BulgarianPod101.com Blog

Can you imagine the world today without smartphones? 

Thanks to these useful devices, people can speak to each other regardless of existing distance or time barriers. 

In recent years, texting and instant messaging have surpassed phone calls in popularity—but knowing how to communicate over the phone is still an essential skill! 

As a language learner, you should familiarize yourself with the most common Bulgarian telephone phrases for effective communication. To give you a headstart, BulgarianPod101 has prepared this in-depth overview of key phrases and dialogue examples.

After studying this extensive list of Bulgarian phone call words and phrases, you’ll no longer have to be afraid of the language barrier when picking up the phone. Knowing these phrases will give you the confidence you need to have a fulfilling conversation with any native Bulgarian speaker who may call: a friend, a neighbor, a landlord, or even an employer!

Table of Contents

1. Useful Words and Phrases for Your Phone Call
2. Beginning the Phone Conversation
3. Phone Conversation Parts
4. Ending a Phone Call
5. Sample Phone Conversations
6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

1. Useful Words and Phrases for Your Phone Call

You might find it helpful to start by learning the basic words, phrases, and terminology related to phone calls. Take a look: 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
телефон	telefon	phone
мобилен телефон	mobilen telefon	mobile phone
смартфон	smartfon	smartphone
батерия	bateria	battery
зарядно	zaryadno	charger
телефонът звъни	telefonat zvani	the phone is ringing
вдигам телефона	vdigam telefona	to pick up the phone
говоря по телефона	govorya po telefona	to talk on the phone
свързвам се по телефона	svarzvam se po telefona	to connect by phone
обаждам се по телефона	obazhdam se po telefona	to call on the phone
приключвам разговора	priklyuchvam razgovora	to end the conversation
затварям телефона	zatvaryam telefona	to ring off / to hang up
зареждам телефона	zarezhdam telefona	to charge the phone
оставям съобщение	zatvaryam telefona	to leave a message

2. Beginning the Phone Conversation

Do you know what to say after picking up the phone to a Bulgarian speaker? Let’s start with the very first phrases you could say and what you should expect in reply.

The first phrase after picking up the phone

Informal Bulgarian phone phrases

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Ало!	Alo!	Hello!
Моля!	Molya!	Hello!
Да, моля!	Da molya!	Hello!
Ало, кой е?	Alo koy e?	Hello, who is this?
Ало, кой се обажда?	Alo, koy se obazhda?	Hello, who’s calling?

Formal Bulgarian phone phrases

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Добър ден, слушам!	Dobar den, slusham!	Good afternoon, I’m listening!
Компания Графити, добър ден!	Kompaniya Grafiti, dobar den!	Graffiti Company, good afternoon!
Компания Графити, с какво мога да Ви бъда полезен/полезна?	Kompaniya Grafiti, s kakvo moga da Vi bada polezen/polezna?	Graffiti Company, what can I do for you?

Please note that the masculine and feminine forms are different in that last question. Here are the individual phrases, for your convenience: 

• Компания Графити, с какво мога да Ви бъда полезен?
  Kompaniya Grafiti, s kakvo moga da Vi bada polezen?
  Graffiti Company, what can I do for you?
  
  – when the speaker is male

• Компания Графити, с какво мога да Ви бъда полезна?
  Kompaniya Grafiti, s kakvo moga da Vi bada polezna?
  Graffiti Company, what can I do for you?
  
   – when the speaker is female

Introducing yourself

After the initial greeting, the next thing to do is introduce yourself. Let’s see the informal and formal ways to do this, respectively. 

Presenting yourself (informal)

When you call your friend or someone else you’re closely acquainted with, here’s how to introduce yourself:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Здравей! Обажда се Петър.	Zdravey! Obazhda se Petar.	Hello! Peter is calling.
Здрасти! Петър е.	Zdrasti! Petar e.	Hi! It’s Peter.

→ Learn 10 Bulgarian lines you need for introducing yourself or our dedicated lesson on self-introductions on BulgarianPod101.com! 

Presenting you and your company (formal)

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Добър ден! Казвам се Петър Петров и съм представител на компания Графити.	Dobar den! Kazvam se Petar Petrov i sam predstavitel na kompaniya Grafiti.	Good afternoon! My name is Petеr Petrov and I am a representative of Graffiti Company.

Asking if it’s convenient to speak

Regardless of whether the conversation is formal or informal, it’s polite to ask whether the person you’re calling is available to speak or not. Here are some Bulgarian phone phrases to help you do this:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Удобно ли е?	Udobno li e?	Is it convenient?
Удобно ли е да се чуем?	Udobno li e da se chuem?	Is it convenient to talk?
Имаш ли малко свободно време?	Imash li malko svobodno vreme?	Do you have some free time?
Можеш ли да ми отделиш пет минути?	Mozhesh li da mi otdelish pet minuti?	Can you give me five minutes?
Можеш ли да говориш сега или да се обадя по-късно?	Mozhesh li da govorish sega ili da se obadya po-kasno?	Can you talk now or shall I call you later?

Now, let’s add some of these phrases to the greetings and introduction phrases we saw earlier:

(informal)

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Здравей! Обажда се Петър. Удобно ли е?	Zdravey! Obazhda se Petar. Udobno li e?	Hello! Peter is calling. Is it convenient?
Здравей, Петър! Да, удобно е.	Zdravey Petar! Da udobno e.	Hello Peter! Yes, it is convenient.
Здрасти! Петър е. Удобно ли е да се чуем?	Zdrasti! Petar e. Udobno li e da se chuem?	Hi! It’s Peter. Is it convenient to talk?
Здравей, Петър! Разбира се.	Zdravey Petar! Razbira se.	Hello Peter! Of course!

(formal)

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Добър ден! Казвам се Петър Петров и съм представител на компания Графити. Можете ли да ми отделите пет минути?	Dobar den! Kazvam se Petar Petrov i sam predstavitel na kompaniya Grafiti. Mozhete li da mi otdelite pet minuti?	Good afternoon! My name is Petеr Petrov and I am a representative of Graffiti Company. Can you give me five minutes?
Здравейте, съжалявам, но в момента съм зает. Обадете се по-късно.	Zdraveiyte, sazhalyavam, no v momenta sam zaet. Obadete se po-kasno.	Hello, I’m sorry, but I’m busy right now. Please call later.

3. Phone Conversation Parts

Now that you know what to say after picking up the phone and how to present yourself, it’s time to proceed with the different parts of the phone conversation.

Starting with the reason for the call

• If you’re returning a call, you could say:

(informal)

Търсил си ме.

Tarsil si me.

You have called me.

 (formal)

Търсили сте ме.

Tarsili ste me.

You have called me.

After this phrase, the other person usually takes their turn to explain their reason for calling.

• If you’re calling someone for a certain reason, you could start with:

(informal)

Обаждам се да ти кажа, че…	Obazhdam se da ti kazha, che…	I’m calling to tell you that…
Търся те, за да говоря с теб.	Tarsya te, za da govorya s teb.	I’m calling to talk to you.
Търся съвет за…	Tarsya savet za…	I’m looking for advice on…

 (formal)

Обаждам се да Ви представя новия ни продукт…	Obazhdam se da Vi predstavya noviya ni produkt…	I am calling to present to you our new product…
Обаждам се да Ви попитам кога е удобно да се срещнем.	Obazhdam se da Vi popitam koga e udobno da se sreshtnem.	I am calling to ask you when it is convenient to meet.

If you’re interested in how to invite a person somewhere, you can take a look at this lesson.

• If you’re not calling for a specific reason, but just to hear the person, you can say one of the following phrases: 

(informal)

Обаждам се само да те чуя.	Obazhdam se samo da te chuya.	I’m just calling to hear you.
Обаждам се само да те чуя как си.	Obazhdam se samo da te chuya kak si.	I’m just calling to hear how you are.

This is typical only for informal situations.

Asking to speak to someone

If you understand that the person who picked up the phone is not the one you want to talk to, then you can ask:

(informal + formal)

Мога ли да говоря с Иван?	Moga li da govorya s Ivan?	Can I talk to Ivan?
Търся Иван.	Tarsya Ivan.	I’m looking for Ivan.

You could receive different answers to this request. Here are three possibilities:

Разбира се, един момент, моля!	Razbira se, edin moment, molya!	Of course! One moment, please!
Съжалявам, в момента го няма. Обадете се след час.	Sazhalyavam, v momenta go nyama. Obadete se sled chas.	Sorry, he is not here at the moment. Please, call again in an hour.
Имате грешка, няма такъв.	Imate greshka, nyama takav.	There is a mistake, we don’t have such a person here.

If you receive that last answer, you could ask whether you’ve dialed the correct phone number:

Това 0877/523-642 ли е?	Tova nula osem sedem sedem pet dve tri shest chetri dve li e?	Is this 0877/523-642?
Не, набрали сте грешeн номер. Тук е 0877/523-652.	Ne, nabrali ste greshen nomer. Tuk e nula osem sedem sedem pet dve tri shest pet dve.	No, you dialed the wrong number. It is 0877/523-652.

→ If you’re not yet confident in your ability to say or comprehend a phone number in Bulgarian, make sure you check out our lesson on Bulgarian numbers! 

Then, you could apologize as follows:

Извинете.

Izvinete.

Excuse me.

Leaving a message

Now, let’s imagine that your interlocutor has said that the person you’re looking for is not currently there. They may ask you whether you would like to leave a message for them. Here’s a sample dialogue for you: 

(formal)

Съжалявам, в момента го няма. Искате ли да му предам нещо?	Sazhalyavam, v momenta go nyama. Iskate li da mu predam neshto?	Sorry, he is not here at the moment. Would you like to leave a message for him?
Да, ако обичате предайте му, че го е търсил Петър.	Da, ako obichate predayte mu, che go e tarsil Petar.	Yes, please tell him that Peter was looking for him.
Добре, ще му предам.	Dobre, shte mu predam.	Okay, I’ll tell him.
Благодаря.	Blagodarya.	Thank you!

Asking someone to wait

Asking someone to wait during a phone call happens frequently in formal conversations. Here are some ways you might be asked to hold on when you call a company.

(formal)

Изчакайте малко, ако обичате.	Izchakayte malko, ako obichate.	Wait a minute, please.
Един момент да проверя…	Edin moment da proverya…	Just a second to check…
Изчакайте така, докато Ви прехвърля…	Izchakayte taka, dokato Vi prehvarlya…	Please wait while I transfer you…

Asking for clarification

Sometimes, due to connection issues or the language barrier, you might not understand what your interlocutor has said. How can you ask for clarification? Let’s see:

(formal)

Извинете, можете ли да повторите?	Izvinete, mozhete li da povtorite?	Excuse me, can you repeat please?
Не Ви чух добре, бихте ли повторили?	Ne Vi chuh dobre, bihte li povtorili?	I didn’t hear you well, would you repeat?
Връзката е лоша и не Ви чух добре.	Vrazkata e losha i ne Vi chuh dobre.	The connection is bad and I didn’t hear you well.
Бихте ли повторили, ако обичате?	Bihte li povtorili, ako obichate?	Would you repeat if you may?
Разбира се.	Razbira se.	Of course.

4. Ending a Phone Call

There are a few ways you can end your Bulgarian phone conversation. We’ll explore both informal and formal phrases below.

(informal)

Дочуване!	Dochuvane!	See you soon!
Хайде, чао!	Hayde, chao!	Okay, bye!
Ще се чуем пак.	Shte se chuem pak.	We’ll talk again.
До скоро!	Do skoro!	See you soon!

(formal)

Много благодаря за информацията! Дочуване!	Mnogo blagodarya za informatsiyata! Dochuvane!	Thank you very much for the information! See you soon!
Благодаря, приятен ден!	Blagodarya, priyaten den!	Thank you, have a nice day!
Много благодаря за съдействието! Всичко най-добро!	Mnogo blagodarya za sadeystvieto! Vsichko nay-dobro!	Thank you very much for your cooperation! All the best!

Please note that the word Дочуване! (Dochuvane!) is typical for ending a phone conversation. Although it’s translated as “See you soon!” its literal translation is “Hear you soon!”

→ You can find some more useful phone call phrases on our website!

5. Sample Phone Conversations

It’s time to see some sample phone conversations in Bulgarian. We’ve provided both an informal and a formal sample to give you a good idea of how to use the phrases you’ve learned so far.

Sample informal phone conversation

Imagine that a person calls his friend to invite him to a birthday lunch together at a restaurant. Let’s see how this phone dialogue might sound:

– Ало!
(Alo!)
Hello!

– Ало, Иване здравей. Петър е.
(Alo, Ivane zdravey. Petar e.)
Hello, Ivan! It’s Peter.

– Здравей, Петре, как си? Какво ново?
(Zdravey, Petre, kak si? Kakvo novo?)
Hello, Peter, how are you? What’s new?

– Добре съм. Всъщност ти се обаждам да те поканя на рожден ден в ресторант “Синчец” тази неделя. Ще празнуваме двамата. Разбира се, аз черпя.
(Dobre sam. Vsashtnost ti se obazhdam da te pokanya na rozhden den v restorant “Sinchets” tazi nedelya. Shte praznuvame dvamata. Razbira se, az cherpya.)
I am fine. In fact, I’m calling to invite you to my birthday party at the Sinchets Restaurant this Sunday. We will celebrate the two of us. Of course, my treat.

– О, звучи прекрасно. От колко часа?
(O, zvuchi prekrasno. Ot kolko chasa?)
Oh, that sounds great. What time?

– Какво ще кажеш за 17 ч. вечерта?
(Kakvo shte kazhesh za sedemnayset chasa vecherta?)
How about five p.m.?

– Тогава съм зает. Може ли да го оставим за 18 ч?
(Togava sam zaet. Mozhe li da go ostavim za osemnayset chasa?)
I’ll be busy at that time. Can we leave it for six p.m.?

– Разбира се, сега ще се обадя в ресторанта да резервирам маса.
(Razbira se, sega shte se obadya v restoranta da rezerviram masa.)
Of course, I am calling the restaurant to book a table.

