Inklingo

How to Say "inhabited" in Spanish

The Spanish word forinhabitedis ocupadaA2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2
AdjectiveA2
a dwelling
A cozy, brightly colored armchair is completely filled by a large, contented cat sleeping soundly on the cushion, illustrating that the seat is occupied.

Examples

La única silla libre ya estaba ocupada.

The only free chair was already taken.

No puedo llamar a casa; la línea telefónica está ocupada.

I can't call home; the phone line is engaged (busy).

La casa fue ocupada por una familia de refugiados.

The house was occupied by a refugee family.

Describing a State

When describing a place, 'ocupada' tells you its current condition: it is not available for use.

Passive Construction

The form 'fue ocupada' (was occupied) is used to describe an action that happened to the feminine thing, like 'La ciudad fue ocupada' (The city was taken over).

Mistaking 'Busy' for 'Engaged'

Mistake:The English 'busy' for a phone line translates to 'ocupada' in Spanish, not necessarily another word like 'activa'.

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