараз: “za-raz” (both a’s are like “ah”; the р is tapped/trilled). If possible, listen to native audio; Ukrainian stress is fixed per word but not marked in standard spelling.
Can I use the question particle чи?
Yes: Чи ти зараз зайнятий? (or Чи ви зараз зайняті?) is grammatical and common in writing or careful speech. In everyday conversation, intonation alone is more typical: Ти зараз зайнятий?
How do I make it more polite?
- Switch to polite ви: Перепрошую, ви зараз зайняті?
- You can also soften with a negative: Ви зараз не зайняті? (roughly “You aren’t busy now, are you?”).
Are there other natural ways to ask the same thing?
Yes, for example:
- “Are you free now?” — Ти вільний зараз? (m), Ти вільна зараз? (f), Ви вільні зараз? (pl/formal).
- “Do you have a minute?” — Маєш хвилинку? (informal), Маєте хвилинку? (polite/plural).
How do I ask “What are you busy with (right now)”?
Use чим (“with what”):
- Чим ти зараз зайнятий? (to a man)
- Чим ти зараз зайнята? (to a woman)
- Чим ви зараз зайняті? (to several people or polite)
How would someone typically answer?
Common short replies:
- Так / Ні — Yes / No.
- Трохи. — A little.
- Так, дуже. — Yes, very.
- Зовсім ні. — Not at all.
- Я зараз зайнятий/зайнята. — I’m busy right now.
- Дай(те) мені кілька хвилин. — Give me a few minutes.
Why are there no articles like “a/the”?
Ukrainian has no articles. Context does the work that “a/the” do in English, so nothing is needed here.
Any spelling or usage pitfalls to watch for?
- Spell “busy” as зайнятий/зайнята/зайняті (with й). The form занятий is a Russified error.
- Don’t insert є in this type of present-tense predicate: stick with Ти (зараз) зайнятий/зайнята?
- Match gender/number correctly with the person you’re addressing.
- Use rising intonation for a yes–no question in speech.