Inklingo
Dictionary

ocuparse

oh-koo-par-sehokuˈpaɾse

“ocuparse” means “to take care of” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to take care ofA2Verb

handling a task or responsibility

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to occupy oneselfB1Verb

spending time on an activity

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to take care ofAlso: to handle, to look after

VerbA2regular (reflexive) ar
A person watering a small potted plant on a table.
gerundocupándose
past Participleocupado
infinitiveocuparse

📝 In Action

No te preocupes por los platos, yo me ocupo.

A1

Don't worry about the dishes, I'll take care of them.

Ella se ocupa de organizar la reunión.

A2

She is in charge of organizing the meeting.

Debemos ocuparnos de este problema ahora mismo.

B1

We must deal with this problem right now.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • encargarse (to take charge of)
  • atender (to attend to / to help)

Antonyms

  • desentenderse (to ignore / to wash one's hands of)
  • descuidar (to neglect)

Common Collocations

  • ocuparse de todo – to handle everything
  • ocuparse de los detalles – to take care of the details

to occupy oneselfAlso: to keep busy

VerbB1regular (reflexive) ar
A person sitting at a table painting a colorful picture.
gerundocupándose
past Participleocupado
infinitiveocuparse

📝 In Action

Se ocupa en leer novelas históricas.

B1

She occupies herself with reading historical novels.

Me gusta ocuparme en el jardín durante los fines de semana.

B1

I like to keep busy in the garden during the weekends.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • entretenerse (to amuse/occupy oneself)

Common Collocations

  • ocuparse en sus asuntos – to mind one's own business

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yome ocupara
túte ocuparas
él/ella/ustedse ocupara
nosotrosnos ocupáramos
vosotrosos ocuparais
ellos/ellas/ustedesse ocuparan

Present Subjunctive

yome ocupe
túte ocupes
él/ella/ustedse ocupe
nosotrosnos ocupemos
vosotrosos ocupéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesse ocupen

Indicative

Preterite

yome ocupé
túte ocupaste
él/ella/ustedse ocupó
nosotrosnos ocupamos
vosotrosos ocupasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesse ocuparon

Imperfect

yome ocupaba
túte ocupabas
él/ella/ustedse ocupaba
nosotrosnos ocupábamos
vosotrosos ocupabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesse ocupaban

Present

yome ocupo
túte ocupas
él/ella/ustedse ocupa
nosotrosnos ocupamos
vosotrosos ocupáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesse ocupan
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Often confused with ocuparverbs

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "ocuparse" in Spanish:

to handle

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: ocuparse

Question 1 of 2

If you want to say 'I'll take care of the dog,' which is correct?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
ocupar(to occupy / to take up space) — Verb
ocupación(occupation / job) — Noun
ocupado(busy / occupied) — Adjective
preocuparse(to worry) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes
quedarsellamarse
📚 Etymology

Derived from the verb 'ocupar' and the reflexive pronoun 'se'. 'Ocupar' comes from the Latin 'occupare', meaning to seize or take over.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: s'occuperItalian: occuparsi

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'ocuparse' always need 'me, te, se'?

Yes! Because it is reflexive, you must use the pronoun that matches the person doing the action (e.g., 'Yo ME ocupo', 'Tú TE ocupas').

Can 'ocuparse' mean 'to have a job'?

In some formal contexts or specific regions, it can refer to being employed, but 'trabajar' is much more common for that meaning.