– Благодаря много за поканата. До скоро!
(Blagodarya mnogo za pokanata. Do skoro!)
Thanks a lot for your invitation. See you soon!

– До скоро! Ще те чакам в неделя в 18 ч. пред ресторанта.
(Do skoro! Shte te chakam v nedelya v osemnadeset chasa pred restoranta.)
See you soon! I will be waiting for you on Sunday at six p.m. in front of the restaurant.

Sample formal phone conversation

Now, let’s imagine that Peter from the phone call above calls the restaurant to reserve a table. Let’s look at how this formal conversation might go:

– Ресторант “Синчец”, добър ден!
(Restorant Sinchets, dobar den!)
Sinchets Restaurant, good afternoon!

– Добър ден. Обаждам се да резервирам маса за двама за неделя.
(Dobar den. Obazhdam se da rezerviram masa za dvama za nedelya.)
Good afternoon. I’m calling to book a table for two for Sunday.

– Да, за колко часа?
(Da, za kolko chasa?)
Okay, at what time?

– За 18 часа.
(Za osemnayset chasa.)
At six p.m.

– Моля, изчакайте момент да проверя… Имаме две свободни маси за този час—едната на балкона, а другата вътре до прозореца. Коя предпочитате?
(Molya, izchakayte moment da proverya… Imame dve svobodni masi za tozi chas—ednata na balkona, a drugata vatre do prozoretsa. Koya predpochitate?)
Please, give me a moment to check… We have two available tables for that hour—one in the balcony and the other one inside by the window. Which one do you prefer?

– Предпочитам тази до прозореца.
(Predpochitam tazi do prozoretsa.)
I prefer the one by the window.

– Добре, отбелязвам. Вашето име?
(Dobre, otbelyazvam. Vasheto ime?)
Okay, I am noting it down. Your name?

– Петър Петров.
(Petar Petrov.)
Peter Petrov.

– Резервацията Ви е приета. Благодаря!
(Rezervatsiyata Vi e prieta. Blagodarya!)
Your reservation has been set up. Thank you!

– И аз благодаря. Приятен ден!
(I az blagodarya. Priyaten den!)
Thank you, too. Have a nice day!

– И на Вас! Дочуване!
(I na Vas! Dochuvane!)
You too! See you soon!

BulgarianPod101 has prepared the following lesson on making a phone call in Bulgarian, in case you’d like even more phrases and insight!

6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

We hope that you found this detailed overview of Bulgarian telephone phrases helpful and that you’ve gained the confidence you need to handle phone calls like a native. Once you have the phrases memorized, you can start piecing them together to form unique conversations for any situation. 

If you want to learn even more Bulgarian and gain access to study and practice materials, make sure to create your free lifetime account on BulgarianPod101.com. 

To dive even deeper into the linguistic and cultural specifics, you can turn to our MyTeacher service for Premium PLUS members. This service allows you to choose a private Bulgarian teacher who can assist you, provide specialized learning materials, and review your work. 

Finally, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback with us! Will these Bulgarian phone call expressions be enough to get you through your upcoming calls, or did we leave something out? We’ll get back to you at the earliest!

Learning a new language is like building a new house—you need to have a solid foundation to build upon. 

If you’re new to the Bulgarian language, then you’re in the right place! 

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this comprehensive list of the most basic Bulgarian words for beginners. By learning these essential words along with their pronunciation, you’re giving yourself a proper base upon which you can start accumulating new language skills. 

Once you’re comfortable using most of these words, you can proceed further with your studies and start picking up even more advanced words. 

There are a few strategies that can help you memorize these words more easily:

• Write these words on labels and place them on the corresponding items in your home. This way, you can see them each time you use the item. 
• Make long lists that have the Bulgarian words on one side of the paper and their meaning on the other side, and try to memorize them several days in a row. After getting used to them, try to practice them at least once a week to save them in your long-term memory.
• Use flashcards and think of a fun game to play with them; people memorize much easier while playing games.

Are you ready to start? Let’s look at the most common Bulgarian words for beginners!

Table of Contents

1. Bulgarian Pronouns: Saying Me and You
2. Let’s Count to 10 in Bulgarian
3. The Most Common Noun Categories
4. Bulgarian Verbs: Add More Activity to Your Knowledge
5. Describe Emotions with Bulgarian Adjectives
6. Bulgarian Conjunctions
7. Other Must-know Bulgarian Words
8. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

1. Bulgarian Pronouns: Saying Me and You

The first set of words you should add to your Bulgarian vocabulary are the pronouns. These words will allow you to talk about yourself, refer to others, and have conversations about places or objects—even if you don’t know the exact word for what you’re talking about! 

There are four pronoun categories we’ll look at: 

• Personal pronouns
• Demonstrative pronouns
• Interrogative pronouns
• Question words

Personal Pronouns

There are nine personal pronouns in the Bulgarian language. In a sentence, a personal pronoun takes the place of a noun. Here’s an example: 

• Мария обича да работи.
  Mariya obicha da raboti.
  Maria loves to work.

• Тя обича да работи.
  Tya obicha da raboti.
  She loves to work.

Person	Bulgarian pronoun	Bulgarian pronunciation	English
1st person sg.	аз	az	I
2nd person sg.	ти / Вие	ti / Vie	you (casual / formal)
3rd person sg.	той / тя / то	toy / tya / to	he / she / it
1st person pl.	ние	nie	we
2nd person pl.	вие	vie	you
3rd person pl.	те	te	they

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are helpful when you need to ask about a specific item that you don’t know the name of: 

Какво е това?  Kakvo e tova? What is this? Това е кола. Tova e kola. This is a car.

Какво е онова?  Kakvo e onova? What is that? Онова е стол. Onova e stol. That is a chair.

Car and chair could be replaced with any other noun. 

→ Why not try it yourself? Answer the questions above by replacing the objects with some of the nouns listed in the section of this article titled: The Most Common Noun Categories.

Now, here are the Bulgarian demonstrative pronouns:

Number	Bulgarian pronoun	Bulgarian pronunciation	English
Singular	този тази това	tozi tazi tova	this (masculine) this (feminine) this (neuter)
Singular	онзи онази онова	onzi onazi onova	that (masculine) that (feminine) that (neuter)
Plural	тези	tezi	these
Plural	онези	onezi	those

* As you may have already noticed, only the singular demonstrative pronouns are classified by gender. In plural, they have only one form.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns make it easy for us to ask questions, so it’s useful to learn the most common ones early on. Please note that, unlike interrogative pronouns in English, those in Bulgarian are classified by gender and number. Let’s see some examples: 

#1 Who?

Number	Bulgarian pronoun	Bulgarian pronunciation	English
Singular Plural	кой коя кое кои	koy koya koe koi	who (masculine) who (feminine) who (neuter) who (plural)

In the following examples, the demonstrative pronouns we mentioned earlier are used along with the interrogative pronouns:

• Кой е този човек?
  Koy e tozi chovek?
  Who is this person?

• Кои са тези хора?
  Koi sa tezi hora?
  Who are these people?

* Note that the gender/number of the interrogative pronoun is determined by the noun it’s used with. Човек is masculine, so the masculine form of “who” is used: кой. In the second example, хора is plural so we use the plural form of “who,” which is кои. The same rule also applies to the following interrogative pronouns.

#2 What?

Number	Bulgarian pronoun	Bulgarian pronunciation	English
Singular Plural	какъв каква какво какви	kakav kakva kakvo kakvi	what (masculine) what (feminine) what (neuter) what (plural)

• Каква е тази кола?
  Kakva e tazi kola?
  What is this car?

• Какви са студентите?
  Kakvi sa studentite?
  What are the students like?

#3 Whose?

Number	Bulgarian pronoun	Bulgarian pronunciation	English
Singular Plural	чий чия чие чии	chiy chiya chie chii	whose (masculine) whose (feminine) whose (neuter) whose (plural)

• Чия е тази книга?
  Chiya e tazi kniga?
  Whose book is this?

• Чии са тези книги?
  Chii sa tezi knigi?
  Whose books are these?

Question Words

Unlike interrogative pronouns, Bulgarian question words have only one form; they do not change for gender or number. This means they’re easier to learn! 

Bulgarian question word	Bulgarian pronunciation	English
как	kak	how
къде	kadе	where
кога	kоga	when
защо	zashto	why
колко	kolko	how many/much
накъде	nakade	where to
откъде	otkade	where from

• Накъде отиваш?
  Nakade otivash?
  Where are you going (to)?

• Откъде идваш?
  Otkade idvash?
  Where do you come from?

Can’t wait to start asking questions in Bulgarian? Then make sure to study our vocabulary list Top 25 Bulgarian Questions You Need to Know.

2. Let’s Count to 10 in Bulgarian

Numbers are another essential component of Bulgarian for beginners. We use numbers every single day, whether we’re jotting down a phone number or checking prices at the grocery store. To get a nice headstart, study the list below! 

Number	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
0	нула	nula	zero
1	едно	edno	one
2	две	dve	two
3	три	tri	three
4	четири	chetiri	four
5	пет	pet	five
6	шест	shest	six
7	седем	sedem	seven
8	осем	osem	eight
9	девет	devet	nine
10	десет	deset	ten

Let’s practice them with a phone number:

+359 / 896 544-271

три пет девет / осем девет шест   пет четири четири  – две седем едно
tri pet devet / osem devet shest      pet chetiri chetiri – dve sedem edno

3. The Most Common Noun Categories

Once you have the pronouns and numbers down, you should focus your efforts on picking up as many nouns as you can. Nouns are a crucial set of Bulgarian beginner words to learn, as they can be used alone to get an urgent point across or used with a verb to form a complete thought.

Below, we’ve grouped the most essential nouns into categories for your convenience.

Time

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	час	chas	hour
2	минута	minuta	minute
3	секунда	sekunda	second
4	ден	den	day
5	седмица	sedmitsa	week
6	месец	mesets	month
7	година	godina	year
8	сутрин	sutrin	morning
9	следобед	sledobed	afternoon
10	вечер	vecher	evening
11	понеделник	ponedelnik	Monday
12	вторник	vtornik	Tuesday
13	сряда	sryada	Wednesday
14	четвъртък	chetvartak	Thursday
15	петък	petak	Friday
16	събота	sabota	Saturday
17	неделя	nedelya	Sunday
18	време	vreme	time
19	часовник	chasovnik	clock

→ You can find several more time-related words and phrases on BulgarianPod101.com!

People

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	професия	profesiya	profession
2	господин / г-н	gospodin / g-n	Mr.
3	госпожа / г-жа	gospozha / g-zha	Mrs.
4	госпожица / г-ца	gospozhitsa	Miss
5	роднина	rodnina	relative
6	семейство	semeystvo	family
7	приятел	priyatel	friend
8	баща	bashta	father
9	майка	mayka	mother
10	брат	brat	brother
11	сестра	sestra	sister
12	баба	baba	grandmother
13	дядо	dyado	grandfather
14	чичо	chicho	uncle
15	леля	lelya	aunt
16	братовчед	bratovched	cousin (male)
17	братовчедка	bratovchedka	cousin (female)
18	съпруг	saprug	husband
19	съпруга	sapruga	wife

Places Around Town

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	център	tsentar	city center
2	квартал	kvartal	borough
3	магазин	magazin	shop
4	училище	uchilishte	school
5	болница	bolnitsa	hospital
6	община	obshtina	municipality
7	аптека	apteka	pharmacy
8	парк	park	park
9	университет	universitet	university
10	библиотека	biblioteka	library
11	църква	tsarkva	church
12	град	grad	city
13	столица	stolitsa	capital
14	държава	darzhava	country

School/Office Essentials

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	тетрадка	tetradka	notebook
2	учебник	uchebnik	textbook
3	химикал	himikal	pen
4	молив	moliv	pencil
5	гума	guma	eraser
6	линия	liniya	ruler
7	папка	papka	folder
8	стол	stol	chair
9	бюро	byuro	desk
10	компютър	kompyutar	computer
11	клавиатура	klaviatura	keyboard
12	мишка	mishka	mouse
13	екран	ekran	screen
14	лаптоп	laptop	laptop
15	дъска	daska	board
16	маркер	marker	marker
17	пастел	pastel	crayon
18	рафт	raft	shelf

Body Parts

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	око	oko	eye
2	ухо	uho	ear
3	уста	usta	mouth
4	глава	glava	head
5	коса	kosa	hair
6	зъб	zab	tooth
7	ръка	raka	hand
8	пръст	prast	finger / toe
9	лакът	lakat	elbow
10	рамо	ramo	shoulder
11	корем	korem	abdomen
12	крак	krak	leg
13	мускул	muskul	muscle
14	нокът	nokat	nail
15	нос	nos	nose
16	брадичка	bradichka	chin
17	гръб	grab	back
18	кръст	krast	waist
19	бедро	bedro	thigh
20	врат	vrat	neck

→ You can further expand your vocabulary with this list of 20 body parts in Bulgarian. 

Food

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	храна	hrana	food
2	хляб	hlyab	bread
3	месо	meso	meat
4	яйце	yaytse	egg
5	сирене	sirene	cheese
6	кашкавал	kashkaval	yellow cheese
7	мляко	mlyako	milk
8	плод	plod	fruit
9	зеленчук	zelenchuk	vegetable
10	ябълка	yabalka	apple
11	круша	krusha	pear
12	портокал	portokal	orange
13	мандарина	mandarina	tangerine
14	диня	dinya	watermelon
15	пъпеш	papesh	melon
16	ягода	yagoda	strawberry
17	череша	cheresha	cherry
18	малина	malina	raspberry
19	морков	morkov	carrot
20	картоф	kartof	potato
21	зеле	zele	cabbage
22	тиква	tikva	pumpkin
23	цвекло	tsveklo	beets
24	карфиол	karfiol	cauliflower
25	броколи	brokoli	broccoli

→ See our free vocabulary list of Bulgarian words for food and ingredients if you would like to dig deeper.

