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A popular François de la Rochefoucauld quote states: “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” Well, although this guide is not about the art of preparing food intelligently, it will get you acquainted with the most common restaurant phrases in Bulgarian that will help you order your food and eat “intelligently” while you are in Bulgaria.

BulgarianPod101 will help you gain more confidence when you have to book a table in a Bulgarian restaurant, ask for a menu, order foods and drinks or ask for the bill by helping you learn a lot of travel phrases. It provides you with some useful dialogues as examples that will help you see how to use the basic Bulgarian restaurant phrases in a context.

Thus, apart from tasting the best Bulgarian national dishes, your time eating out in Bulgaria can become a practical exercise that will help you further develop comprehensive Bulgarian speaking skills. This ultimate guide that includes useful Bulgarian restaurant conversation phrases and some great Bulgarian learning tips will take you through all the stages – from entering a chosen restaurant to saying goodbye.

Table of Contents

1. How to book a table in a restaurant?
2. What to say when you enter a restaurant?
3. It’s time to order
4. It’s time to pay the bill
5. For people with special nutritional considerations
6. What types of restaurants can you find in Bulgaria?
7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian?

1. How to book a table in a restaurant?

Let’s start first with the right way to book a table in a Bulgarian restaurant. We will provide you with a list of Bulgarian restaurant phrases for booking a table and then a dialogue example that shows exactly how to use these phrases during a real phone conversation.

A- List of Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases

Keep in mind that many of these suggested phrases are models. We provide different choices for each model for you to choose from based on your specific situation.

Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases	Pronunciation	English translation
Маса за … (двама, трима, четирима), моля!	Masa za … (dvama, trima, chetirima), molya!	Table for … (two, three, four), please!
Мога ли да резервирам маса за …. (понеделник/вторник/сряда/ четвъртък/петък/събота/неделя) вечерта?	Moga li da rezerviram masa za …. (ponedelnik/vtornik/sryada/ chetvartak/petak/sabota/nedelya) vecherta?	Can I book a table for …. (Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday) evening?
Имате ли свободна маса… (в залата за непушачи/на терасата/до прозореца)?	Imate li svobodna masa… (v zalata za nepushachi/na terasata/do prozoretsa)?	Do you have a free table… (in the non-smoking area/on the balcony/by the window)?
Имате ли свободна маса за… (6 / 7/ 8/ 9) часа вечерта днес?	Imate li svobodna masa za … (shest/sedem/osem/devet) chasa vecherta dnes?	Do you have a free table for (6 / 7/ 8/ 9) pm tonight?
Искам да резервирам маса за вторник от 5 часа вечерта.	Iskam da rezerviram masa za vtornik ot 5 chasa vecherta.	I want to book a table for Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Необходимо ли е предварително заплащане за резервацията?	Neobhodimo li e predvaritelno zaplashtane za rezervatsiyata?	Is paying in advance required for the reservation?
Моля, потвърдете резервацията ми за маса в ресторанта.	Molya, potvardete rezervatsiyata mi za masa v restoranta.	Please confirm my table reservation at the restaurant.

➜ You can take a look at the guide on telling time in Bulgarian if you are not sure how to say the exact time in Bulgarian for which you need to book a table in a restaurant.

B- Dialogue Example

• Здравейте, мога ли да запазя маса за двама?
  Zdraveiyte, moga li da zapazya masa za dvama?
  Hello, can I reserve a table for two?

• Разбира се, за кога ви трябва?
  Razbira se, za koga vi tryabva?
  Of course, when do you need it?

• За вторник от 7 часа вечерта.
  Za vtornik ot sedem chasa vecherta.
  On Tuesday at 7 p.m.

• Къде предпочитате да е разположена – вътре или на терасата?
  Kade predpochitate da e razpolozhena – vatre ili na terasata?
  Where would you prefer it to be – indoors or on the balcony?

• Предпочитам вътрешна маса, до прозореца!
  Predpochitam vatreshna masa, do prozoretsa!
  I prefer an indoor table by the window!

• Масата Ви е резервирана!
  Masata Vi e rezervirana!
  Your table is booked!

• Много благодаря!
  Mnogo blagodarya!
  Thank you very much!

2. What to say when you enter a restaurant?

Let’s assume that you have booked your table in a restaurant and you enter the chosen Bulgarian restaurant at the appointed time. What can you say in that case?

A- List of Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases

Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases	Pronunciation	English translation
Имам резервирана маса за 7 часа.	Imam rezervirana masa za sedem chasa!	I booked a table for 7 pm.
Казвам се Джон Смит.	Kazvam se Dzhon Smit.	My name is John Smith.
Благодаря!	Blagodarya	Thank you!

Now let’s see how these phrases are used in a conversation.

B- Dialogue Example

• Здравейте, имам резервирана маса за 7 часа.
  Zdraveiyte, Imam rezervirana masa za sedem chasa.
  Hello, I booked a table for 7 pm.

• Здравейте, Вашето име, моля?
  Zdraveiyte, Vasheto ime, molya?
  Hello, your name, please?

• Джон Смит. 
  Dzhon Smit.
  John Smith.

