French Phrase
Désolé, je suis pas dispo à ce moment-là.
Meaning
This is a common, informal way to decline an invitation or a meeting. It uses the contraction 'dispo' for 'disponible' and omits the 'ne' in 'ne suis pas', which is typical for spoken French. The phrase is direct yet remains polite enough for most social and casual professional contexts.
When to use
Use this phrase when someone suggests a specific time for an event, meeting, or hangout that you cannot attend. It is best suited for conversations with friends, family, or colleagues you know well.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Désoléje suis pasdispoà ce moment-là
Negation in Speech
In spoken French, the 'ne' part of the 'ne... pas' negation is usually omitted, leaving just 'pas'.
Apocope (Shortening)
'Dispo' is a common informal shortening of 'disponible'. This is very frequent in French for multi-syllabic adjectives.
Demonstrative Adjectives
'Ce' means 'this' or 'that'. Adding '-là' after the noun 'moment' emphasizes 'that' specific time previously mentioned.
🗨In Conversation
Tu es libre pour un appel demain à 10h ?
Are you free for a call tomorrow at 10 AM?
Désolé, je suis pas dispo à ce moment-là.
Sorry, I'm not available at that time.
✕Common Mistakes
Désolé, je suis pas dispo pour ce moment-là.
In French, the preposition 'à' is used to indicate a specific point in time, not 'pour'.
Desole, je suis pas dispo.
Always remember the accent acute on 'Désolé' to ensure correct pronunciation and spelling.
↔Alternatives
Je ne suis pas libre à ce moment-là.
I am not free at that time.
Ça ne va pas être possible à cette heure-là.
It won't be possible at that hour.
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, speakers almost always drop the 'ne' in negative constructions. Saying 'je ne suis pas' sounds very formal or academic; using 'je suis pas' helps you sound more like a native speaker. Additionally, shortening words like 'disponible' to 'dispo' is a very common feature of 'le français familier'.