4. Bulgarian Verbs: Add More Activity to Your Knowledge

There are many different verbs that Bulgarian beginners will benefit from learning early on. We’ve created two lists: one for verbs you might use to describe your daily routine and another for miscellaneous verbs you’ll hear often.

Daily Routine Verbs

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	събуждам се	sabuzhdam se	wake up
2	ставам	stavam	get up
3	мия се	miya se	wash up
4	закусвам	zakusvam	have breakfast
5	обядвам	obyadvam	have lunch
6	вечерям	vecheryam	have dinner
7	работя	rabotya	work
8	уча	ucha	study
9	отивам	otivam	go
10	връщам се	vrashtam se	return
11	пазарувам	pazaruvam	shop
12	купувам	kupuvam	buy
13	обличам	oblicham	dress
14	събличам	sablicham	undress
15	обувам	obuvam	put on shoes
16	събувам	sabuvam	take off shoes
17	мисля	mislya	think
18	мечтая	mechtaya	dream
19	творя	tvorya	create
20	готвя	gotvya	cook
21	чистя	chistya	clean
22	прибирам	pribiram	clean up
23	разхвърлям	razhvarlyam	scatter
24	слушам	slusham	listen
25	гледам	gledam	watch

Other Common Verbs

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	чета	cheta	read
2	пиша	pisha	write
3	вземам	vzemam	pick up
4	обичам	obicham	love
5	харесвам	haresvam	like
6	мразя	mrazya	hate
7	давам	davam	give
8	правя	pravya	do
9	ходя	hodya	walk
10	разхождам се	razhozhdam se	take a walk
11	карам	karam	drive
12	пия	piya	drink
13	ям	yam	eat
14	питам	pitam	ask
15	отговарям	otgovaryam	answer
16	усмихвам се	usmihvam se	smile
17	търся	tarsya	look for
18	намирам	namiram	find
19	бягам	byagam	run
20	разбирам	razbiram	understand
21	показвам	pokazvam	show
22	научавам	nauchavam	learn
23	говоря	govorya	speak
24	мълча	malcha	keep silent
25	искам	iskam	want

→ BulgarianPod101 provides you with a useful list of the 50 most common Bulgarian verbs along with their pronunciation and translation.

5. Describe Emotions with Bulgarian Adjectives

Learning the most popular Bulgarian adjectives will allow you to describe different people, things, feelings, and emotions more easily. We’ve divided them into four different groups.

Adjectives that describe people

All the adjectives in this section are presented in two forms; the first form is masculine and the second is feminine. For example:

• красив мъж (krasiv mazh) – handsome man
• красива жена (krasiva zhena) – beautiful woman

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	красив / красива	krasiv / krasiva	beautiful
2	симпатичен / симпатична	simpatichen / simpatichna	cute
3	мил / мила	mil / mila	kind
4	добър / добра	dobar / dobra	good
5	висок / висока	visok / visoka	tall
6	нисък / ниска	nisak / niska	short
7	строен / стройна	stroen / stroina	slender
8	дебел / дебела	debel / debela	fat
9	слаб / слаба	slab / slaba	slim
10	умен / умна	umen / umna	clever
11	глупав / глупава	glupav / glupava	stupid
12	работлив / работлива	rabotliv / rabotliva	hardworking
13	мързелив / мързелива	marzeliv / marzeliva	lazy

Adjectives that describe objects

All the adjectives in this section are presented in three forms: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Unlike in the English language, nouns in Bulgarian are assigned grammatical gender and the adjective used with that noun must agree with it in gender. For example:

• голям стол (golyam stol) – big chair
• голяма топка (golyama topka) – big ball
• голямо легло (golyamo leglo) – big bed

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	голям / голяма / голямо	golyam / golyama / golyamo	big
2	малък / малка / малко	malak / malka / malko	small
3	дълъг / дълга / дълго	dalag / dalga / dalgo	long
4	къс / къса / късо	kas / kasa / kaso	short
5	пъстър / пъстра / пъстро	pastar / pastra / pastro	colorful
6	широк / широка / широко	shirok / shiroka / shiroko	wide
7	стъклен / стъклена / стъклено	staklen / staklena / stakleno	glass / made of glass
8	метален / метална / метално	metalen / metalna / metalno	metal / made of metal
9	чуплив / чуплива / чупливо	chupliv / chupliva / chuplivo	fragile
10	нов / нова / ново	nov / nova / novo	new
11	стар / стара / старо	star / stara / staro	old

Adjectives that describe emotions

All the adjectives in this section are presented in two forms: masculine and feminine. It will be useful to know both forms as emotions are usually attributed to people. For example:

• щастлив мъж (shtastliv mazh) – happy man
• щастлива жена (shtastliva zhena) – happy woman

But you should still keep in mind that some person-related words are neuter gender. For example:

→ момче (momche) – boy
→ момиче (momiche) – girl

In the case of the first adjective in the table below, you could easily make the appropriate neuter form of the adjective by changing the ending “-a” from the feminine form to “-o.” For example:

• щастливо момче (shtastlivo momche) – happy boy
• щастливо момиче (shtastlivo momiche) – happy girl

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	щастлив / щастлива	shtastliv / shtastlivа	happy
2	весел / весела	vesel / vesela	cheerful
3	тъжен / тъжна	tazhen / tazhna	sad
4	замислен / замислена	zamislen / zamislena	thoughtful
5	угрижен / угрижена	ugrizhen / ugrizhena	worried
6	самотен / самотна	samoten / samotna	lonely
7	изненадан / изненадана	iznenadan / iznenadana	surprised
8	усмихнат / усмихната	usmihnat / usmihnata	smiling

Adjectives that describe the weather

We present here only the form for neuter gender, because the word време (vreme), or “weather,” is a neuter noun in Bulgarian. For this reason, when describing the weather outside, we use only adjectives in neuter form. 

Examples:

• слънчево време (slanchevo vreme) – sunny weather
• Навън е слънчево. (Navan e slanchevo.) – It is sunny outside.

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	слънчево	slanchevo	sunny
2	дъждовно	dazhdovno	rainy
3	облачно	oblachno	cloudy
4	ветровито	vetrovito	windy
5	хубаво	hubavo	nice
6	снежно	snezhno	snowy
7	мрачно	mrachno	gloomy

→ Head over to our list of the top 15 weather conditions for even more practical words!

6. Bulgarian Conjunctions

Conjunctions are short words that link together, oppose, or separate other words or phrases in the sentence. Here are some Bulgarian conjunctions that are useful to know:

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	и	i	and
2	но	no	but
3	а	a	but
4	или	ili	or
5	обаче	obache	however
6	защото	zashtoto	because
7	въпреки че	vapreki che	although / even though
8	тъй като	tay kato	as

Here are a few samples of their usage:

• Не исках да те обидя, а да ти покажа грешката.
  Ne iskah da te obidya, a da ti pokazha greshkata.
  I didn’t want to offend you, but I just wanted to show you the mistake.

• Аз те обичам, въпреки че понякога не слушаш.
  Az te obicham, vapreki che ponyakoga ne slushash.
  I love you, even though sometimes you don’t listen to me.

If you’re looking for even more practical everyday Bulgarian words for absolute beginners, check out our list of 100 core Bulgarian words and get studying!

7. Other Must-know Bulgarian Words

To conclude, let’s look at a few helpful lists of Bulgarian beginner words related to the local culture!

Bulgarian National Holidays

Here are some of the most common Bulgarian holidays:

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	Нова година	nova godina	New Year’s Day
	Celebrated on January 1
2	Свети Валентин	sveti valentin	St. Valentine’s Day
	Celebrated on February 14
3	Денят на Освобождението на България	denyat na osvobozhdenieto na balgaria	The Day of Liberation of Bulgaria
	Celebrated on March 3
4	Денят на жената	denyat na zhenata	Women’s Day
	Celebrated on March 8
5	Великден	velikden	Easter
	Celebrated on a different date each year
6	Денят на труда	denyat na truda	Labor Day
	Celebrated on May 1
7	Денят на българската писменост	denyat na balgarskata pismenost	The Day of Bulgarian Culture and Literacy
	Celebrated on May 24
8	Денят на народните будители	denyat na narodnite buditeli	The Day of the People’s Awakeners
	Celebrated on November 1
9	Бъдни вечер	badni vecher	Christmas Eve
	Celebrated on December 24
10	Коледа	koleda	Christmas
	Celebrated on December 25

→ In this lesson from BulgarianPod101, you’ll learn even more about Bulgarian national holidays.

Must-try Foods in Bulgaria

If you visit a Bulgarian restaurant, it’s definitely worth knowing the words listed below. These are the must-try dishes that you wouldn’t want to miss during your stay in Bulgaria!

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
1	баница	banitsa	banitsa pastry
2	кисело мляко	kiselo mlyako	Bulgarian yogurt
3	таратор	tarator	cold yogurt soup
4	шопска салата	shopska salata	shopska salad
5	луканка	lukanka	type of dry sausage
6	боб чорба	bob chorba	bean soup
7	погача	pogacha	ceremonial bread
8	пълнени чушки с ориз	palneni chushki s oriz	stuffed peppers with rice
9	печено агне	pecheno agne	grilled whole lamb

The Most Popular Bulgarian Cities

You may already have heard about the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, but what are the other major Bulgarian cities you might want to visit? Here’s a list of some popular cities in Bulgaria that are preferred tourist destinations.

No.	Bulgarian	Pronunciation
1	София	Sofia
2	Пловдив	Plovdiv
3	Варна	Varna
4	Бургас	Burgas
5	Велико Търново	Veliko Tarnovo
6	Габрово	Gabrovo
7	Смолян	Smolyan
8	Трявна	Tryavna
9	Банско	Bansko
10	Созопол	Sozopol
11	Балчик	Balchik

→ Learn even more fascinating information about Bulgarian cities and regions in this lesson series prepared by BulgarianPod101.

8. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

We believe that this guide to the most common Bulgarian words for beginners will help you build a solid foundation upon which to build your Bulgarian language skills. 

The goal of BulgarianPod101 is to help absolute beginners advance quickly. For this reason, we ensured that this article contained the most essential words in a variety of categories! Once you memorize these words, you should be able to understand native speakers in more beginner-level situations. 

If you create a free lifetime account with us, you’ll gain access to tons of practical lessons that take a fun approach to learning. We even have an entire series of Bulgarian lessons for beginners, which we highly recommend you check out first. 

If you would like to speed up your learning progress even further, you can turn to MyTeacher. This Premium PLUS service allows you to work with a native Bulgarian language expert. He or she will help you learn the basics of vocabulary, grammar, conversations, sentence structure, etc., so you can really start communicating in Bulgarian! 

We’d be happy to hear your feedback about this lesson. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Which of these words did you find most useful, and what are some words you’d still like to learn?

Fillers are those unnecessary words that people sometimes use without even realizing it. They’re usually associated with slang or lack of education. These parasitic words or expressions interrupt speech and sometimes make it more difficult to understand. The English language is full of filler words, but what about Bulgarian?

There are many Bulgarian filler words, too! BulgarianPod101 has prepared this extensive overview to get you acquainted with them, as you’ll encounter them often in your daily conversations with Bulgarians. It’s interesting to note that fillers in the Bulgarian language are influenced by modern language tendencies and change over time. For the purpose of this article, we’ll be covering some of the most common Bulgarian filler words used today.

Table of Contents

1. What are filler words and why do we use them?
2. The 10 Most Common Bulgarian Filler Words
3. Filler Words in Business Jargon
4. Cons of Filler Words
5. How to Get Rid of Filler Words in Your Speech
6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

1. What are filler words and why do we use them?

If you’ve ever spoken with a Bulgarian, you’ve probably heard some words said so quickly that you didn’t understand their meaning. These filler words bear different meanings, and our goal is to help you better recognize and understand them so that you’ll be more prepared for real-life conversations.

It might sound strange, but filler words are multifunctional. People use them in different situations and for various purposes. Here are some of their most common functions and properties:

➢ These are parasite words that have no specific meaning. If you remove them from a sentence, it will become more clear and understandable.
➢ They do not change the meaning of the sentence.
➢ They help people express their emotions more succinctly.
➢ Filler words are sometimes used to give the speaker time to think about what to say next.
➢ They reveal a kind of linguistic weakness, and are usually used by people who would like to say much more than they actually can.
➢ They help the speaker gently approach delicate topics and predispose the listener to them.
➢ They are also used to emphasize important points and ideas.
➢ Filler words may be used to repeat the same idea again in different words.

Taking into account the various uses of filler words, it’s easier to understand why we’ve dedicated an entire article to them. Let’s now look at some specific filler words in Bulgarian and their English meanings.

2. The 10 Most Common Bulgarian Filler Words

#1

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Ами… (Ami…)	–	“Well…”
You’ll hear this filler word quite often during conversations with Bulgarians. It’s usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, especially if the speaker is about to give a negative response and isn’t sure what to say next. It can be used before phrases like “I don’t know,” “I can’t,” “alright then,” etc.
A: Здравей, свободен ли си днес следобед?  Zdravey, svoboden li si dnes sledobed? “Hi, are you free this afternoon?” B: Ами, не знам още. Трябва да си проверя графика.  Ami, ne znam oshte. Tryabva da si proverya grafika. “Well, I don’t know yet. I need to check my schedule.” A: Ами, добре тогава. Ще ти се обадя по-късно.  Ami, dobre togava. Shte ti se obadya po-kasno. “Well, alright then. I’ll call you later.”

#2

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Абе… (Abe…)	–	“Well…”
Another frequently used filler in Bulgarian, абе (abe) is quite similar to the previous word we looked at and is placed at the beginning of a sentence or expression. While the previous one could go unnoticed, this filler is quite annoying and typically used in “low culture” speech.
Абе, ти сега не ми ги разправяй на мен тези неща!  Abe, ti sega ne mi gi razpravyay na men tezi neshta!“ Well, don’t tell these things to me!” / “I know better!” Абе, аз зная по-добре какво да правя.  Abe, az znaya po-dobre kakvo da pravya. “Well, I know better what to do.” Абе, ти няма ли най-после да проумееш това!  Abe, ti nyama li nay-posle da proumeesh tova! “Well, won’t you finally understand this!”