• Г-н Смит, Вашата маса е ето там. Заповядайте!
  Gospodin Smit, Vashata masa e eto tam. Zapovyadayte!
  Mr. Smith, your table is over there. Come on in!

• Благодаря!
  Blagodarya!
  Thanks!

➜ This lesson prepared by BulgarianPod101 will help you answer the first question you are asked at a restaurant.

3. It’s time to order

When you have taken a seat at your booked table, it is time to order. How to do that the correct way? Let’s start with the very first phrases.

A- How to start?

Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases	Pronunciation	English translation
Може ли менюто, ако обичате?	Mozhe li menyuto, ako obichate?	Can I have the menu, please?
Мога ли да получа менюто?	Moga li da polucha menyuto?	Can I have the menu?
Менюто, ако обичате!	Menyuto, ako obichate!	The menu, please!

Now let’s see how these phrases are used in a conversation.

B- Dialogue Example

• Може ли менюто, ако обичате?
  Mozhe li menyuto, ako obichate?
  Can I have the menu, please?

• Разбира се! Ето, заповядайте! След малко ще се върна за поръчката.
  Razbira se! Eto, zapovyadayte! Sled malko shte se varna za porachkata.
  Of course! Here you are! I’ll be back for the order in a moment.

➜ You can find even more useful Bulgarian phrases on how to place an order in a restaurant in this lesson.

C- How to order drinks?

 Let’s start with a list of drinks in Bulgarian that you can use when you order drinks:

Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases	Pronunciation	English translation
бира	bira	beer
вино	vino	wine
безалкохолна напитка	bezalkoholna napitka	soft-drink
минерална вода	mineralna voda	mineral water
сок	sok	juice
чай	chay	tea
уиски	uiski	whiskey
айрян	ayryan	ayran

➜ Learn about Bulgarian beverages in the following lesson.

D- Dialogue Example

• Желаете ли нещо за пиене?
  Zhelaete li neshto za piene?
  Would you like something to drink?

• Да, за мен портокалов сок, ако обичате, а за жена ми – един айрян.
  Da, za men portokalov sok, ako obichate, a za zhena mi – edin ayryan.
  Yes, for me, orange juice, please, and for my wife – ayran.

E- How to order food?

Here is a list of basic Bulgarian restaurant words and phrases that you can use to order food in a restaurant.

Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases	Pronunciation	English translation
специалитетът на заведението	spetsialitetat na zavedenieto	the specialty of the restaurant
първо	parvo	first course
второ	vtoro	second course
десерт	desert	dessert
супа	supa	soup
искам да поръчам	iskam da poracham	I’d like to order

➜ You are not sure how to order your favorite Bulgarian dish? Then, take a look at this lesson prepared by BulgarianPod101.

F- Dialogue Example

• Избрахте ли си нещо за ядене?
  Izbrahte li si neshto za yadene?
  Did you choose something to eat?

• Да, за първо супа топчета за двама, ако обичате.
  Da, za parvo supa topcheta za dvama, ako obichate.
  Yes, for the first course a meatball soup for two, please.

• Добре, прието. За второ?
  Dobre, prieto. Za vtoro?
  Okay, I am writing it down. For the second course?

• Може ли да ми препоръчате нещо?
  Mozhe li da mi preporachate neshto?
  Can you recommend something to me?

• Мога да Ви препоръчам специалитета на заведението – гювече на фурна.
  Moga da Vi preporacham spetsialiteta na zavedenieto – gyuveche na furna.
  I can recommend the specialty of the restaurant – casserole in the oven.

• Чудесно, нека за второ бъде гювече на фурна за двама.
  Chudesno, neka za vtoro bade gyuveche na furna za dvama.
  Great, let the second course be a casserole in the oven for two.

• Искате ли нещо за десерт?
  Iskate li neshto za desert?
  Would you like something for dessert?

• Да, две парчета бисквитена торта.
  Da, dve parcheta biskvitena torta.
  Yes, two pieces of biscuit cake.

• Желаете ли още нещо?
  Zhelaete li oshte neshto?
  Would you like something else?

• Не, това е всичко. Благодаря.
  Ne, tova e vsichko. Blagodarya.
  No, that’s all. Thanks.

• И аз благодаря. Поръчката Ви е приета.
  I az blagodarya. Porachkata Vi e prieta.
  Thank you, too. Your order has been placed.

4. It’s time to pay the bill

Here is a list of useful Bulgarian restaurant phrases that you can use to pay your bill in a restaurant.

A- List of Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases

Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases	Pronunciation	English translation
Сметката, моля.	Smetkata, molya.	The bill, please.
Приемате ли плащане с карта?	Priemate li plashtane s karta?	Do you accept paying by card?
Предпочитам да платя в брой.	Predpochitam da platya v broy.	I prefer to pay in cash.
Можем ли да платим отделно?	Mozhem li da platim otdelno?	Can we pay separately?
Запазете рестото.	Zapazete restoto.	Keep the change.

B- Dialogue Example

• Сметката, моля.
  Smetkata, molya.
  The bill, please.

• Заповядайте. Как предпочитате да платите – с карта или в брой?
  Zapovyadayte. Kak predpochitate da platite – s karta ili v broy?
  Here you are. How do you prefer to pay – by card or in cash?

