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¡Buenas tardes! ¿Estás ocupado?

¡Buenas tardes! ¿Estás ocupado?
Good afternoon! Are you busy?
From Lesson 14:Hello and goodbye (hola, ¿qué tal?)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about ¡Buenas tardes! ¿Estás ocupado?

Why is it Buenas instead of Buenos?
In Spanish, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. The word for afternoon, tarde, is feminine. Because it is also plural here (tardes), you use the feminine plural form Buenas.
Why is "Good afternoon" plural (tardes) in Spanish?
It is just a set phrase in Spanish! Greetings like Buenos días (Good morning), Buenas tardes (Good afternoon), and Buenas noches (Good evening) are traditionally always plural.
Why does the sentence use Estás instead of Eres for "Are you"?
Both verbs mean "to be", but estar (which gives us Estás) is used for temporary states, conditions, or locations. Being busy is a temporary condition, so we use Estás. If you used Eres (from ser), it would sound like being busy is a permanent part of your personality!
How do I know who is being asked the question if there is no word for "you" in the sentence?
The verb form Estás specifically means "you are" (informal singular). In Spanish, you usually don't need to say the pronoun tú (you) because the verb's ending already makes it clear who you are talking to.
What if I am asking a woman if she is busy?
You would change the ending of ocupado to match her gender. You would ask, "¿Estás ocupada?". The word ocupado acts as an adjective here, so it must match the gender of the person it describes.

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