#3

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Значи… (Znachi…)	–	“So…” / “Then…”
This Bulgarian filler is used unintentionally by a speaker who is trying to explain something or describe a situation. It can be inserted at any point in a sentence.  Note: The filler word значи should not be confused with the verb значи, which is translated in English as “means” for the third person singular. Be aware that this word, therefore, can be used either as a filler or as a word with actual meaning.
Отивам значи вчера на магазина и купувам значи две бири.  Otivam znachi vchera na magazina i kupuvam znachi dve biri. “So, I went to the store yesterday and so I bought two beers.” Значи днес не можеш да излезеш с мен на разходка? Добре, значи, ще отида сам.  Znachi dnes ne mozhesh da izlezesh s men na razhodka? Dobre, znachi, shte otida sam. “So you can’t go out for a walk with me today? Okay, then I’ll go alone.”

#4

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Нали… / Нали разбираш… (Nali… / Nali razbirash…)	“You understand…”	“You know…” / “You see…”
These Bulgarian filler words are quite common and are normally used when the speaker is searching for affirmation or confirmation from the listener. Note that the filler нали can be replaced by the previous filler значи, as they have nearly the same meaning.
Нали разбираш, не ми беше много лесно. Nali razbirash, ne mi beshe mnogo lesno.“You see, it wasn’t very easy for me.” Разхождам се нали в парка и изведнъж нали пред мен застава Силвестър Сталоун. Razhozhdam se nali v parka i izvednazh nali pred men zastava Silvestar Staloun.“You know, I’m walking in the park, and suddenly, you know, Sylvester Stallone is standing in front of me.”

#5

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Виж… / Виж сега… (Vizh… / Vizh sega…)	“Look…” / “Look now…”	“Look…” / “Here’s the thing…”
Both of these Bulgarian fillers are used to attract the attention of the listener. They’re usually placed at the beginning of the sentence in order to emphasize the importance of what’s about to be said.
Виж, не искам да те обидя. Vizh, ne iskam da te obidya.“Look, I don’t want to offend you.” Виж сега, минаваш по този път, завиваш наляво и си на точното място. Vizh sega, minavash po tozi pat, zavivash nalyavo i si na tochnoto myasto.“Here’s the thing, you should go this way, then turn left and you’ll be in the right place.”

#6

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Всъщност… / Фактически… (Vsashtnost… / Fakticheski…)	“In fact…”	“Actually…”
While these Bulgarian fillers are perfectly fine to use in speech, they can become irritating to the listener if used too much. These fillers cannot be used at the end of a sentence; the speaker adds them when he would like more time to form his thoughts.
Аз всъщност исках да кажа друго. Az vsashtnost iskah da kazha drugo.“I actually wanted to say something else.” Фактически до сега нищо не съм постигнал. Fakticheski do sega nishto ne sam postignal.“In fact, I have not achieved anything so far.”

#7

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Сещаш се… (Seshtash se…)	“You guess…”	“You know…”
This filler aims to keep the other party interested during a conversation. It’s very close to нали / нали разбираш above. By using it, the speaker wants to make the other party empathetic to what they’re saying and to provoke more interest in it. Using this filler too often is indicative of a low culture of speaking.
Here’s how this word might be used in a phone conversation:  Вчера бях, сещаш се, в ресторанта и там дойде управителят и сещаш се какво ми каза—че съм уволнен. Vchera byah, seshtash se, v restoranta i tam doyde upravitelyat i seshtash se kakvo mi kaza—che sam uvolnen.“Yesterday I was, you know, in the restaurant and the manager came there and, you know, what he told me—that I am fired.”

You might be interested in studying more about how to make a phone call in Bulgarian.

#8

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Викам… (Vikam…)	“I shout…”	“I intend to…” / “I tell…”
This Bulgarian filler is typically used to replace the verbs смятам (smyatam) – “I intend” and казвам (kazvam) – “I tell.”
Викам да направя една баница. Vikam da napravya edna banitsa.“I plan to make banitsa.” Обаждам се аз по телефона на мой приятел и му викам да излезем заедно, а той ми вика, че не може. Obazhdam se az po telefona na moy priyatel i mu vikam da izlezem zaedno, a toy mi vika, che ne mozhe.“I called my friend and told him to go out together, and he told me that he can’t.”

#9

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Човек… / мен… (Chovek… / Man…)	“Human” / “Man”	“Man…”
These two filler words are equivalent in meaning and are comparatively new, used mainly by young adults and teenagers in Bulgaria. It’s obvious that the filler word мен is the transliteration of the English filler “man,” which probably entered the Bulgarian vernacular via American movies. Both fillers are used to address the interlocutor. * Note that the filler word мен should not be confused with the personal pronoun мен.* Note also that there are regional variations with the same semantic meaning. For example, people in Sofia could use the filler word брат (“bro” / “brother”), while people in Plovdiv prefer the expression майна (“dude”).
Човек, да знаеш какво ми се случи вчера! Chovek, da znaesh kakvo mi se sluchi vchera!“Man, you know what happened to me yesterday!” Вървя си по пътя, мен, и изведнъж чувам познат глас зад мен. Varvya si po patya, men, i izvednazh chuvam poznat glas zad men.“I’m walking down the road, man, and suddenly I hear a familiar voice behind me.”

• While we’re on the topic of slang, here’s a list of the most common texting slang.

#10

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
В смисъл / тоест… (V smisal / toest…)	“I mean…” / “In other words…”	–
These Bulgarian filler words are similar to всъщност and фактически. They’re used to make something more clear, but when they’re used too often, it can become irritating for the listener.
A:Трябва да започнете да учите повече! Tryabva da zapochnete da uchite poveche!“You have to study more!” B:В смисъл? V smisal?“What do you mean?” A:В смисъл, че ви предстоят изпити. V smisal, che vi predstoyat izpiti.“I mean that you will have to take exams soon.” Вчера излизам от вкъщи, тоест не на разходка, а до магазина и разбирам, че парите не са в мен. Vchera izlizam ot vkashti, toest ne na razhodka, a do magazina i razbiram, che parite ne sa v men.“Yesterday I left my house, i.e. not for a walk, but to go to the store, and I found out that the money is not with me.”

• BulgarianPod101 can help you prepare for your approaching Bulgarian proficiency exam with thousands of useful lessons.

Bonus Filler Word

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
такова… (takova…)	“this” / “that”	–
We present here the most universal Bulgarian filler word you’ll hear in your conversations with Bulgarians. Locals can use this filler in place of any word they’re struggling to remember.
In place of a noun Трябва ми такова… сол. Tryabva mi takova… sol.“I need that… salt.” In place of a verb Излизам да таковам… да играя. Izlizam da takovam… da igraya.“I go out to do this… to play.” * Note that when it replaces a verb, this filler word follows the rules of verb conjugation. In place of an adjective Тя е толкова такава… хитра. Tya e tolkova takava… hitra.“She is so this… cunning.” * Note that when it replaces an adjective, this filler word declines differently depending on the gender of the noun.

• To limit your use of this filler, we recommend learning the 50 most common Bulgarian adjectives on BulgarianPod101.com.

3. Filler Words in Business Jargon

It’s interesting to note that some of the filler words in spoken Bulgarian have been influenced by the business jargon. We’ve already described two of them: всъщност and фактически, which are equivalent in meaning.

Bulgarian business jargon contains business or technical terms as well as foreign words. Some more examples of Bulgarian filler words taken from business jargon include:

#1

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Буквално… (Bukvalno…)	“Literally…”	“Literally…”
Това буквално означава да се преместиш в друга държава. Tova bukvalno oznachava da se premestish v druga darzhava.“This literally means moving to another country.”

#2

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Така да се каже… (Taka da se kazhe…)	“So to speak…”	“So to speak…”
Налага се, така да се каже, да направим голяма промяна. Nalaga se, taka da se kazhe, da napravim golyama promyana.“We have to make a big change, so to speak.”

#3

Bulgarian	Literally	English Equivalent
Практически… (Prakticheski…)	“Practically…”	“Practically…”
Той е практически навсякъде. Toy e prakticheski navsyakade.“He is practically everywhere.”

BulgarianPod101 will help you sound like a native Bulgarian speaker with the following list of essential idioms.

4. Cons of Filler Words

While using the occasional filler in Bulgarian can help you buy time to organize your thoughts, they can easily become a bad habit. Filler words add no value to a sentence, and they also make speech or writing more difficult to understand by interrupting its flow.

If you find yourself using fillers unintentionally, it’s a good idea to learn how to limit their use in your everyday life. Which brings us to our next section…

5. How to Get Rid of Filler Words in Your Speech

When using filler words becomes a habit, it’s difficult (but not impossible) to stop. Just don’t give up! There are some techniques that can help:

• Record yourself speaking: Listen to your speech to find out how many filler words you use and try to make another recording without them. This practical exercise has to be repeated often to remove the bad habit, especially if you’re planning to speak with a really important person.

• Don’t speak too much: Try to form your thoughts with fewer words than usual. It’s more important to speak clearly and get to the point.

• Keep silent for a few seconds: It’s better to make a pause in speech while thinking than to fill the time with unnecessary expressions.

Make a jar or bottle for fines: Put a coin inside every time you catch yourself using a filler word. This will motivate you to use them less often.

Feeling ambitious now? BulgarianPod101 encourages you to try out the following list of language learning goals for the month.

6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

We hope that this Bulgarian conversation filler words overview will help you recognize and understand fillers in your conversations with Bulgarians. 

It’s a good idea to get familiar with this Bulgarian filler words list so that you can sound more like a native speaker and better understand conversations. If you would like to advance your Bulgarian language knowledge and practice with a private Bulgarian teacher, you can take advantage of BulgarianPod101’s  MyTeacher service for Premium PLUS members. 

We’ll be glad to hear your feedback about this article. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Maybe you remember that old Beatles song All You Need is Love.

It seems to be true, because every single person—from little babies to old men or women—needs to love and be loved by someone. But while giving and receiving love is important, so is knowing how to express that love. Doing this properly can work miracles in your life. 

Does your potential love interest or spouse happen to be a native Bulgarian speaker? Then you’re in the right place! 

In this detailed overview of how to say “I love you,” in Bulgarian, we’ll help you express your true feelings in your partner’s mother tongue. Whether your goal is to make an attractive Bulgarian fall in love with you or to strengthen the bond you have with your partner, these Bulgarian phrases about love will help you navigate through each phase of your relationship. 

The best part? Learning love phrases in Bulgarian is just the beginning. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend who speaks the language might inspire you to continue your studies! And having a romantic partner to practice with can make the experience that much more exciting and fulfilling. 

What are you waiting for? It’s time to sweep your partner off their feet! 

Table of Contents

1. Confess Your Affection: Pick-up Lines and More
2. Fall in Deeper: “I Love You,” and More
3. Take it One Step Further: “Will You Marry Me?” and More
4. Endearment Terms
5. Must-know Love Quotes
6. Building a Love Dialogue
7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

1. Confess Your Affection: Pick-up Lines and More

The first thing you need to know is how to confess your affection. In this chapter, we’ll give you tips and phrases to help you…

• …introduce yourself in Bulgarian.
• …invite your love interest on a first date.
• …make a good impression on your date.
• …give a compliment to show them you really care.

Let’s start with the basics: 

• Здравей, как се казваш?
  Zdravey, kak se kazvash?
  Hello, what’s your name?

• Казвам се Джон и съм от Англия.
  Kazvam se John i sam ot Angliya.
  My name is John and I’m from England.

In the phrase above, you can replace John and England with your own name and home country. Need some help? You can probably find the Bulgarian name of your country in our World Countries vocabulary list.

Next, ask him or her what they do for a living.

• Какво работиш?
  Kakvo rabotish?
  What’s your job?

Now, you can tell him/her about your occupation. Here’s an example:

• Аз съм учител/ка по английски.
  Az sam uchitel/ka po angliyski.
  I am an English teacher.

Simply replace English teacher with your own profession. You can find a list of 20 Common Bulgarian Words for Occupations on BulgarianPod101.com. 

Another good question to ask is:

• Какво обичаш да правиш в свободното си време?
  Kakvo obichash da pravish v svobodnoto si vreme?
  What do you like to do in your free time?

To answer this question yourself, you can say: Обичам да + your hobby. For example:

• Обичам да се разхождам в парка.
  Obicham da se razhozhdam v parka.
  I like walking in the park.

In this case, you might find our list of Bulgarian Vocabulary for Hobbies very helpful! 

It’s time to become more direct. Let’s try this:

• Мога ли да те поканя на среща?
  Moga li da te pokanya na sreshta?
  Can I invite you on a date?

We believe that the answer you’ll get will be:

• Разбира се, с удоволствие!
  Razbira se, s udovolstvie!
  Of course, with pleasure!

Now, don’t forget to give some Bulgarian compliments to show you’re really interested in this relationship. 

• Изглеждаш прекрасно!
  Izglezhdash prekrasno!
  You look great!

• Толкова си красива! (for a woman)
  Tolkova si krasiva!
  You are so beautiful!

You can choose from this list of the Top 15 Bulgarian Compliments You Always Want to Hear to surprise your new Bulgarian friend.

Sending a reminder about the date via text or email

To make sure that the person you’ve invited didn’t forget about the date, you can send them a short reminder in a text or email. Here’s a sample reminder you could use:

• Здравей, как си? Днес ще те чакам в 18 ч.
  Zdravey, kak si? Dnes shte te chakam v 18 chasa.
  Hello, how are you? Today, I will be waiting for you at 6 p.m.

If you would like to be more romantic, you could send the following:

• Здравей, не спирам да мисля за нашата среща. Нямам търпение да се срещнем! До 18 ч.
  Zdravey, ne spiram da mislya za nashata sreshta. Nyamam tarpenie da se sreshtnem! Do 18 chasa.
  Hi, I keep thinking about our meeting. I can’t wait to meet you! Until 6 p.m.