• В брой. Запазете рестото.
  V broy. Zapazete restoto.
  In cash. Keep the change.

• Благодаря. Приятен ден!
  Blagodarya. Priyaten den!
  Thanks. Have a nice day!

• И аз благодаря за обслужването. Лека работа!
  I az blagodarya za obsluzhvaneto. Leka rabota!
  Thank you, too, for your service. Have a nice shift!

5. For people with special nutritional considerations

Some people might have some health conditions like allergies or specific food intolerance that require special nutritional considerations. Here are some useful phrases that will help you make your order in cases like that.

Bulgarian Restaurant Phrases	Pronunciation	English translation
Имате ли вегетарианско/веганско меню?	Imate li vegetariansko/vegansko menyu?	Do you have a vegetarian/vegan menu?
Имате ли безмесни ястия?	Imate li bezmesni yastiya?	Do you have meat-free dishes?
Имам алергия към ядките. Може ли да ми препоръчате нещо без никакви ядки?	Imam alergiya kam yadkite. Mozhe li da mi preporachate neshto bez nikakvi yadki?	I have an allergy to nuts. Can you recommend something without any nuts?
Имам непоносимост към лактозата. Имате ли нещо, в което няма млечни?	Imam neponosimost kam laktozata. Imate li neshto, v koeto nyama mlechni?	I have lactose intolerance. Do you have something in which there is no dairy?
Имате ли салати без сирене?	Imate li salati bez sirene?	Do you have salads without cheese?
Мога ли да помоля в моята пица да не слагате домати?	Moga li da pomolya v moyata pitsa da ne slagate domati?	Can I ask you not to put tomatoes on my pizza?

6. What types of restaurants can you find in Bulgaria?

Bulgaria offers different restaurant types that you might consider. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones, so you can choose where to go out for dinner during your stay in Bulgaria. 

Classic restaurants – These restaurants are the most widespread and offer a wide range of high-quality cuisine, confectionery, desserts, fruits, specialties, dishes, pasta, and soft and alcoholic beverages. These restaurants create a great dining environment and are often used for weddings, anniversaries, and other special events to where many guests are invited.

Specialized restaurants – There are many fish restaurants, as well as grill restaurants that offer a menu with the main ingredient respectively, fish and grilled meat.

Bulgarian national cuisine restaurants – These restaurants are a great place to get acquainted with the unique Bulgarian dishes.

Restaurants with foreign cuisine – European, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, etc. These types of restaurants offer dishes that are typical for the corresponding foreign national cuisines.

Attraction-themed restaurants – These restaurants feature a specific architectural interior and exterior, such as restaurants on a ship or frigate, and usually, dining is accompanied by a special musical program.

7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian?

The restaurant phrases in Bulgarian included in this ultimate Bulgarian travel guide will help you book a table in a restaurant on your own, as well as order food and beverages and have a more fulfilling dining experience. It will help you also combine pleasure and business – practice all those most common restaurant phrases in Bulgarian and at the same time have a wonderful dinner.

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this guide to help you learn Bulgarian restaurant phrases, or so you can refer to them whenever you need them.

Of course, if you don’t feel like this information is enough to meet your language needs, you can find a native Bulgarian teacher from the MyTeacher section. This language expert will get you acquainted with grammar rules and with new Bulgarian vocabulary that you will need on a daily basis in real-life situations and will accelerate your Bulgarian language learning.

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this review. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Have you ever been in a situation when you have something important to say to your Bulgarian friend, but you cannot do that due to a lack of Bulgarian vocabulary or conversation skills in Bulgarian? If so, then you have experienced that sense of helplessness, knowing that saying “never mind” is not an option.

Developing speaking skills in Bulgarian is a must if you would like to have full-fledged communication with Bulgarians. This will help you not only understand what they say to you but also express your thoughts, needs and emotions.

In this comprehensive guide on Bulgarian conversational skills prepared by BulgarianPod101, you will learn how to make your own Bulgarian profile, how to react to your interlocutor’s words who is a Bulgarian native speaker based on the situation, what filler words you can use to speak just like Bulgarians and much more. In addition, you will gain more confidence when you start a conversation in Bulgarian.

This guide is perfect for beginner and intermediate-level learners who would like to jump over the language barrier and start communicating. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. They are a part of the Bulgarian language learning process, but they are also a way to progress. Remember one of the famous quotes of Thomas Edison, who said:

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.“

The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. 

Table of Contents

1. Make Your Own Bulgarian Language Profile
2. Learn Reactions in Bulgarian
3. Learn Bulgarian Filler Words
4. Learn Common Questions and Answers
5. Learn Conversation Starters
6. How to Improve Your Conversation Skills
7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

1. Make Your Own Bulgarian Language Profile

Let’s start with introducing yourself in Bulgarian. Writing your own Bulgarian profile is an important skill that will help you introduce yourself in multiple cases. For this reason, we have prepared three different profile patterns – for a worker, a student, and a tourist. Let’s see how each of them can help you introduce yourself in Bulgarian. We also provide two Bulgarian profile cheat sheets for each pattern using male and female forms to help you understand how you can complete your Bulgarian profile on your own.

