Signification
Currently occupied by a task.
Contexte culturel
The 'travle hverdag' is a common cultural trope. Despite the focus on work-life balance, Danes often complain about being busy as a way of bonding over shared life pressures. In Danish offices, saying 'jeg har travlt' is a valid reason to decline a coffee break, but it's often followed by 'men jeg kommer senere' to maintain social cohesion. On Instagram, Danes use #travlhed or #havetravlt ironically when posting photos of themselves relaxing, or seriously when showing a messy desk. The 'curling parent' phenomenon in Denmark often involves parents who 'har travlt' with managing every detail of their children's lives.
The 'Med' Rule
Always use 'med' if you want to specify the task. Without it, you are just 'busy' in general.
Don't use 'er'
Saying 'Jeg er travlt' is the most common beginner mistake. Stick to 'Jeg har'.
Signification
Currently occupied by a task.
The 'Med' Rule
Always use 'med' if you want to specify the task. Without it, you are just 'busy' in general.
Don't use 'er'
Saying 'Jeg er travlt' is the most common beginner mistake. Stick to 'Jeg har'.
Add 'lige'
Adding 'lige' (just) makes it sound more polite: 'Jeg har lige lidt travlt'.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing words to say 'I am busy with the project'.
Jeg ___ travlt ___ projektet.
In Danish, we use 'har' (have) and the preposition 'med' (with).
Which sentence is correct?
Choose the right way to say 'They are busy cooking'.
'De har travlt' is the fixed form, and 'med at' is used before a verb.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Vil du med i biografen? B: Jeg vil gerne, men jeg ______ (have/busy/homework).
'Har travlt med' is the standard way to give an excuse regarding tasks.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You are at work and your boss asks for a report that isn't done yet.
'Rygende travlt' shows you are working very hard on it.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesJeg ___ travlt ___ projektet.
In Danish, we use 'har' (have) and the preposition 'med' (with).
Choose the right way to say 'They are busy cooking'.
'De har travlt' is the fixed form, and 'med at' is used before a verb.
A: Vil du med i biografen? B: Jeg vil gerne, men jeg ______ (have/busy/homework).
'Har travlt med' is the standard way to give an excuse regarding tasks.
You are at work and your boss asks for a report that isn't done yet.
'Rygende travlt' shows you are working very hard on it.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsYes, you can use 'travl' as an adjective to describe a person's character or lifestyle, but 'jeg har travlt' is used for the current state of being busy.
In this specific expression, yes. It's a fixed form.
'Travlt' means you have a lot to do. 'Stresset' means you are feeling the negative mental pressure of it.
You can say 'Jeg har travlt med at lave ingenting' as a joke.
Yes, 'Firmaet har travlt med den nye lancering' is perfectly correct.
It can be blunt. It's better to say 'Jeg har desværre lidt travlt lige nu'.
It means 'smoking busy', as if you are working so fast you're creating smoke.
No, use 'Der er travlt i restauranten' or 'Restauranten er fuld'.
Use 'Jeg har for travlt'.
No, in the phrase 'at have travlt', it never changes to 'travle'.
Expressions liées
at skynde sig
similarto hurry up
at være optaget
synonymto be occupied
at have meget om ørerne
idiomto have a lot on one's plate
at have rygende travlt
specialized formto be extremely busy
at tage sig god tid
contrastto take one's time