2. Fall in Deeper: “I Love You,” and More

Learning how to say “I love you,” in the Bulgarian language will be a huge step forward in your relationship. As you fall more deeply in love with someone, you begin to experience an array of emotions. While it would be impossible to include phrases for every feeling you might have, we’ve listed several romantic phrases in Bulgarian that you can use to express your love and continued interest. 

• Много ми харесваш!
  Mnogo mi haresvash!
  I like you very much!

• Какви прекрасни очи имаш!
  Kakvi prekrasni ochi imash!
  What beautiful eyes you have!

• Обичам те!
  Obicham te!
  I love you!

• Мога ли да те целуна?
  Moga li da te tseluna?
  Can I kiss you?

• Липсваше ми!
  Lipsvashe mi!
  I missed you!

• Не мога без теб!
  Ne moga bez teb!
  I cannot live without you!

3. Take it One Step Further: “Will You Marry Me?” and More

A romantic relationship may become so strong that both parties desire to get married. This is an important step in life that one should consider before leaping ahead…but if you believe that you’re on the right track and that this is the person you’d like to bind your destiny to, here are the phrases you need to learn:

• Искам децата ми да приличат на теб!
  Iskam detsata mi da prilichat na teb!
  I want my children to look like you!

• Искам да остареем заедно!
  Iskam da ostareem zaedno!
  I want us to grow old together!

This is when a man might make his marriage proposal:

• Ще се омъжиш ли за мен?
  Shte se omazhish li za men?
  Will you marry me?

Or, if the woman proposes to the man: 

• Ще се ожениш ли за мен?
  Shte se ozhenish li za men?
  Will you marry me?

• Нека създадем нашето общо бъдеще!
  Neka sazdadem nasheto obshto badeshte!
  Let’s create our common future!

4. Endearment Terms

All around the world, couples tend to address each other with cute pet names or terms of endearment. There are several common endearment terms in Bulgarian, some quite romantic and others more lighthearted. See our lists below to learn the pronunciation of “my love” in Bulgarian and many other Bulgarian terms of endearment. 

Classic endearment terms

• Скъпи (Skapi) – Honey [for a man]
• Скъпа (Skapa) – Honey [for a woman]
• Любими (Lyubimi) – Darling [for a man]
• Любима (Lyubima) – Darling [for a woman]
• Мили (Mili) – Dear
• Мила (Mila) – Dear
• Любов моя (Lyubov moya) – My love
• Обич моя (Obich moya) – My love
• Щастие мое (Shtastie moe) – My happiness
• Съкровище (Sakrovishte) – Treasure
• Принцесо (Printseso) – Princess [for a woman]
• Бебче (Bebche) – Baby

Animal-based endearment terms

• Зайче (Zayche) – Bunny
• Слонче (Slonche) – Diminutive for “elephant”
• Коте (Kote) – Kitten
• Писе (Pise) – Kitty
• Жабчо (Zhabcho) – Diminutive for “frog”

Bird-based endearment terms

• Славейче (Slaveyche) – Diminutive for “nightingale”
• Пиленце (Pilentse) – Chick
• Пате (Pate) – Duckling
• Гълъбче (Galabche) – Diminutive for “dove”

Nature-based endearment terms

• Слънчице (Slanchitse) – Little sun
• Звездичке (Zvezdichke) – Little star
• Ягодке (Yagodke) – Little strawberry

Sweets-based endearment terms

• Захарче (Zaharche) – Sugar
• Бонбонче (Bonbonche) – Sweetie
• Шоколадче (Shokoladche) – Chocolate
• Сладкишче (Sladkishche) – Cake
• Бухтичке (Buhtichke) – Cruller

While we’re still on the topic of sweets, you might be interested in checking out the following list of Bulgarian vocabulary for meals.

5. Must-know Love Quotes

Much has been said about love and romance over the centuries. What better way to spice up your relationship than by reciting some popular love quotes in Bulgarian to your partner?

If you’ve chosen to call your favorite person Шоколадче (Shokoladche), or “Chocolate,” then you might be interested in the following love quote from Charles Schultz:

• Всичко, от което се нуждаем, е любов. Но малко шоколад не е излишен.
  Vsichko, ot koeto se nuzhdaem, e lyubov. No malko shokolad ne e izlishen.
  All we need is love. But a little chocolate is not superfluous.

And here’s a must-know love quote by the famous Mahatma Gandhi:

• Там, където има любов, има живот.
  Tam, kadeto ima lyubov, ima zhivot.
  Where there is love, there is life.

Another love quote is from Martin Luther King, Jr.:

• Реших, че ще избера любовта. Омразата е твърде тежък товар, за да го нося.
  Reshih, che shte izbera lyubovta. Omrazata e tvarde tezhak tovar, za da go nosya.
  I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

6. Building a Love Dialogue

Now, let’s build a sample dialogue using some of the Bulgarian love expressions we described above.

– Здравей, любов моя! Как си? Липсвашe ми!
   Zdravey, lyubov moya! Kak si? Lipsvashe mi!
   Hello, my love! How are you? I missed you!

– И ти ми липсваше! Постоянно мисля за теб!
   I ti mi lipsvashe! Postoyanno mislya za teb!
   I missed you, too! I think about you all the time!

– Мога ли да те целуна?
   Moga li da te tseluna?
   Can I kiss you?

– Разбира се!
   Razbira se!
   Of course!

– Какви прекрасни очи имаш!
   Kakvi prekrasni ochi imash!
   What beautiful eyes you have!

– Благодаря ти! Обичам те!
   Blagodarya ti! Obicham te!
   Thank you! I love you!

– Ще се омъжиш ли за мен? Нека създадем нашето общо бъдеще!
   Shte se omazhish li za men? Neka sazdadem nasheto obshto badeshte!
   Will you marry me? Let’s create our common future!

– Да! Не мога без теб!
   Da, ne moga bez teb!
   Yes! I cannot live without you!

Hе мога без теб is also the name of a popular Bulgarian love song you might want to listen to.

7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

We hope that we made your day brighter with this overview of Bulgarian love phrases. Now, you can say “I love you,” in Bulgarian and build a deeper love dialogue with your Bulgarian partner. And trust us: He or she will definitely appreciate your efforts! 

BulgarianPod101 aims to help you overcome any language barrier, even in your love life!

We provide tons of practical lessons on the Bulgarian language and culture, as well as specially tailored learning pathways to help you reach your specific goals faster. If you need a more personal approach and extra guidance, you can upgrade to a Premium PLUS subscription to take advantage of our MyTeacher service. Your own personal teacher will help you learn the right vocabulary for any situation—even for asking that lucky man or woman out on a date. 😉 

With our lessons and guidance, you’ll gain the confidence you need to win the heart of your beloved. 

We would love to hear from you! Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments, and let us know which romantic phrases in Bulgarian you found most helpful.

Until next time, happy learning. We’re wishing you success in your love life!

Negation is a linguistic tool we use every day. From refusing proposals to answering questions in the negative, there are so many ways we use the word “no” in our daily conversations and social engagements. After all, we can’t possibly agree on everything all the time! 

Learning about negation in Bulgarian grammar is a key element in mastering the language, and we recommend that you study this early on. 

Here are some reasons why it’s good to learn how to say “no“ in Bulgarian:

• You’ll be able to express an opposite opinion.
• You can react negatively when someone speaks untruthfully.
• You can disagree with any offensive declaration. 
• You can express to others your inability to do something.
• You can state that something never happened.

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this Bulgarian negation overview to guide you through this complex topic. You’ll learn how to form negative sentences in Bulgarian, how to say no, how to answer questions in the negative, and more.

Table of Contents

1. Negate a Statement
2. Making Negative Sentences with the Verb “To Bе”
3. Giving a Negative Response to a Question
4. Other Negating Words and Phrases
5. Double Negatives
6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian
7. Answers to the Practical Exercises

1. Negate a Statement

Let’s start by learning how to negate a positive statement in Bulgarian. For your convenience, we’ve also included some practical exercises to help you get the hang of it! 

Here are the positive statements:

• Аз съм американец. / Ние сме американци.
  (Az sam amerikanets. / Nie sme amerikantsi.)
  I am an American. / We are Americans.

• Аз уча български, защото смятам да пътувам за България.
  (Az ucha balgarski, zashtoto smyatam da patuvam za Balgariya.)
  I study Bulgarian because I plan to travel to Bulgaria.

To make these positive statements negative in the simple present tense, we have to add the negative particle “не” in front of the verb. The negative versions of these sentences look like this:

• Аз не съм американец. / Ние не сме американци.
  (Az sam amerikanets. / Nie sme amerikantsi.)
  I am not an American. / We are not Americans.

• Аз не уча български, защото не смятам да пътувам за България.
  (Az ne ucha balgarski, zashtoto ne smyatam da patuvam za Balgariya.)
  I don’t study Bulgarian because I do not plan to travel to Bulgaria.

Learning Bulgarian vocabulary for nationalities is not an easy thing. To help you out, here’s a list of 35 nationalities and how they’re pronounced in Bulgarian.

Practical exercise: Making affirmative statements negative in the simple present tense

It seems simple, right? Just figure out where the verb is located and put the negative particle before it. Now, practice negation in Bulgarian yourself with the following sentences: 

• Аз обичам да ходя на ресторант.
  (Az obicham da hodya na restorant.)
  I like going to restaurants.

• Тя живее в къща.
  (Tya zhivee v kashta.)
  She lives in a house.

• Те работят в тази фирма.
  (Te rabotyat v tazi firma.)
  They work for this company.

You can check your answers at the end of this article.

Negate a statement in the future tense

When the statement you would like to negate is in the future tense, a different negative particle is used instead of “не.” In this case, the negative particle “няма да” (nyama da), meaning “won’t,” should replace the Bulgarian future tense particle “ще” (shte), meaning “will.” 

Let’s make it more clear by providing an example. Locate the particle “ще” first.

• Когато науча български, ще се върна в Америка.
  (Kogato naucha balgarski, shte se varna v Amerika.)
  When I learn Bulgarian, I will return to America.

Now let’s replace the particle “ще” with the negative particle “няма да.”

• Когато науча български, няма да се върна в Америка.
  (Kogato naucha balgarski, nyama da se varna v Amerika.)
  When I learn Bulgarian, I will not return to America.

By the way, BulgarianPod101 can help you start using the future tense to make plans and appointments in this lesson.

Practical exercise: Negate a statement in the future tense

Now, it’s your turn to make a negative statement in the future tense. Try the following sentences:

• Утре ще ходя на ресторант.
  (Utre shte hodya na restorant.)
  I’m going to a restaurant tomorrow.

• Тя ще живее в тази къща.
  (Tya shte zhivee v tazi kashta.)
  She will live in this house.

• Те ще работят в тази фирма.
  (Te shte rabotyat v tazi firma.)
  They will work for this company.

You can check your answers at the end of this article.

2. Making Negative Sentences with the Verb “To Bе”

When building Bulgarian negation sentences with the verb съм (sam), you need to follow the same principle as with the other verbs: The negative particle “не” should be placed in front of the verb съм. 

Let’s start with affirmative examples. We’ll provide two versions of each sentence (for masculine and feminine gender, respectively) in the first person singular:

masculine	feminine
Аз съм българин.  (Az sam balgarin.) I am Bulgarian.	Аз съм българка.  (Az sam balgarка.) I am Bulgarian.
Аз съм тъжен. (Az sam tazhen.) I am sad.	Аз съм тъжна.  (Az sam tazhnа.) I am sad.
Ние сме млади. (Nie sme mladi.) We are young.

Now, let’s make these sentences negative. Note that, in contrast to the English language where the negative particle not is placed after the verb “to be,” the particle не comes before the verb “to be” in Bulgarian. 

masculine	feminine
Аз не съм българин. (Az ne sam balgarin.) I am not Bulgarian.	Аз не съм българка. (Az ne sam balgarка.) I am not Bulgarian.
Аз не съм тъжен. (Az ne sam tazhen.) I am not sad.	Аз не съм тъжна. (Az ne sam tazhnа.) I am not sad.
Ние не сме млади. (Nie ne sme mladi.) We are not young.

Practical exercise: Making negative sentences with the verb “to bе”

Ready to practice this essential skill? Each of these sentences contains a conjugated form of the verb “to be.” Try to make them negative! 

• Колата е бърза.
  (Kolata e barza.)
  The car is fast.

• Времето е хубаво.
  (Vremeto e hubavo.)
  The weather is nice.

• Хората са добри.
  (Horata sa dobri.)
  People are good.

• Те са мълчаливи днес.
  (Te sa malchalivi dnes.)
  They are silent today.

You can check your answers at the end of this article.

3. Giving a Negative Response to a Question

It’s time to learn how to give negative answers to questions that others ask you. Here are three examples, each one for a different scenario: 

With a possessive pronoun

– Този телефон твой ли е?
   (Tozi telefon tvoy li e?)
   Is this phone yours?

– Не, не е мой.
   (Ne, ne e moy.)
   No, it’s not mine.

With the verb “to be“

– Ти от Бразилия ли си?
   (Ti ot Braziliya li si?)
   Are you from Brazil?

– Не, не съм от Бразилия.
   (Ne, ne sam ot Braziliya.)
   No, I’m not from Brazil.

With a common verb 

– Ти обичаш ли ме?
   (Ti obichash li me?)
   Do you love me?

– Не, не те обичам.
   (Ne, ne te obicham.)
   No, I don’t love you.

→ Are you feeling pretty negative today? Then see BulgarianPod101’s lesson on how to express anger in Bulgarian.

Practical exercise: Giving a negative response to a question

Your next task is to answer the following questions negatively. 

• Ти помагаш ли му?
  (Ti pomagash li mu?)
  Are you helping him?

• Ти учиш ли?
  (Ti uchish li?)
  Do you study?

• Ти знаеш ли това?
  (Ti znaesh li tova?)
  Do you know that?