Moreover, if you are a complete beginner, you will find below a list of possible answers, which you can fill in the spaces to make your personal profile. So, let’s start with the profile pattern No.1:

Pattern 1: Bulgarian profile for workers

Здравейте, казвам се ________ _________ (full name) и съм от ___________ (country). Сега живея в __________ (city of Bulgaria). Преместих се тук преди ____ (number) месеца/години. Работя като _______ (profession). Обичам да _________ (your hobby).

Zdraveyte, kazvam se ________ _________ (full name) i sam ot ___________ (country). Sega zhiveya v __________ (city of Bulgaria). Premestih se tuk predi ____ (number) mesetsa/godini. Rabotya kato _______ (profession). Obicham da _________ (your hobby).

Hello, my name is ________ _________ (full name) and I am from ___________ (country). Now I live in __________ (city of Bulgaria). I moved here ____ (number) months/years ago. I work as a _______ (profession). I love to _________ (your hobby).

Example 1: Cheat Profile for a Male Worker

Здравейте, казвам се Джон Браун и съм от Англия. Сега живея в Пловдив. Преместих се тук преди 5 месеца. Работя като програмист. Обичам да колекционирам стари монети.

Zdraveyte, kazvam se Dzhon Braun i sam ot Angliya. Sega zhiveya v Plovdiv. Premestih se tuk predi pet mesetsa. Rabotya kato programist. Obicham da kolektsioniram stari moneti.

Hello, my name is John Brown and I’m from England. Now I live in Plovdiv. I moved here 5 months ago. I work as a programmer. I like to collect old coins.

Example 2: Cheat Profile for a Female Worker

Здравейте, казвам се Ана Мария и съм от Полша. Сега живея във Варна. Преместих се тук преди 3 години. Работя като преводач. Обичам да ходя на планина.

Zdraveyte, kazvam se Ana Mariya i sam ot Polsha. Sega zhiveya vav Varna. Premestih se tuk predi tri godini. Rabotya kato prevodach. Obicham da hodya na planina.

Hello, my name is Anna Maria and I am from Poland. Now I live in Varna. I moved here 3 years ago. I work as a translator. I like to go to the mountains.

We provide you with a few lists below that will help you complete your Bulgarian personal profile easier.

★ List of Countries

Англия Австрия Германия Франция Италия Русия Турция Финландия

Angliya  Avstriya  Germaniya Frantsiya  Italiya  Rusiya  Turtsiya Finlandiya

England  Austria  Germany  France  Italy  Russia  Turkey  Finland

➜ If you cannot find your country in the list, you can check the following lesson that contains the Bulgarian names of 108 world countries.

★ List of Popular Bulgarian Cities

София Пловдив Варна Бургас Русе Силистра Велико Търново Габрово Стара Загора Нова Загора Кюстендил Сливен

Sofiya  Plovdiv  Varna  Burgas  Ruse  Silistra  Veliko Tarnovo  Gabrovo  Stara Zagora  Nova Zagora  Kyustendil  Sliven

Sofia  Plovdiv  Varna  Burgas  Ruse  Silistra  Veliko Tarnovo  Gabrovo  Stara Zagora  Nova Zagora  Kyustendil  Sliven

➜ Follow this link to find out Top 10 Bulgarian Regions and Cities.

★ List of Professions

фризьор учител преводач програмист шофьор продавач бизнесмен журналист лекар мениджър

frizyor  uchitel  prevodach  programist  shofyor  prodavach  biznesmen  zhurnalist  lekar  menidzhar

hairdresser  teacher  translator  programmer  driver  seller  businessman  journalist  doctor  manager

➜ You can find even more occupation-related vocabulary in the following list prepared by BulgarianPod101.

★ List of Hobbies

колекционирам пощенски марки колекционирам стари монети ходя на планина плета правя играчки играя на компютърни игри гледам филми чета книги пътувам в различни страни ходя на риболов карам ски карам колело

kolektsioniram poshtenski marki kolektsioniram stari moneti  hodya na planina  pleta  pravya igrachki  igraya na kompyutarni igri  gledam filmi  cheta knigi  patuvam v razlichni strani  hodya na ribolov  karam ski  karam kolelo

to collect stamps to collect old coins to go to the mountain  to knit  to make toys  to play computer games  to watch movies  to read books to travel to different countries  to go fishing  to ski  to ride a bike

➜ You can watch the following video to learn how to talk about your hobbies in Bulgarian.

These lists will help you complete the profile pattern on your own. And now, we can move to the next pattern.

Pattern 2: Bulgarian profile for students

Здравейте, аз съм ________ _________ (full name) и съм от ___________ (country). Аз съм студент по ___________ (specialty) в университета в ___________ (city). Следвам за _______ (profession). Обичам да _______ (your hobby).

Zdraveyte, az sam ________ _________ (full name) i sam ot ___________ (country). Az sam student po ___________ (specialty) v universiteta v ___________ (city). Sledvam za _______ (profession). Obicham da _______ (your hobby).

Hi, I’m ________ _________ (full name) and I’m from ___________ (country). I am a student of ___________ (specialty) at the university in ___________ (city). I’m studying for a _______ (profession). I love to _______ (your hobby).

