i was busy vs I became busy

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. 'I was busy' indicates a state of being busy in the past, while 'I became busy' suggests a transition to a busy state. The choice between them depends on the context and the specific emphasis the speaker wants to convey.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 6115 views

i was busy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a state of being busy in the past.

This phrase is used to describe a past state of busyness. It indicates that at a particular time in the past, the speaker was occupied with tasks or activities.

Examples:

I was busy yesterday, so I couldn't call you back.
During the exam week, I was busy studying all day.
Last month, I was busy with work deadlines.

Show examples from the web [+]

I was busy doing my job.
Believe me, I know, and by the way, I was busy saving your life at the time.
I was busy talking to the girl in the next stall.
Maybe I was busy buying lottery tickets 'cause I'm a freakin' psychic.
But I was busy watching your fake girlfriend flirt with another very handsome man.
I was busy keeping you safe.
I was busy raising our children, taking care of our home, supporting you and your career.
I was busy seeing myself as a victim, so I would have an excuse... to keep drinking.
While I was busy dreaming, Papa was having some problems of his own.
I was busy taking care of my little girl and my husband.
I would have been here earlier, but I was busy putting my team together.
Well, it couldn't have been me. I was busy parking cars.
But then again, I was busy making my rounds.
Well, I didn't really notice. I was busy looking at the guy sitting next to me.
I was busy planning your bachelorette party.
I was busy preparing for my sudden vacation.
I was busy being a fully functioning member of society.
I was busy trying to catch the terrorist behind Chicago.
I was busy smoking in the girls room.
I saw you called, but I was busy.

Alternatives:

I had been busy
I used to be busy
I was occupied
I was preoccupied
I had a lot on my plate

I became busy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a transition to a busy state.

This phrase is used to describe a change or transition to a state of busyness. It suggests that the speaker was not busy initially but later became occupied with tasks or activities.

Examples:

After the new project started, I became busy with meetings and deadlines.
I became busy as soon as the holiday season began.
She became busy after taking on additional responsibilities.

Alternatives:

I got busy
I started to get busy
I became occupied
I became preoccupied
I became swamped

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

i was busy vs I became busy

i was busy

I became busy

Related Comparisons

What Our Customers Are Saying