All three of the words above can mean "occupied," yet there are certain situations in which only one is applicable. They also have other unrelated definitions that can cause a bit of confusion.
The adjective besetzt means that something is in use. It is used for seats, taxis, phone lines, rooms, and toilets. It is also used to denote people occupying a place in protest.
Ein wenig Ruhe täte jetzt gut, aber dieser Platz ist schon besetzt.
A little rest now would do it good, but this place is already occupied.
Caption 21, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
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Die Leitwarte ist rund um die Uhr besetzt.
The control room is staffed around the clock.
Caption 24, Ab in den Urlaub: So kommt der Koffer in den Flieger
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Die Klimaaktivisten, die den Ort besetzt haben, wollen nicht kampflos aufgeben.
The climate activists who have occupied the site don't want to give up without a fight.
Captions 48-49, Langsam gesprochene: Nachrichten Gewalt in der Silvesternacht
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The word belegt suggests something has been assigned, reserved, or is already taken. It can be used when talking about food. The verb etwas belegen also means "to prove" or "to document." You might know the word der Beleg (the receipt) from when you do your shopping!
Die besten Plätze sind schnell belegt.
The best places are quickly occupied.
Caption 43, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
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Nun muss ich meinen Teig nur noch mit den Apfelstücken belegen.
Now I just have to cover the batter with the apple pieces.
Caption 29, Apfelkuchen mit Eva
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Es gibt tatsächlich keine einzige Studie, die belegt, dass die Dämpfung uns vor Verletzungen schützt.
In fact, there is not a single study that proves that the cushioning protects us from injuries.
Captions 20-21, Gesundheit: Warum Barfußlaufen vor Verletzungen schützen könnte
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The adjective beschäftigt means busy or occupied. It usually refers to people and can mean they are working or too busy to do something. It can also mean "employed" or "preoccupied."
Dann ist auch die Mutter damit beschäftigt, Nahrung herbeizuschaffen.
Then the mother is also occupied with providing nourishment.
Caption 31, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten
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Auf der Baustelle werden mehrere Tausend Menschen beschäftigt sein.
At the construction site, several thousand people will be employed.
Caption 28, Die Insel Fehmarn So wird der Fehmarnbelt-Tunnel gebaut
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Trotzdem hat mich dieses Thema immer wieder beschäftigt.
Nevertheless, this topic has always preoccupied me.
Caption 23, Deutsch mit Eylin: Weniger müssen, mehr dürfen
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Further Learning
You'll find many more examples on Yabla German. Particularly for besetzt and belegt, have a look and compare the situations they are used in.
The passive voice is used to put the focus of a sentence on the object or the action, and often avoid naming the subject at all. The formation of the German passive voice can be quite confusing, so let's go step by step.
The Vorgangspassiv is formed with the verb werden, which in these cases is not translated as "to become," but instead as "to be." These sentences answer the question of "What is being done [to X]?" The sentences below have the following structure:
Conjugation of werden + past participle
Notice that in the first sentence, the question of who is carrying out the action (making sauerkraut out of cabbage) is left completely unanswered. This is actually the case in the third sentence as well. However, as you can see in the second example, the subject (die Ereignisse) can still be integrated into a sentence in the passive voice by using the preposition von.
Es wird aus Kohl gemacht und es schmeckt sauer.
It is made from cabbage and it tastes sour.
Caption 30, Deutsch mit Eylin: Denk schnell!
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Große Erfindungen werden oft von ungewöhnlichen Ereignissen inspiriert.
Great inventions are often inspired by unusual events.
Caption 3, 200. Geburtstag: Die Geschichte des Fahrrads in 2 Minuten
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Mit dem Handscanner wird jeder Koffer erfasst.
Every suitcase is registered with the handheld scanner.
Caption 40, Ab in den Urlaub: So kommt der Koffer in den Flieger
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A more complex structure is necessary when we ask, for example, "What is/was allowed to be done [to X]?", "What should be done to [X]?", or "What must be done [to X]?" Now werden is kept in the infinitive, and it is the modal verb that is conjugated. The structure for this is:
Conjugated modal verb + past participle + werden
Erst nach seinem Jahrestag im August durfte hier gefischt werden.
Only after its anniversary in August was fishing allowed here.
Caption 8, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten
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Außerdem sollen Lebensmittel ökologisch angebaut werden.
In addition, food should be organically grown.
Caption 25, Erklärvideos Nachhaltigkeit einfach erklärt
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Das heißt also, dass auch das Adjektiv dekliniert werden muss.
So this means that the adjective must also be declined.
Caption 64, Deutsch mit Eylin: Die 4 Fälle
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Further Learning
Try to remove the subject and re-construct these simple sentences using the Vorgangspassiv. Clicking on the sentence will take you to the Yabla German video that contains the answer!
1. Die Leute essen das Gericht gerne mit Kartoffelpüree.
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