Example 1: Cheat Profile for a Male Student

Здравейте, аз съм Матю Стивънс и съм от САЩ. Аз съм студент по медицина в университета в София. Следвам за доктор. Обичам да играя тенис.

Zdraveyte, az sam Matyu Stivans i sam ot SASHT. Az sam student po meditsina v universiteta v Sofiya. Sledvam za doktor. Obicham da igraya tenis.

Hi, I’m Matthew Stevens and I’m from the USA. I am a medical student at the University of Sofia. I’m studying to be a doctor. I like playing tennis.

Example 2: Cheat Profile for a Female Student

Здравейте, казвам се Роуз Блек и съм от Мексико. Аз съм студентка по финанси в университета в Русе. Следвам за банкер. Обичам да карам колело.

Zdraveyte, kazvam se Rouz Blek i sam ot Meksiko. Az sam studentka po finansi v universiteta v Ruse. Sledvam za banker. Obicham da karam kolelo.

Hello, my name is Rose Black and I’m from Mexico. I am a student of finance at the University of Ruse. I’m studying to be a banker. I like bike riding.

Pattern 3: Bulgarian profile for tourists

Здравейте, аз съм _________ (full name) и съм от  ___________ (country). Аз съм в България като турист и съм в ___________ (city) за ___________ (number) дни/седмици. ___________ (city) много ми харесва и хората тук са много мили. Ще се радвам отново да посетя България някой ден.

Zdraveyte, az sam _________ (full name) i sam ot ___________ (country). Az sam v Balgariya kato turist i sam v ___________ (city) za ___________ (number) dni/sedmitsi. ___________ (city) mnogo mi haresva i horata tuk sa mnogo mili. Shte se radvam otnovo da posetya Balgariya nyakoy den.

Hello, I am _________ (full name) and I’m from ___________ (country). I am in Bulgaria as a tourist and I will stay in ___________ (city) for ___________ (number) days / weeks.  I like ___________ (city) very much and the people here are very nice. I will be happy to visit Bulgaria again some day. 

Example 1: Cheat Profile for a Male Tourist

Здравейте, аз съм Юки и съм от Япония. Аз съм в България като турист и съм в Пловдив за две седмици. Пловдив много ми харесва и хората тук са много мили. Ще се радвам отново да посетя България някой ден.

Zdraveyte, az sam Yuki i sam ot Yaponiya. Az sam v Balgariya kato turist i sam v Plovdiv za dve sedmitsi. Plovdiv mnogo mi haresva i horata tuk sa mnogo mili. Shte se radvam otnovo da posetya Balgariya nyakoy den.

Hi, I’m Yuki and I’m from Japan. I am in Bulgaria as a tourist and I am in Plovdiv for two weeks. I like Plovdiv very much and the people here are very nice. I will be happy to visit Bulgaria again one day.

Example 2: Cheat Profile for a Female Tourist

Здравейте, аз съм Вероника Луиз и съм от Франция. Аз съм в България като турист и съм в Бургас за 5 дни. Бургас много ми харесва и хората тук са много мили. Ще се радвам отново да посетя България някой ден.

Zdraveyte, az sam Veronika Luiz i sam ot Frantsiya. Az sam v Balgariya kato turist i sam v Burgas za pet dni. Burgas mnogo mi haresva i horata tuk sa mnogo mili. Shte se radvam otnovo da posetya Balgariya nyakoy den.

Hello, I’m Veronica Louise and I’m from France. I am in Bulgaria as a tourist and I am in Burgas for 5 days. I like Burgas very much and the people here are very nice. I will be happy to visit Bulgaria again one day.

2. Learn Reactions in Bulgarian

How would you react to the information your Bulgarian interlocutor says to you? We prepared four different categories of reactions based on the situation. Let’s study each one of them along with the examples.

Category 1: Reaction of astonishment & excitement

Така ли?           Taka li? Really?	Наистина ли? Naistina li? Really?
Example:  – Вчера си купих нова кола!    Vchera si kupih nova kola!    I bought a new car yesterday!  – Така ли? Честито!    Taka li? Chestito!    Really? Congratulations!	Example: – Утре имам рожден ден!    Utre imam rozhden den!    Tomorrow is my birthday!  – Наистина ли? Чудесно! Значи ще празнуваме!    Naistina li? Chudesno! Znachi shtе praznuvame!    Really? Great! So we will celebrate!

Category 2: Reaction of shared joy

Това е страхотно!           Tova e strahotno! That is great!	Чудесно! Chudesno! Great!
Example 1 – Следващият месец смятам да се женя!    Sledvashtiyat mesets smyatam da se zhenya!    I plan to get married next month!  – Това е страхотно!       Tova e strahotno!    That is great!	Example 2 – Днес си взех изпита в университета!    Dnes si vzeh izpita v universiteta!    Today I passed my university exam!  – Чудесно! Радвам се за теб!    Chudesno! Radvam se za teb!    Great! I’m happy for you!

Category 3: Neutral reactions

Разбирам.          Razbiram. I see.	Ясно. Yasno. I see.
Example:  – Утре няма да може да излезем, защото имам много за учене.    Utre nyama da mozhe da izlezem, zashtoto imam mnogo za uchene.    We won’t be able to go out tomorrow because I have to study a lot.  – Разбирам.                  Razbiram.                I see.	Example:  -Днес се налага да пътувам за Пловдив. Dnes se nalaga da patuvam za Plovdiv. Today I have to travel to Plovdiv.  – Ясно.    Yasno.    I see.

