absent-minded / scattered
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absent-minded
Unfocused, mentally absent, and not paying attention to what one is doing.
Er war heute so zerstreut, dass er seinen Schlüssel im Büro vergessen hat.
He was so absent-minded today that he forgot his key at the office.
scattered
Spread out or scattered across an area.
Die Häuser des Dorfes liegen zerstreut in der weiten Landschaft.
The houses of the village lie scattered across the wide landscape.
The word is the past participle of 'zerstreuen' (to scatter / to disperse). The prefix 'zer-' often means a movement apart or a distribution. This fits both scattered thoughts (unfocused) and scattered houses (spread out).
Die Polizei versuchte, die Menschenmenge zu zerstreuen.
The police tried to disperse the crowd.
The meaning depends on the subject. If 'zerstreut' refers to a person, it means 'unkonzentriert' (unfocused). If it refers to things or places such as houses or villages, it means 'spread out across an area.'
Der Redner wirkte nervös und zerstreut.
The speaker seemed nervous and absent-minded.
In the meaning 'unkonzentriert' (unfocused), the word is often used to describe a person. Typical phrases are 'zerstreut wirken' (to seem absent-minded), 'ein zerstreuter Mensch sein' (to be an absent-minded person), or the cliché of the 'zerstreuter Professor' (absent-minded professor).
Entschuldigung, ich war gerade etwas zerstreut. Können Sie das wiederholen?
Sorry, I was a bit absent-minded just now. Could you repeat that?
In the meaning 'verteilt' (spread out), the word is often used in geographical or spatial descriptions. It frequently appears together with verbs such as 'liegen' (to lie / to be located) or 'leben' (to live).
Die Mitglieder der Gemeinschaft leben zerstreut über das ganze Land.
The members of the community live scattered across the whole country.
absent
Abwesend and zerstreut can both express that someone is not mentally focused on what they are doing. Abwesend emphasizes the current state, while zerstreut tends to describe an unfocused or forgetful nature. Use abwesend for a momentary impression and zerstreut for repeated inattention.
Die zerstreute Anna vergaß schon wieder ihre Notizen für die Besprechung.
Absent-minded Anna forgot her notes for the meeting again.
Während der Besprechung wirkte Anna heute abwesend und hörte kaum zu.
Anna seemed absent-minded during the meeting today and hardly listened.