• Ти млад ли си?
  (Ti mlad li si?)
  Are you young?

A hint: Follow the last example (With a common verb) from above to answer the first three questions and the second example (With the verb “to be“) for the last one. You can check whether your answers are correct at the end of this article.

★ One more task:

Alter the following question for the feminine gender and answer it negatively, too:

• Ти млад ли си?
  (Ti mlad li si?)
  Are you young?

4. Other Negating Words and Phrases

In addition to Bulgarian negative particles, there are some other negating words that make sentences negative. It’s interesting to note that these words have to be used in combination with the negative particle “не” in order to build a grammatically correct negative sentence.

Bulgarian	English
нищо (nishto) – should be used with “не“	nothing
никой (nikoy) – should be used with “не“	nobody
никога (nikoga) – should be used with “не“	never
не мога (ne moga)	I cannot
не трябва (ne tryabva)	should not / must not

Examples:

• Нищо не ми трябва.
  (Nishto ne mi tryabva.)
  I don’t need anything.

• Никой не идва.
  (Nikoy ne idva.)
  Nobody is coming.

• Никога не закъснявам.
  (Nikoga ne zakasnyavam.)
  I’m never late.

• Аз не мога да дойда на работа днес.
  (Az ne moga da doyda na rabota dnes.)
  I can’t come to work today.

• Не трябва да работя много.
  (Ne tryabva da rabotya mnogo.)
  I don’t have to work hard.

Practical exercise: Negating words and phrases

Make the following sentences negative in Bulgarian by adding the negative words in parentheses to them. Hint: Don’t forget to add the negative particle не.

• Разбирам. (add нищо)
  (Razbiram.)
  I understand.

• Говоря с непознати. (add никога)
  (Govorya s nepoznati.)
  I’m talking to strangers.

• Чува какво говоря. (add никой)
  (Chuva kakvo govorya.)
  He hears what I’m saying.

5. Double Negatives

Double negatives are typical in the Bulgarian language. As we saw in the previous section, the negative pronouns (like никой) can only be used with the negative form of the verb.

• Никой престъпник не остава ненаказан.
  (Nikoy prestapnik ne ostava nenakazan.)
  No criminal goes unpunished.

In the sentence above, the Bulgarian negative pronoun (никой) is equivalent to the English word “no.”

• Нищо не виждам в тъмното.
  (Nishto ne vizhdam v tamnoto.)
  I don’t see anything in the dark.

• Не приемам никакви предложения.
  (Ne priemam nikakvi predlozheniya.)
  I do not accept any suggestions.

6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this overview of Bulgarian negation to help you better understand how it works so you can start using it in your daily conversations with Bulgarians. We believe that this explanation and the exercises we provided can help you quickly overcome the language barrier and start speaking freely.

If you feel like you need some additional help for that, you can check out our MyTeacher service, which allows you to study and practice with your own personal Bulgarian tutor. He or she can help give you the confidence you need to start speaking Bulgarian on your own. 

Before you go: Did you find these practical exercises challenging? What exactly did you find most challenging about them? We would love to hear from you, so please share your thoughts in the comments below. 

And now, it’s time to check your answers!

7. Answers to the Practical Exercises

Answers to practical exercise: Making affirmative statements negative

• Аз не обичам да ходя на ресторант.
  (Az ne obicham da hodya na restorant.)
  I don’t like going to restaurants.

• Тя не живее в къща.
  (Tya ne zhivee v kashta.)
  She doesn’t live in a house.

• Те не работят в тази фирма.
  (Te ne rabotyat v tazi firma.)
  They don’t work for this company.

Answers to practical exercise: Negate a statement in the future tense

• Утре няма да ходя на ресторант.
  (Utre nyama da hodya na restorant.)
  I’m not going to a restaurant tomorrow.

• Тя няма да живее в тази къща.
  (Tya nyama da zhivee v tazi kashta.)
  She will not live in this house.

• Те няма да работят в тази фирма.
  (Te nyama da rabotyat v tazi firma.)
  They will not work for this company.

Answers to practical exercise: Making negative sentences with the verb “to bе”

• Колата не е бърза.
  (Kolata ne e barza.)
  The car is not fast.

• Времето не е хубаво.
  (Vremeto ne e hubavo.)
  The weather is not nice.

• Хората не са добри.
  (Horata ne sa dobri.)
  People are not good.

• Те не са мълчаливи днес.
  (Te ne sa malchalivi dnes.)
  They are not silent today.

Answers to practical exercise: Giving a negative response to a question

• Ти помагаш ли му?
  (Ti pomagash li mu?)
  Are you helping him?

– Не, не му помагам.
   (Ne, ne mu pomagam.)
   No, I’m not helping him.

• Ти учиш ли?
  (Ti uchish li?)
  Do you study?

– Не, не уча.
   (Ne, ne ucha.)
   No, I’m not studying.

• Ти знаеш ли това?
  (Ti znaesh li tova?)
  Do you know that?

– Не, не зная това.
   (Ne, ne znaya tova.)
   No, I don’t know that.

• Ти млад ли си?
  (Ti mlad li si?)
  Are you young?

– Не, не съм млад.
   (Ne, ne sam mlad.)
   No, I’m not young.

★ One more task:

masculine	feminine
Ти млад ли си? (Ti mlad li si?) Are you young?	Ти млада ли си? (Ti mladа li si?) Are you young?
Не, не съм млад. (Ne, ne sam mlad.) No, I’m not young.	Не, не съм млада. (Ne, ne sam mlada.) No, I’m not young.

Answers to practical exercise: Negating words and phrases

• Нищо не разбирам.
  (Nishto ne razbiram.)
  I do not understand anything.

• Никога не говоря с непознати.
  (Nikoga ne govorya s nepoznati.)
  I never talk to strangers.

• Никой не чува какво говоря.
  (Nikoy ne chuva kakvo govorya.)
  Nobody hears what I’m saying.

Have you ever thought of learning Bulgarian as an impossible task? Or maybe you’re thinking about studying the language, but want to make sure it’s actually worth the effort?

Well, BulgarianPod101 is here to encourage you and assure you that it’s both possible and beneficial to study Bulgarian. All it takes is some regular and purposeful effort on your part, and you can begin to reap the numerous advantages this knowledge will bring you. 

Today we’ll answer the question, “Why learn Bulgarian?” by outlining the top 10 reasons that knowing this language will benefit your life. 

Knowing why you should learn Bulgarian is important because…

→ …it can give you extra motivation to get through the harder periods of your language studies.
→ …you’ll realize that learning Bulgarian has multiple benefits and is worth your current efforts.
→ …if any of the reasons we list matches your goal, you’ll know that you’re on the right path toward reaching it successfully.

Table of Contents

1. Reason #1: Bulgaria has a rich culture and history.
2. Reason #2: Knowing the Bulgarian language will help you understand other Slavic languages.
3. Reason #3: You’ll be able to make friends with Bulgarians.
4. Reason #4: Language learning improves overall brain health.
5. Reason #5: You’ll get better acquainted with the Bulgarian cuisine.
6. Reason #6: Knowing Bulgarian will bring you more business opportunities.
7. Reason #7: You can use your language skills to impress a Bulgarian spouse or partner.
8. Reason #8: You’ll have better travel experiences.
9. Reason #9: There will be more opportunities to live in rural Bulgaria.
10. Reason #10: It has never been easier to learn Bulgarian!
11. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

Reason #1: Bulgaria has a rich culture and history.

Learning the Bulgarian language presents a great opportunity for learners to get acquainted with the unique culture and people of Bulgaria. And let us tell you: Bulgaria has a rich and exciting history! 

Bulgarian history dates back to at least 1500 BC, when the ancient Thracians inhabited this land. The Thracians were later followed by the Romans and the Greeks. 

The following migration of the Slavs and Bulgars played an important role in forming the Old Great Bulgaria, and later, the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD. This empire lasted until 1018, when the Byzantine Empire occupied its territory. After Bulgaria was liberated in 1185, the Second Bulgarian Empire was formed, which succeeded in making the nation great again. 

Unfortunately, it lasted for only two centuries and Bulgaria was occupied again in 1396—this time by the Ottomans. The Ottoman yoke lasted for five long centuries before the country was liberated in 1878 by the Russian army, which helped Bulgarian patriots after the failure of the April Uprising in 1876. After the liberation of Bulgaria, the beginning of the Third Bulgarian State started.

There are multiple artifacts that speak of the mix of cultures, nations, and tribes that once lived in this land. In fact, they serve as a Holy Grail of sorts for today’s archaeologists, paleontologists, and the scientific community as a whole. Some examples of artifacts include:

• Ancient churches
• Fortresses
• Tombs
• Roman baths
• Parts of walls
• Stadiums
• Ancient theatres 

In addition, Bulgaria features nine attractions that are included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Reason #2: Knowing the Bulgarian language will help you understand other Slavic languages.

Bulgarian is part of the Slavic language family, namely its southern branch, which also includes the following languages: 

• Serbian
• Macedonian
• Slovenian
• Bosnian

Knowing Bulgarian will give you a key that allows you to access all of these languages. In other words: If you understand Bulgarian, you’ll have a much easier time learning languages of the same branch.

Of course, knowing either Bulgarian or one of the other Slavic languages will make your travel experiences much smoother and more fulfilling. Skills in one of these languages will allow you to visit Bulgaria, the Balkans, and even one of the following countries that have large groups of Bulgarian speakers:

• Turkey
• Kosovo
• Moldova
• Romania
• Greece
• Serbia
• Albania
• Ukraine
• Macedonia 

Some other countries with fairly large Bulgarian-speaking groups are Spain, the United States, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Reason #3: You’ll be able to make friends with Bulgarians.

One of the most exciting perks of learning a foreign language is the ability to communicate with and befriend the local people. This is also a great way to immerse yourself even deeper into their culture.

The more phrases you learn, the easier it will be to communicate with Bulgarian people. Although many Bulgarians (especially the younger generations) speak English fluently, speaking to them in their own language will make it easier to form strong, meaningful bonds with them. On the other hand, having Bulgarian friends is a great opportunity to practice your speaking and listening skills in real life!

→ BulgarianPod101 provides you with a list of the top 15 Bulgarian questions to know for your future conversations with Bulgarians. Check it out for some inspiration!

Reason #4: Language learning improves overall brain health.

Mastering a second or third language is advantageous for your brain health and function. So while learning a foreign language is both fun and fascinating, it’s also worth the effort in terms of the mental benefits you’ll gain. These include: 

• An enhanced memory 
• A stronger ability to make connections
• Better problem-solving skills 

Language learning is a challenge that’s certainly good for the brain!

Reason #5: You’ll get better acquainted with the Bulgarian cuisine.

Bulgaria is known for the longevity of its people. Research shows that one of the reasons Bulgarians tend to live so long is their regular consumption of Bulgarian yogurt, especially the homemade kind. 

Tourists can try authentic Bulgarian yogurt (and plenty of other traditional dishes) when they visit the more rural areas of Bulgaria. That said, most people living in these areas do not know English, so communicating with them would be difficult without knowing at least a little Bulgarian. 

If you visit these places during a national holiday, you might even be invited into their homes for a dinner, as Bulgarian villagers are very hospitable and open to foreigners. Knowing Bulgarian will make this a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Reason #6: Knowing Bulgarian will bring you more business opportunities.

Thanks to the rapid economic growth in Bulgaria and the country’s status as an increasingly attractive tourist destination, the country has become a hub for multiple business opportunities. The business potential in this country is huge, with job and investment potential in numerous sectors including: 

• The IT field
• Tourism
• Education
• Real estate
• New business development

These conditions and opportunities provide favorable conditions for multiple business industries, including eco products and manufacturing.

Bulgarian and foreign investors gather annually at the special trading fairs and meetings that allow them to enhance their field of influence while meeting new partners and prospects. Even though English is spoken widely at such events, foreigners who speak Bulgarian have a clear advantage as they can better communicate with local business people.

→ In the following 15-minute video, you’ll learn some great business phrases that you might need during your meetings with Bulgarian business people:

Reason #7: You can use your language skills to impress a Bulgarian spouse or partner.

One of the sweetest reasons to learn Bulgarian is to impress your Bulgarian spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend. They’ll definitely appreciate your efforts and will double their support in helping you learn the language faster. The first phrase you should learn?

• Обичам те!
  Obicham te!
  I love you!

Better still, being able to speak the language fluently will certainly impress your Bulgarian partner’s parents! Try a phrase like this, and see what happens:

• Приятно ми е да се запознаем!
  Priyatno mi e da se zapoznaem!
  Nice to meet you!

And there is your key to winning their hearts.

Reason #8: You’ll have better travel experiences.

Learning some basic Bulgarian will enhance your travel experiences in the country. After all, you never know when you’ll need to ask someone for help! In these types of situations, you should definitely know at least the very basics, such as:

• Къде е ресторантът?
  Kade e restorantat?
  Where is the restaurant?

• Къде е тоалетната?
  Kade e toaletnata?
  Where is the toilet?

• Къде е болницата?  
  Kade e bolnitsata?
  Where is the hospital?

In addition, there are some signs that are printed only in Bulgarian letters, so it’s good to know how to read the Bulgarian alphabet. This will be super-helpful when it comes to understanding directions.

→ BulgarianPod101 offers an Absolute Beginner Pathway, from which you can easily learn the Bulgarian alphabet and more!

Reason #9: There will be more opportunities to live in rural Bulgaria.

Bulgarian villages have preserved ancient traditions and customs that cannot be seen in the big cities. In addition, these rural areas have an impressive combination of natural landscapes and clear air that can aid in stress reduction. Many foreigners visit these areas for at least a few days for the beautiful scenery and the emotional benefits it brings—some people even make the decision to live in these areas permanently! 

If this sounds like something you’d like to do yourself, knowing some Bulgarian will help you a lot when it comes to communicating with the locals. Bulgarian villagers are very warm-hearted and would gladly help you with whatever you need, but very few of them can speak other languages. For this reason, learning Bulgarian will be quite worth it!