Category 4: Reaction of empathy

Много съжалявам.        Mnogo sazhalyavam. I’m very sorry.	Това е много тъжно.        Tova e mnogo tazhno. This is very sad.
Example:  – Вчера паднах и си счупих ръката.    Vchera padnah i si schupih rakata.    Yesterday I fell and broke my hand.  – Много съжалявам.                       Mnogo sazhalyavam.                I’m very sorry.	Example:  – Бащата на моя съсед почина.    Bashtata na moya sased pochina.    My neighbor’s father died.  – Това е много тъжно.                     Tova e mnogo tazhno.                This is very sad.

3. Learn Bulgarian Filler Words

Bulgarian filler words help you not only understand what your Bulgarian interlocutor says to you but also help you learn to speak Bulgarian. Here is a list of the most popular Bulgarian filler words, along with examples of how to use them.

ами ami well * Note: this filler word usually is placed in the beginning of the sentence and a person usually uses it as a beginning of the answer to someone’s question.

Example:  – Какво стана вчера на празненството?    Kakvo stana vchera na praznenstvoto?    What happened at the party yesterday?  – Ами, всичко беше добре.                       Ami, vsichko beshe dobre.               Well, everything was fine.

виж       vizh look * Note: this filler word is also usually placed in the beginning as a way to start a sentence that argues someone’s opinion.

Example:  – Аз смятам, че човек не може да бъде щастлив, ако е беден.    Az smyatam, che chovek ne mozhe da bade shtastliv, ako e beden.    I believe that one cannot be happy if he is poor.  – Виж, по принцип е така, но от друга страна щастието не се крие в парите.                Vizh, po printsip e taka, no ot druga strana shtastieto ne se krie v parite.                Look, generally this is true, but on the other hand, happiness doesn’t depend on money.

такова     takova No English equivalent * Note: this filler word is used in place of any word that a person is struggling to remember while he is speaking.

Example:  Отивам аз вчера на такова… на магазина и там продават такова… стоки за бита. Otivam az vchera na takova… na magazina i tam prodavat takova… stoki za bita. I went to… to a store yesterday and they were selling… household goods there.

абе       abe well * Note: this filler word is quite similar to ами but is used in “low culture” speech.

Example:  – Абе, няма какво да ти обяснявам. Отивай да си вършиш работата.                     Abe, nyama kakvo da ti obyasnyavam. Otivay da si varshish rabotata.                Well, I don’t have time to explain to you. Go and do your job.

нали        nali you know * Note: this filler word is used to make the interlocutor agree with the speaker’s opinion

Example:  – Когато вчера отидох нали на партито, имаше много хора нали и се запознах с едно момиче.    Kogato vchera otidoh nali na partito, imashe mnogo hora nali i se zapoznah s edno momiche.    When I went to the party yesterday, you know, there were a lot of people, you know, and I met a girl.

When I went to the party yesterday, you know, there were a lot of people, you know, and I met a girl.

➜ For more Bulgarian filler words and a detailed explanation of their meaning, please go to this comprehensive Bulgarian filler word guide.

4. Learn Common Questions and Answers

Let’s now learn the most common questions you are likely to be asked when you first meet someone and possible common answers to them. They will help you feel more confident in your first conversations with Bulgarian people.

Questions	Answers
– Как си?                Kak si?          How are you?	– Добре съм, благодаря.    Dobre sam, blagodarya.    I’m fine, thanks. – Горе-долу.    Gore-dolu.    So-so.
– От къде си?                Ot kade si?          Where are you from?	– От Полша.    Ot Polsha.    From Poland.
– Какво правиш?                Kakvo pravish?                What are you doing?	– Работя.                Rabotya.                I work.  – Уча.    Ucha.    I study.
– Как научи български?                Kak nauchi balgarski?                How did you learn Bulgarian?	– С учител.    S uchitel.    With a teacher.  – Учих самостоятелно.    Uchih samostoyatelno.    I studied on my own.
– Защо учиш български език?    Zashto uchish balgarski ezik?                Why do you study Bulgarian?	– Харесвам България.    Haresvam Balgariya.    I like Bulgaria. – Искам да живея в България.    Iskam da zhiveya v Balgariya.    I want to live in Bulgaria.

I like Bulgaria.

➜ You can find more questions and answers prepared for you by BulgarianPod101 in the following article.

5. Learn Conversation Starters

It is always of great benefit to know a few conversation starters, so you can naturally start a conversation with other people. Here is a list of 6 conversation starters you can use in different situations.

За къде пътувате? Za kade patuvate? Where are you traveling to?

Кой номер автобус чакате? Koy nomer avtobus chakate? Which bus number are you waiting for?

Извинете, колко е часът? Izvinete, kolko e chasat? Excuse me, what time is it?

Искате ли да Ви помогна с багажа? Iskate li da Vi pomogna s bagazha? Would you like me to help you with your luggage?

Знаете ли каква е прогнозата за времето днес? Znaete li kakva e prognozata za vremeto dnes? Do you know the weather forecast for today?

