Learn Italian: Voi siete occupati oggi?

Voi siete occupati oggi?

Are you busy today?

Breakdown of Voi siete occupati oggi?

Questions & Answers about Voi siete occupati oggi?

Why use voi here instead of tu?

Voi is the plural 'you' (like 'you all' or 'you guys'). Because this question is being asked to multiple people, you use voi and its matching verb form siete (you are). If you were asking just one person, you would use tu sei.

Why does occupati end in -i?

In Italian, adjectives must match the people they describe. Since voi refers to a plural group, the adjective occupato (busy) changes its ending to the masculine plural -i (used for a mixed group or a group of men). If you were asking a group of only women, it would be occupate.

Why doesn't the word order change to make it a question?

In Italian, you do not need to swap the subject and verb to make a question like you do in English. The statement Voi siete occupati oggi (You are busy today) and the question Voi siete occupati oggi? (Are you busy today?) have the exact same word order. You simply raise the pitch of your voice at the end when speaking.

Does occupati just mean 'occupied'?

Yes, it is a word that looks and means almost exactly what it does in English: 'occupied'. However, while English speakers usually say 'busy', Italians use occupato as the standard, everyday word for being busy with work or activities.