Reason #10: It has never been easier to learn Bulgarian!

Have you come this far and are still wondering why to learn Bulgarian?

Well, thanks to modern technologies, it’s so much easier to learn the Bulgarian language now compared to a few decades ago. Imagine if there was no internet…no online tutorials, guides, educational materials, or teachers! We would have to go back to paper dictionaries and textbooks, with grammar explanations that take a long time to study. 

The Bulgarian language may not have changed much, but our available learning resources and methods have! 

Our present-day technologies allow you to learn new languages completely online, at your own pace, and using the methods that best suit you. BulgarianPod101, for example, provides a variety of free lessons and vocabulary lists that are designed to help you gradually improve your Bulgarian. We help you learn all five core elements (reading, writing, listening, speaking, conversation) simultaneously!

Of course, you can also supplement your learning nowadays through a variety of means that were not previously available, such as Bulgarian TV shows and YouTube channels.

11. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

BulgarianPod101 prepared this review of the top 10 reasons to learn Bulgarian in order to motivate you in your language learning journey. We hope you’ll now be able to move forward with your Bulgarian studies with even greater confidence.

If you’re ready to commit, create your free lifetime account with BulgarianPod101 and start learning real Bulgarian today. We also offer a great free app that allows you to take BulgarianPod101 with you wherever you go. This innovative app will give you access to hundreds of entertaining audio and video lessons taught by real Bulgarian teachers.

If you’d prefer to have a personal tutor who can explain everything in greater detail and help you advance even faster, you can upgrade to Premium PLUS and choose a professional from our MyTeacher service. With your teacher, you’ll be able to more easily understand all language specifics, including grammar rules (and exceptions), vocabulary, and pronunciation. 

Before you go: Did any of the reasons we listed inspire you to start learning, or are you still on the fence? Or maybe you have your own reason for learning that we didn’t mention! Let us know in the comments, because we always love to hear from you. 

Happy learning!

Even if you have a solid vocabulary base, your communication is going to be quite limited unless you know how to use tenses. While they may seem intimidating, studying the Bulgarian tenses will open up a whole new world to you and fill your life with so many different possibilities. 

Just imagine: Being able to talk about the present, past, and future will allow you to tell your Bulgarian friend what you’re up to at the moment, what happened yesterday, or what your plans are for the future. 

In this detailed guide, BulgarianPod101 will cover all nine verb tenses in Bulgarian grammar and provide you with examples of how to use them. We know that tenses are probably the hardest part of learning a foreign language, so we’ve tried to make our guide as simple and useful as possible. 

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

1. Bulgarian Language Specifics
2. Present Tense
3. Past Tenses
4. Future Tenses
5. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian Tenses

1. Bulgarian Language Specifics

Before we delve into verb tenses in the Bulgarian language, let’s take a look at three of the essential specifics that distinguish Bulgarian from most other languages.

No infinitive form

Instead of infinitive verb forms like those found in English, Russian, and many other languages, the Bulgarian language has a basic verb form that is first person singular, present tense. This means that when you look for specific verbs in the dictionary, you’ll find their forms for first person:

• говоря (govorya) – to talk / I talk
• чета (cheta) – to read / I read
• питам (pitam) – to ask / I ask
• отговарям (otgovariam) – to answer / I answer
• мисля (mislya) – to think / I think

Bulgarian verb conjugations

There are three verb conjugations in Bulgarian, categorized based on the stem form in third person singular, present tense. 

Conjugation	Stem vowel	Stem form (3rd pers., sing., present tense)	Base form (1st pers., sing., present tense)
1st	-е	чете	чета
2nd	-и	говори, мисли	говоря, мисля
3rd	-а, -я	пита, отговаря	питам, отговарям

Examples:

1st Conjugation

• Той чете интересна книга, а аз чета вестник.
  Toy chete interesna kniga, a az cheta vestnik.
  He reads an interesting book and I read a newspaper.

3rd Conjugation

• Аз питам, а той отговаря.
  As pitam, a toy otgovarya.
  I ask, and he answers.

★ Practical Exercise No. 1 – Conjugations

Determine the conjugation of the following words, placed in third person singular, present tense:

разбира (razbira), understands – Conjugation No. ____
знае (znae), knows – Conjugation No. ____
учи (uchi), studies – Conjugation No. ____
играе (razbira), plays – Conjugation No. ____
вярва (vyarva), believes – Conjugation No. ____
работи (raboti), works – Conjugation No. ____
мечтае (mechtae), dreams – Conjugation No. ____

➢ Here you can find 20 more Bulgarian verbs to learn and practice.

★ Practical Exercise No. 2 – Conjugations

Using the table from Bulgarian Verb Conjugations, try to translate the following sentence into Bulgarian:

                   She doesn’t speak, because she thinks a lot.

Bulgarian:

Bulgarian auxiliary verbs

The Bulgarian language features two auxiliary verbs: съм (sam) and ща (shta). Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

• съм (sam) – to be
  
  This verb is widely used in constructing complex verb forms. съм and its derivatives (for the past and future tenses) play an important role in forming different tenses.

• ща (shta) – to want
  
  This verb is used only for future tense forms. To form verbs in the future tense and the future perfect tense, its derivative ще (shtе), or “will,” should be used. Over time, this word has lost its meaning of “want to” and is now considered to be a particle meaning “will.”
  
  To form the other future tenses (Future in the Past & Future Perfect in the Past), which will be discussed below in detail, we need to use the aorist form of ща, which is щял (shtyal), meaning “would.”

Examples: 

➢ Аз съм учител.
    Az sam uchitel.
    I am a teacher. – Present Tense

➢ Като порасна, ще съм смел като татко.
    Kato porasna, shte sam smel kato tatko.
    When I grow up, I will be as brave as my daddy. – Future Tense

➢ Вчера бях у дома.
    Vchera byah u doma.
    Yesterday, I was at home. – Past Tense

→ BulgarianPod101 covers more important points related to Bulgarian grammar on our website!

2. Present Tense

It’s important to note that there is only one present tense in Bulgarian, which makes things easier. However, don’t forget that there are three conjugations in the Bulgarian language, so you’ll have to learn them in order to use the correct forms in the present tense. 

Here’s a comparison table with endings for all three Bulgarian present tense conjugations.

Personal pronouns	1st Conjugation (the verb “read“)	2nd Conjugation(the verb “speak“)	3rd Conjugation(the verb “ask“)
аз	чета (cheta)	говоря (govorya)	питам (pitam)
ти	четеш (chetesh)	говориш (govorish)	питаш (pitash)
той/тя/то	чете (chete)	говори (govori)	пита (pita)
ние	четем (chetem)	говорим (govorim)	питаме (pitame)
вие	четете (chetete)	говорите (govorite)	питате (pitate)
те	четат (chetat)	говорят (govoryat)	питат (pitat)

★ Practical Exercise No. 3 – Present Tense

Fill in all the forms of the following verbs in the present tense, based on their conjugation:

Personal pronouns	разбирам	зная	уча	мечтая	вярвам	играя
аз
ти
той/тя/то
ние
вие
те

Helpful Tip: Refer to Practical Exercise No. 1 for the correct conjugations. Then, use the endings of the correct conjugation to make the missing forms. You can find the correct answers at the end of this guide.  

Uses of the Bulgarian Present Tense

Here are a few things to keep in mind when studying the Bulgarian present tense and its uses.

1. The present tense in Bulgarian is equivalent to the English present simple tense. 

Examples:

➢ Аз говоря български език.
    Az govorya balgarski ezik.
    I speak the Bulgarian language.

➢ Обичам да чета книги.
    Obicham da cheta knigi.
    I love reading books.

➢ Често си мисля за теб!
    Chesto si mislya za teb!
    I often think about you!

2. The Bulgarian present tense, just like the English present simple tense, can be used to express habitual activities.

Examples:

➢ Всеки ден уча български език.
    Vseki den ucha balgarski ezik.
    I study Bulgarian every day.

➢ Чета по една българска книга всяка седмица.
    Cheta po edna balgarska kniga vsyaka sedmitsa.
    I read one Bulgarian book every week.

3. The Bulgarian present tense can also express the English present continuous tense.

Examples:

➢ Не ме безпокой, защото в момента чета интересна книга.
    Ne me bezpokoy, zashtoto v momenta cheta interesna kniga.
    Don’t bother me, because I’m reading an interesting book right now.

➢ Не ме прекъсвай, докато говоря с други хора.
    Ne me prekasvay, dokato govorya s drugi hora.
    Don’t interrupt me while I’m talking to other people.

4. Just like the English present continuous tense, the Bulgarian present tense can also be used to tell others about future activities we have planned.

Examples:

➢ Вечерта пътувам за София.
    Vecherta patuvam za Sofiya.
    I am traveling to Sofia tonight.

➢ Утре пристигам в Бургас.
    Utre pristigam v Burgas.
    I am arriving in Burgas tomorrow.

5. The Bulgarian present tense can act as an equivalent to the English present perfect continuous tense to express habitual activities, when the specific activities began in the past and continue to the present moment.

Examples:

➢ От три години уча този език.
    Ot tri godini ucha tozi ezik.
    I have been studying this language for three years.

➢ От месец чета тази книга, но още не съм я завършил.
    Ot mesets cheta tazi kniga, no oshte ne sam ya zavarshil.
    I have been reading this book for a month, but I have not finished it yet.

6. The Bulgarian present tense can be used to express historical events. In this case, it is equivalent to the past simple tense in English.

➢ Кирил и Методий създават славянската азбука през IX век.
    Kiril i Metodiy sazdavat slavyanskata azbuka prez IX vek.
    In the IX century, Cyril and Methodius created the Slavic alphabet.

➢ След смъртта на цар Симеон Велики, на престола се качва синът му Петър.
    Sled smartta na tsar Simeon Veliki, na prestola se kachva sinat mu Petar.
    After the death of King Simeon the Great, his son Peter ascended the throne.

3. Past Tenses

There are four Bulgarian past tenses: 

1. the past simple tense (also called aorist)
2. the past continuous tense
3. минало неопределено време (minalo neopredeleno vreme), equivalent to the present perfect tense
4. минало предварително време (minalo predvaritelno vreme), equivalent to the past perfect tense

Past Simple Tense (Aorist)

Aorist describes actions that happened at a definite moment in the past, and it corresponds to the English past simple tense. It’s formed with the stem vowel -и, -я, -о, or -а (if it follows the consonant ж, ч, or ш). The specific verb endings for this tense are given in the table below:

Personal pronouns	Endings for past simple tense
аз	– х
ти	–
той/тя/то	–
ние	-хме
вие	-хте
те	-ха

There’s no ending in the second or third person singular, which means that these forms will end in the stem vowel. 

Let’s make the past form of the verbs we already studied above:

• говоря (govorya) – to talk / I talk
• чета (cheta) – to read / I read
• питам (pitam) – to ask / I ask
• отговарям (otgovariam) – to answer / I answer
• мисля (mislya) – to think / I think

Personal pronouns	Verb with stem vowel -и	* Verb with stem vowel -о	Verb with stem vowel -а
аз	говорих	четох	питах
ти	говори	чете	пита
той/тя/то	говори	чете	пита
ние	говорихме	четохме	питахме
вие	говорихте	четохте	питахте
те	говориха	четоха	питаха

* Note that the word чета (четох) belongs to a special class of 23 verbs. Their stems end in д, т, з, с, or к and their stem vowel could be -о or -e in the second and third persons singular. 

Examples:

➢ Вчера цял ден четох интересна книга.
    Vchera tsyal den chetoh interesna kniga.
    Yesterday, I read an interesting book all day.

➢ Те ни питаха какво да ни купят за подарък.
    Te ni pitaha kakvo da ni kupyat za podarak.
    They asked us what to buy us as a gift.

★ Practical Exercise No. 4 – Past Simple Tense

Fill in all the forms of the following verbs in the past simple tense, based on their stem vowel:

Personal pronouns	Verb with stem vowel -и	Verb with stem vowel -и	Verb with stem vowel -а	Verb with stem vowel -а
аз	мислих	учих	мечтах	играх
ти
той/тя/то
ние
вие
те

Bonus exercise:

Try to form the past simple tense of the following verb, knowing that its stem vowel is -я:

•  успях (uspyah) – I succeeded

Personal pronouns	Verb with stem vowel -я
аз	успях
ти
той/тя/то
ние
вие
те

➢ Here’s an intriguing lesson from BulgarianPod101 about the past simple tense—check it out if you’d like to further explore this topic!

Past Imperfect Tense

The past imperfect tense describes a specific action, which was either in progress or incomplete at a definite moment in the past. It can be recognized when the following time phrases are used in the sentence:

• тогава (togava) – then
• по това време (po tova vreme) – at that time
• в този момент (v tozi moment) – in this moment

➢ По това време учениците седяха на масата и учеха.
    Po tova vreme uchenitsite sedyaha na masata i ucheha.
    At that time, the students were sitting at the table and studying.

Another usage of this tense is to express that the action is repeated in the past.

➢ Всеки вторник ходех в библиотеката и четях.
    Vseki vtornik hodeh v bibliotekata i chetyah.
    Every Tuesday, I was going to the library and reading.

Here are the endings for the past continuous tense:

Personal pronouns	Endings for past continuous tense
аз	-х
ти	-ше
той/тя/то	-ше
ние	-хме
вие	-хте
те	-ха

If you recall the endings for the past simple tense, you’ll notice that the only change comes in the second and third persons singular, where the ending -ше is added after the stem vowel. 

There are three stem vowels (-а, -я, -е) that can be used to form the past continuous tense. Let’s see how they’re formed using the verbs we saw above.

