How to Say "absent-minded" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “absent-minded” is “distraído” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Perdona, estaba distraído y no escuché lo que dijiste.
Sorry, I was distracted and didn't hear what you said.
Mi hermano es muy distraído; siempre pierde sus llaves.
My brother is very absent-minded; he's always losing his keys.
Caminaba por la calle con aire distraído, pensando en sus problemas.
He was walking down the street with a distracted air, thinking about his problems.
Using 'Ser' vs 'Estar'
Use 'ser distraído' to describe someone's personality (they are a scatterbrain). Use 'estar distraído' to say someone is just distracted right now.
Matching Gender
Since this is an adjective, change the ending to 'a' (distraída) when describing a woman or a feminine object.
The Missing Accent
Mistake: “distraido”
Correction: distraído (Spanish requires an accent mark on the 'i' to make sure you pronounce it as a separate, strong sound).
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