Free, vacant, occupied

[Unregisteredeq2e2eqw]

hi
could someone tell me when to say free, vacant ,occupied
for example
this seat is vacant/free
if it isnt free can I say occupied?
thanks in advance

[Ouisch]

Vacant is generally used when referring to a property. A hotel room, an acre of land, or an abandoned house is vacant.

If you're referring to a seat, usually someone will ask you "is this seat taken?" And you would simply respond "No" or "No, go ahead" indicating that no one else was going to be sitting there. "Free" or "vacant" don't really enter the conversation. Sometimes "occupied" can be used in this sense, but usually in a formal situation, such on an airplane, where they provide a sign for passengers to leave on their chair when the go to the restroom, and the sign says "occupied." Occupied is grammatically correct when referring to a chair or seat, but it is not often used in casual conversation.

Free refers to the absence of responsibility or obligation; for example, if an arrested person is cleared of all charges, the police will tell him "you're free to leave." Or perhaps your friend phones you and asks you go to shopping with her. She might ask "Do you have to be home by any specific time?" If you have no appointments, you would respond: "No, I'm free for the day."

I hope this was of some help to you.