Можете ли да ми кажете къде се намира банката? Mozhete li da mi kazhete kade se namira bankata? Can you tell me where the bank is?

Can you tell me where the bank is?

➜ For more conversation starters divided into different categories based on the situation, please check this article.

6. How to Improve Your Conversation Skills

Beginners can take advantage of multiple language learning resources that can help them advance. You can follow these tips to improve Bulgarian conversational skills. Moreover, they could be used regardless of your current language level and will be a great step toward the next level. 

Language learning is a combination of five essential elements, which include watching, reading, listening, writing, and speaking. To advance, you need to practice all of them on a daily basis – at least for 30 min a day. Which tools will help you practice these skills? Here is a list of them:

Watching

YouTube – You can use YouTube as a great source for educational videos. You can learn more about this option and find out the best Bulgarian YouTube channels for effective learning in the following article.

Movies – You can start watching interesting Bulgarian movies that will help you to get used to the language specifics and will enrich your vocabulary. 

Flashcards – You can practice new Bulgarian words and phrases with flashcards. In this short video prepared by BulgarianPod101 you will find out 5 ways to learn Bulgarian with flashcards.

Vocabulary Lists – To make your own flashcards, you will need some vocabulary lists consisting of new words, their meaning and proper pronunciation.

TV shows – Watch entertaining TV shows in Bulgarian to advance even more.

Reading

Bulgarian books – reading Bulgarian books will help you improve your overall language skills, so don’t ignore this essential practice. You can learn here more about the top 10 Bulgarian writers.

Online news – You can also read daily news online.

Online translators – Google Translator and other online automatic translation tools can help you comprehend the meaning of a text with multiple unknown words and could be of help to language learners.

Listening

Podcasts – Podcasts are a great way to learn while you are on a go. This article will provide you with information about Bulgarian Podcasts that are worth listening to if you would like to learn the language.

Songs  – You can take advantage of Bulgarian songs with subtitles to understand the lyrics and learn the language by listening to some great songs.

Writing

BulgarianPod101 – BulgarianPod101 is a great source for guides and lessons that have many practical exercises, including in writing that you can take advantage of practicing your writing skills.

Journaling – You can practice the new words by writing your own journal, trying to incorporate all the words you have learned in the text.

Chatting/Emailing – Having a Bulgarian friend with whom you can chat or maintain email correspondence will be of great help in developing your Bulgarian writing skills.

Speaking

Bulgarian friend – You can find a Bulgarian friend who can help you practice Bulgarian daily.

Learning partner – Another idea is to seek another person who is learning Bulgarian and try to practice the language together. This will be a great motivation for both of you.

Bulgarian teacher – You can take advantage of the lessons provided by a personal Bulgarian teacher who will tailor the lessons based on your level and needs.

7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

In this detailed guide prepared by BulgarianPod101 you can find out multiple ways to improve your conversational skills in Bulgarian. There are many patterns and examples to follow to be able to start a conversation with a friend or a person you don’t know yet. Thanks to this Bulgarian conversational skills guide, you can greatly improve your language knowledge on your own.

However, if you feel like it is not enough and you miss personal guidance, you can choose a professional Bulgarian native teacher from the MyTeacher section. He or she will help you move step by step toward your goal and even surpass it. Moreover, you will quickly gain the confidence you need to start practicing your knowledge in real-life conversations.

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this review and whether it was useful for finding the best way for improving Bulgarian conversational skills. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments below. 

It is never easy to be a newbie in something. But to be a newbie in a foreign language environment can be even more challenging. On the one hand, you don’t know enough to be confident in your actions; on the other, you don’t want others to see your frustration and hesitation. Then, what to do?

In such situations, a good conversation starter plan will come in handy. That is why BulgarianPod101 prepared this guide on basic Bulgarian conversation starters for a number of different situations like the first day at work, first dating, conversation starters for mingling, and more. It will teach you the best ways to start a conversation in Bulgarian, giving you enough confidence so that your approach to people is correct and appropriate for the local cultural specifics.

Table of Contents

1. Conversation Starters for Mingling and Socializing
2. Conversation Starters for the First Day at a New Job
3. Conversation Starters for a First Date
4. Conversation Starters for Travelling
5. Conversation Starters to Reconnect with a Friend through Text or Email
6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

1. Conversation Starters for Mingling and Socializing

If you are the kind of person who likes parties and other social events but doesn’t feel confident enough to be a Bulgarian speaker or even to socialize with others, especially in the Bulgarian language, these Bulgarian conversation phrases and sentences will help you a lot.

Below you will find ways to approach other guests by starting a conversation. You will learn what to say so that you can get involved in their discussion with confidence without looking rude. You will understand how to act when it seems like everyone knows everybody but you. Situations like this may seem challenging, but the most common conversation starters in Bulgarian offered here will make you feel more at ease.

Let’s explore these two situations – first, when you would like to start a conversation with a single person and then with a group of people.

A- Starting conversation with a single person

1. The most common way to socialize with someone is to go and introduce yourself. Here is an example of how to do that:

• Здрасти, аз съм Джон и съм от Англия. А ти? От тук ли си?
  Zdrasti, az sam Dzhon i sam ot Angliya. A ti? Ot tuk li si?
  Hi, I’m John and I’m from England. And you? Are you from here?