• говоря (govorya) – to talk / I talk
• чета (cheta) – to read / I read
• питам (pitam) – to ask / I ask
• отговарям (otgovariam) – to answer / I answer
• мисля (mislya) – to think / I think

Personal pronouns	Verb with stem vowel -а	Verb with stem vowel -я	Verb with stem vowel -е
аз	питах	четях	мислeх
ти	питаше	четеше	мислеше
той/тя/то	питаше	четеше	мислеше
ние	питахме	четяхме	мислeхме
вие	питахте	четяхте	мислeхте
те	питаха	четяха	мислeха

Examples:

➢ Дълго време четях тази голяма книга.
    Dalgo vreme chetyah tazi golyama kniga.
    I was reading this big book for a long time.

➢ За какво си мислеше, когато ти се обадих? 
    Za kakvo si misleshe, kogato ti se obadih?
    What were you thinking about when I called you?

➢ You can learn more about the past imperfect tense by going through our lesson An Unfortunate Accident in Bulgaria. 

★ Practical Exercise No. 5 – Past Continuous Tense

Fill in all the forms of the following verbs in the past continuous tense, based on their stem vowel:

Personal pronouns	Verb with stem vowel -я	Verb with stem vowel -е	Verb with stem vowel -а
аз	отговарях	учех	лежах
ти			*
той/тя/то			*
ние
вие
те

We added one new verb: 

• лежах (lezhah) – I was lying

* Note: The stem vowel for this verb is changed to -e in the second and third persons singular.

Минало неопределено време (minalo neopredeleno vreme) – Present Perfect Tense

This tense is used to describe an action that has taken place in the past, but its result continues in the present. Just like the English present perfect tense, the Bulgarian минало неопределено време tense uses a compound form of the verb съм (to be) in the present tense and the past active participle of the completed form. 

Examples:

➢ Гостите са дошли у нас.
    Gostite sa doshli u nas.
    The guests have come to us.

    [meaning that they are still in our house]

➢ Някой е взел учебника ми.
    Nyakoy e vzel uchebnika mi.
    Somebody has taken my textbook.

    [meaning that the textbook is still missing]

Let’s see in the table how it’s formed:

Personal pronouns	Endings for present perfect tense (Минало неопределено време)
аз	съм   -л (-а, -о)*
ти	си    -л (-а, -о)*
той тя то	е      -л е      -ла е      -ло
ние	сме   -ли
вие	сте   -ли
те	са    -ли

* For the first and second persons, the ending will depend on the gender:

•  Without vowel – for masculine gender
• -а – for feminine gender 
• -о – for neuter gender

Let’s see how to form a few of our verbs into минало неопределено време. You can try the rest of them yourself in the Practical Exercise below.

• говоря (govorya) – to talk / I talk
• чета (cheta) – to read / I read
• питам (pitam) – to ask / I ask
• отговарям (otgovariam) – to answer / I answer
• мисля (mislya) – to think / I think

Personal pronouns	чета	говоря
аз	съм чел/а/о	съм говорил/а/о
ти	си чел/а/о	си говорил/а/о
той тя то	е     чел  е     чела  е     чело	е     говорил  е     говорила  е     говорило
ние	сме чели	сме говорили
вие	сте чели	сте говорили
те	са чели	са говорили

★ Practical Exercise No. 6 – Present Perfect Tense (минало неопределено време)

Fill in all the forms of the following verbs in the present perfect tense (минало неопределено време), based on their stem vowel:

Personal pronouns	питам	отговарям	мисля
аз	съм питал/а/о	съм отговорил/а/о	съм мислил/а/о
ти
тойтято
ние
вие
те

Минало предварително време (minalo predvaritelno vreme) – Past Perfect Tense

This tense is formed using the forms of the past continuous tense of the verb съм (to be) and the past active participle of the completed form. So the verb forms remain the same as those described above for the Bulgarian минало неопределено време. The only change is in the verb съм, which is used in its past continuous tense: бях (byah).

It’s used to show that an action was completed before another action or moment in the past, which is mentioned or implied. The result of the action affects that past moment.

Examples:

➢ Когато влязох, тя вече беше чела писмото.
    Kogato vlyazoh, tya veche beshe chela pismoto.
    When I entered, she had already read the letter.

➢ Преди да дойда, той вече беше купил билети за киното.
    Predi da doyda, toy veche beshe kupil bileti za kinoto.
    Before I came, he had already bought tickets for the movie.

Let’s see how it’s formed:

Personal pronouns	Endings for past perfect tense (Минало предварително време)
аз	бях  -л (-а, -о)*
ти	беше   -л (-а, -о)*
той тя то	беше      -л    беше      -ла    беше      -ло
ние	бяхме  -ли
вие	бяхте  -ли
те	бяха   -ли

* For the first and second persons, the ending will depend on the gender:

•  Without vowel – for masculine gender
• -а – for feminine gender 
• -о – for neuter gender

Let’s see how to form a few of our verbs into минало предварително време. You can try the rest of them yourself in the Practical Exercise below.

• говоря (govorya) – to talk / I talk
• чета (cheta) – to read / I read
• питам (pitam) – to ask / I ask
• отговарям (otgovariam) – to answer / I answer
• мисля (mislya) – to think / I think

Personal pronouns	чета	говоря
аз	бях чел/а/о	бях говорил/а/о
ти	беше чел/а/о	беше говорил/а/о
той тя то	беше     чел  беше     чела  беше     чело	беше     говорил  беше     говорила  беше     говорило
ние	бяхме чели	бяхме говорили
вие	бяхте чели	бяхте говорили
те	бяха чели	бяха говорили

★ Practical Exercise No. 7 – Past Perfect Tense (минало предварително време)

Fill in all the forms of the following verbs in the past perfect tense (минало предварително време), based on their stem vowel:

Personal pronouns	питам	отговарям	мисля
аз	бях питал/а/о	бях отговорил/а/о	бях мислил/а/о
ти
той тя то
ние
вие
те

4. Future Tenses

There are four Bulgarian future tenses: 

• Future Tense
• Future Perfect Tense
• Future in the Past Tense
• бъдеще предварително време в миналото (badeshte predvaritelno vreme v minaloto) – Future Preliminary Tense in the Past

That last one can be described as past future perfect or future perfect in the past.

Future Tense

The Bulgarian future tense is very easy to form. Just take the present simple tense of the verb and place the particle ще (shte), meaning “will,” before the verb form.

Examples:

➢ Утре ще отида на кино.
    Utre shte otida na kino.
    Tomorrow, I will go to the cinema.

➢ Вечерта ще уча български език.
    Vecherta shte ucha balgarski ezik.
    In the evening, I will study the Bulgarian language.

When negating a verb in the future tense, the impersonal verb няма and the particle да are placed before the present tense verb.

Examples:

➢ Аз няма да дойда.
    Az nyama da doyda.
    I will not come.

➢ Те няма да четат от книгата днес.
    Te nyama da chetat ot knigata dnes.
    They will not read from the book today.

The Bulgarian future tense corresponds to both the future and future progressive tenses in English.

Let’s see how to form a few of our verbs in the future tense. You can try the rest of them for yourself in the Practical Exercise below.

• говоря (govorya) – to talk / I talk
• чета (cheta) – to read / I read
• питам (pitam) – to ask / I ask
• отговарям (otgovariam) – to answer / I answer
• мисля (mislya) – to think / I think

Personal pronouns	1st  Conjugation	2nd Conjugation	3rd Conjugation
аз	ще чета	ще говоря	ще питам
ти	ще четеш	ще говориш	ще питаш
той/тя/то	ще чете	ще говори	ще пита
ние	ще четем	ще говорим	ще питаме
вие	ще четете	ще говорите	ще питате
те	ще четат	ще говорят	ще питат

★ Practical Exercise No. 8 – Future Tense

If you’ve already filled this table for the present tense exercise, it will be very easy for you to form the future tense:

Personal pronouns	разбирам	зная	уча	мечтая	вярвам	играя
аз
ти
той/тя/то
ние
вие
те

→ Visit our lesson Making an Appointment in Bulgarian to learn how to use the future tense to make plans!

Future Perfect Tense

In Bulgarian, the future perfect tense is called бъдеще предварително време (badeshte predvaritelno vreme). It’s formed using the particle for future tense (ще), the verb съм (to be), and the past active completed participle of the main verb. 

It expresses a future action, which will have been completed by a given future moment. The result of the action affects that future moment. This tense corresponds to the English future perfect tense. 

Examples:

➢ До утре вечер ще съм прочел цялата книга.
    Do utre vecher shte sam prochel tsyalata kniga.
    I will have read the whole book by tomorrow night.

➢ До тогава хората ще са променили природата.
    Do togava horata shte sa promenili prirodata.
    Until then, people will have changed nature.

It’s easy to form this tense, assuming you’ve already learned how to form минало предварително време. The only difference is that we add the particle ще to the forms.

Personal pronouns	чета	говоря
аз	ще съм чел/а/о	ще съм говорил/а/о
ти	ще си чел/а/о	ще си говорил/а/о
той тя то	ще е     чел ще е     чела ще е     чело	ще е     говорил  ще е     говорила  ще е     говорило
ние	ще сме чели	ще сме говорили
вие	ще сте чели	ще сте говорили
те	ще са чели	ще са говорили

★ Practical Exercise No. 9 – Future Perfect Tense (бъдеще предварително време)

Fill in all the forms of the following verbs in the future perfect tense (бъдеще предварително време), based on their stem vowel:

Personal pronouns	питам	отговарям	мисля
аз	ще съм питал/а/о	ще съм отговорил/а/о	ще съм мислил/а/о
ти
тойтято
ние
вие
те

Future in the Past Tense

Бъдеще време в миналото (Badeshte vreme v minaloto) is expressed using compound forms. It’s formed using the auxiliary verb ща in the past continuous tense (щях), the particle да, and the main verb in the present simple tense. 

Examples:

➢ Щях да чета.
    Shtyah da cheta.
    I would (was going to) read.

➢ Щях да пея.
    Shtyah da peya.
    I would (was going to) sing.

The negative form is expressed using нямаше (nyamashe), which is not conjugated for the person or number, plus the particle да and the main verb in the present simple tense. 

Examples:

➢ Нямаше да чета.
    Niamashe da cheta.
    I would not (was not going to) read.

➢ Нямаше да пея.
    Niamashe da peya.
    I would not (was not going to) sing.

This tense expresses an action in the past, which has taken place after another moment in the past. It corresponds to the English future in the past tense. 

Examples:

➢ Те щяха да прекарат лятото на това място.
    Te shtyaha da prekarat lyatoto na tova myastо.
    They were going to spend the summer in this place.

➢ Влакът щеше да тръгне след 5 минути.
    Vlakat shteshe da tragne sled 5 minuti.
    The train was going to leave in 5 minutes.

Let’s see how to form a few of our verbs in the future in the past tense. You can try the rest of them for yourself in the Practical Exercise below.

• говоря (govorya) – to talk / I talk
• чета (cheta) – to read / I read
• питам (pitam) – to ask / I ask
• отговарям (otgovariam) – to answer / I answer
• мисля (mislya) – to think / I think

Personal pronouns	1st  Conjugation	2nd Conjugation	3rd Conjugation
аз	щях да чета	щях да говоря	щях да питам
ти	щеше да четеш	щеше да говориш	щеше да питаш
той/тя/то	щеше да чете	щеше да говори	щеше да пита
ние	щяхме да четем	щяхме да говорим	щяхме да питаме
вие	щяхте да четете	щяхте да говорите	щяхте да питате
те	щяха да четат	щяха да говорят	щяха да питат

★ Practical Exercise No. 10 – Future in the Past Tense

If you’ve already filled in this table for the present tense, use the table above to form the future in the past tense:

Personal pronouns	разбирам	зная	вярвам	играя
аз
ти
той/тя/то
ние
вие
те

Past Future Perfect

Бъдеще предварително време в миналото (badeshte predvaritelno vreme v minaloto), or future preliminary tense in the past, can be described as “past future perfect” or “future perfect in the past.” This is the most complex compound tense.

It represents an action in its relation to a past moment the same way that the simple future tense presents it in relation to the moment of speaking. In other words, these forms mean that the action has passed in relation to a certain past moment, which in turn is forthcoming (future) for the past moment in question.

Let’s give an example:

➢ Ако не беше закъснял толкова, досега щяхме да сме излезли.
    Ako ne beshe zakasnyal tolkova, dosega shtyahme da sme izlezli.
    If he hadn’t been so late, we would have been out by now.

It’s formed using the auxiliary verb ща in the past continuous tense (щях), the particle да, the verb съм in the present tense, and the main verb in the present simple tense. This tense is rarely used because of its complex compound form, but to make this guide complete, we’ll show you how to form it just in case:

Personal pronouns	чета	говоря
аз	щях да съм чел/а/о	щях да съм говорил/а/о
ти	щеше да си чел/а/о	щеше да си говорил/а/о
той тя то	щеше да е     чел щеше да е     чела щеше да е     чело	щеше да е     говорил  щеше да е     говорила  щеше да е     говорило
ние	щяхме да сме чели	щяхме да сме говорили
вие	щяхте да сте чели	щяхте да сте говорили
те	щяха да са чели	щяха да са говорили

★ Practical Exercise No. 11 – Past Future Perfect Tense

Try to create the forms of the following verbs in the past future perfect tense:

Personal pronouns	питам	отговарям	мисля
аз	щях да съм питал/а/о	щях да съм отговорил/а/о	щях да съм мислил/а/о
ти
тойтято
ние
вие
те

5. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian Tenses

We hope you found our overview of Bulgarian verb tenses useful and practical for your study needs. At BulgarianPod101, we always strive to help our students learn Bulgarian in the fastest, easiest, and most effective way possible. 

We provide our students with plenty of lessons in both audio and video formats, in addition to our themed vocabulary lists, Bulgarian-English dictionary, and other free resources. But if you feel like you need a personal coach who can explain the Bulgarian tenses to you in greater detail and practice them with you, consider creating a Premium PLUS account to utilize our MyTeacher service. This service gives you your own personal tutor, who can help you learn and practice at your own pace! 

Before you go: Did you find the practical exercises throughout this article easy, or were they a bit difficult? Remember that you can find the answers for each exercise below. 

Happy learning!