8 Polite Ways To Say “I’m Busy Right Now”

It’s no secret that saying “I’m busy right now” can be considered rude. Therefore, it would be helpful to develop a few more polite ways to tell someone that you don’t currently have time to help them. This article will give you the best alternatives for this.

What Can I Say Instead Of “I’m Busy Right Now”?

We can use a few great options when we want to be polite. The ones we want to go through to help you include:

• Sorry, I’m not available at the minute
• I’m currently engaged with other work
• Please don’t disturb me right now
• Sorry, I’m busy right now
• I’m committed to my work right now
• I haven’t got a moment to spare at the minute
• I’d love to help you, but can you wait until after this
• I’m tied up at the minute, but I’ll be with you as soon as I’m done

The preferred version is “sorry, I’m not available at the minute.” It works well because it uses the simple apologetic word “sorry.” This helps to introduce any statement where we might be letting the other person down. It’s worth using this to spare their feelings.

Sorry, I’m Not Available At The Minute

“Sorry, I’m not available at the minute” works well when we want to show someone that we do not have time to help. “Sorry” is all we need with this phrase to show that we are apologizing. Sometimes, that’s enough to turn a rude phrase into a polite one.

You might also want to use a phrase that encourages the person to wait a little longer for your help. We’ll include that in a few other options later on in the list, which will help you to understand why it’s important.

Of course, sometimes, our work takes up too much of our time, and it means we won’t be able to lend a hand at all. That means we have to let the person down who is asking for our help, which is why “sorry” is so important to use here.

These examples will show you how it works:

• Sorry, I’m not available at the minute. I wish I could be of more help.
• I’m sorry, but I’m not available at the minute. Maybe you can ask someone else?
• Sorry, I’m not available at the minute. I think John might have a spare hour or two, though.

I’m Currently Engaged With Other Work

“I’m currently engaged with other work” is a polite and formal phrase we can use. It shows that we are busy with something without being outright dismissive to the person asking for our help.

It works well in many situations, and we can use it whenever we have too many things on our plate. We don’t typically need to explain more than that about what is keeping us busy. Phrases like this are plenty to help people understand when we’re busy working.

Some examples will help you to understand this one:

• I’m currently engaged with other work. Sorry about that.
• I’m currently engaged with other work, though I’m sure someone else will be able to spare a minute.
• I’m sorry, I’m currently engaged with other work. How about next week?

Please Don’t Disturb Me Right Now

“Please don’t disturb me right now” isn’t as polite as some of the other choices. However, if we are really busy, we often can’t think properly about other things. We might want to request someone doesn’t disturb us by using a “please” statement like this one.

While it isn’t the nicest way to turn someone down, it still works really well in many cases.

“Please don’t disturb me” shows that someone is really concentrating on their work. It’s best that you don’t distract them if you’re asking for help, so you should move on and ask someone else.

All you need to know about this statement are in the following examples:

• Please don’t disturb me right now. I’m in the middle of something.
• Please don’t disturb me right now. Maybe you can ask your mother instead?
• Please don’t disturb me right now. I’m sure I’m close to a breakthrough.

Sorry, I’m Busy Right Now

“Sorry, I’m busy right now” is the same as the article subject. However, we use “sorry” as an addition to the phrase. Why? Because “sorry” is sometimes all that we need to turn a rude phrase into a polite one.

If someone says, “I’m busy right now,” it’s dismissive and rude. It’s often rushed, and the person asking for help might feel dejected.

However, if you say “sorry, I’m busy right now,” we now use “sorry” to show that we’re apologetic. It’s one extra word, but it goes a long way in helping the requester understand that we wish we could help them, but we are not able to.

Here are a few examples to show you the power of “sorry:”

• Sorry, I’m busy right now. Maybe I can help you a little later on?
• I’m sorry, I’m busy right now. I’d love to help, but I can’t.
• I’m so sorry; I’m busy right now. You’ll have to find someone else to help you.

I’m Committed To My Work Right Now

“I’m committed to my work right now” works when someone is in the middle of something important. “Committed” as a verb here means that they only have time to spend on completing their work, and any deviation from this will not be time well spent.

While it doesn’t outright turn someone else’s request for help down, the implication does well in doing this. It’s a polite phrase because we don’t tell someone to leave us alone or to not disturb us.

Instead of dismissing them, we simply say that we do not have time to help, which is sometimes all we need to do.

Here’s how it works:

• Sorry, I’m committed to my work right now.
• I’m committed to my work right now. You’ll have to find somebody else.
• I’m committed to my work right now, and I won’t be able to help you.

I Haven’t Got A Moment To Spare At The Minute

“I haven’t got a moment to spare at the minute” indicates how swamped we are with work. It shows the person asking for help that we’re really busy, and we almost don’t even have time to think about our answer to help them.

Someone may appreciate a simple statement like this, especially if it’s clear you’re busy. It shows you briefly took the time out of your work to answer them (which is better than ignoring them).

Have a look at these examples to see how it works:

• I haven’t got a moment to spare at the minute, I’m afraid.
• Sorry, I haven’t got a moment to spare at the minute.
• I haven’t got a moment to spare at the minute, though I’m sure someone else will be happy to help!

I’d Love To Help You, But Can You Wait Until After This

“I’d love to help you” is a great way to start a polite phrase because it shows that the requester isn’t wasting our time. While we are currently busy, we still appreciate them asking us. We also ask them to “wait until after” to show that we’ll help when we are finished.

Sometimes, we can’t help being busy. We have got to put our most important tasks first before deciding to do anything else.

Using a phrase like this one helps other people see that we’re still appreciative that they’ve come to us for help even while we’re busy. As soon as we get a chance, we’ll be happy to lend them a hand.

Here are a few examples to show you how it works:

• I’d love to help you with that, but can you wait until after I’m finished with these emails?
• I’d love to help you, but can you wait until after I finish my project?
• I’d love to help you with your homework, but can you wait until after I finish making dinner?

I’m Tied Up At The Minute, But I’ll Be With You As Soon As I’m Done

“I’m tied up at the minute” is a great way to show that we are currently busy. It’s the most informal phrase on this list, but it works well when we want to show someone that we aren’t mad at their request. We can also reiterate that we’ll be happy to help them in the future.

The idea behind this phrase is that we are more than happy to help, but we do not currently have the time. Therefore, we use the ending, “but I’ll be with you as soon as I’m done” to show that we still want to help the person who asked us.

It’s important to remember this message whenever we want to help someone. Even if we’re busy, we should always be able to make time for them at some point in our days.

Check out these examples to help you understand it:

• I’m tied up at the minute, so I won’t be able to help you! But I’ll be with you as soon as I’m done if that’s okay?
• I’m tied up at the minute, but I’ll be with you as soon as I’m done with this project!
• I’m a bit tied up at the minute, but I’ll be with you as soon as I’m done! Please bear with me!