➜ BulgarianPod101 has prepared this lesson about introducing yourself in Bulgarian, where you can find some helpful dialog examples appropriate for a party.

2. If you would like to be more original than that, you might use some of these basic Bulgarian conversation starters:

• Здрасти, откъде познаваш домакина?
  Zdrasti, otkade poznavash domakina?
  Hi, how do you know the host?

• Днес е особено горещо навън. Проверих в интернет, че ще стане 37 градуса.
  Dnes e osobeno goreshto navan. Proverih v internet, che shte stane 37 gradusa.
  It’s especially hot outside today. I checked on the internet that it will be 37 degrees.

• Здравей, познаваш ли някой друг тук?
  Zdravey, poznavash li nyakoy drug tuk?
  Hi, do you know anyone else here?

3. You can also comment based on the situation. Here are some ideas:

• Здрасти, тениската ти изглежда много оригинална. Откъде си я купи? 
  Zdrasti, teniskata ti izglezhda mnogo originalna. Otkade si ya kupi?
  Hi, your T-shirt looks very original. Where did you buy it?

• Здрасти, какво е това в чинията ти? Изглежда много вкусно.
  Zdrasti, kakvo e tova v chiniyata ti? Izglezhda mnogo vkusno.
  Hi, what’s this on your plate? It looks very delicious.

• Днес има много посетители на партито. Познаваш ли някои от тях?
  Dnes ima mnogo posetiteli na partito. Poznavash li nyakoi ot tyah?
  Today, there are many visitors to the party. Do you know any of them?

• Можеш ли да ми подадеш онова питие?
  Mozhesh li da mi podadesh onova pitie?
  Can you pass me that drink?

• Имаш ли нещо против да ми запазиш стола за секунда? Сега се връщам.
  Imash li neshto protiv da mi zapazish stola za sekunda? Sega se vrashtam.
  Would you mind guarding my chair for me for a second? I’ll be right back.

B- Starting conversations with groups

1. You can start your conversation with a group again with an introduction.

• Здравейте, аз съм Джон, приятел на домакина от университета. А вие откъде го познавате?
  Zdraveyte, az sam Dzhon, priyatel na domakina ot universiteta. A vie otkade go poznavate?
  Hi, I’m John, a host’s friend from university. And how do you know him?

• Здравейте, аз съм Джон, приятел на Иван. За какво си приказвахте току-що?
  Zdraveyte, az sam Dzhon, priyatel na Ivan. Za kakvo si prikazvahte toku-shto?
  Hi, I’m John, Ivan’s friend. What were you just talking about?

• Здравейте, аз съм Джон, какво ще кажете за футболния мач вчера?
  Zdraveyte, az sam Dzhon, kakvo shte kazhete za futbolniya mach vchera?
  Hi, I’m John, what do you think about yesterday’s football match?

2. You may approach a group with some kind of offer, like:

• Какво ще кажете да една игра на карти?
  Kakvo shte kazhete za edna igra na karti?
  What do you think about a card game?

3. If you are a listener, you can socialize by making a point at the right moment, saying:

• И на мен ми се случи същото преди известно време.
  I na men mi se sluchi sashtoto predi izvestno vreme.
  The same thing happened to me some time ago.

• И аз съм преживявал/а нещо подобно.
  I az sam prezhivyaval/a neshto podobno.
  I have experienced something similar.

Note: преживял (prezhivyaval) is a male form, преживяла (prezhivyavala) is a female form.

• И аз мисля така.
  I az mislya taka.
  I think so too.

2. Conversation Starters for the First Day at a New Job 

Many people feel nervous about their first day at a new job. They lack confidence wondering whether they are skilled enough to cope with the new job responsibilities, whether their colleagues will accept them in their team, and will they be helpful and patient enough with them. There are certain phrases that can help in adaptation to the new work environment that you will need on the first working day. We present here Bulgarian conversation starter phrases at a new job for introducing yourself to a colleague and to a whole group.

➜ You might be interested in this Bulgarian lesson on a job interview in the form of a dialogue.

A- Introducing yourself to a colleague

Prepare some greetings that will help you feel more confident in your new working environment. You can start with a brief introduction of yourself and continue with a phrase that shows your goodwill and your joy that you will work with your new colleague. Here are some examples:

• Здравейте, аз съм Антония. 
  Zdraveyte, az sam Antonia.
  Hello, I’m Antonia.

You can replace Антония with your name.

• Аз съм от Англия, където работих като мениджър. 
  Az sam ot Angliya, kadeto rabotih kato menidzhar.
  I am from England, where I worked as a manager.

You can replace Англия with your country and мениджър with your previous job position.

➜ BulgarianPod101 prepared this list of 18 countries in Bulgarian that can be useful.

➜ You can also take advantage of the following list of 20 common Bulgarian words for occupations.

• Радвам се, че ще работим заедно.
  Radvam se, che shte rabotim zaedno.
  I am happy that we will work together.

You can shorten the distance by asking:

• Имаш ли нещо против да минем на “ти”?
  Imash li neshto protiv da minem na “ti”?
  Do you mind if we switch to the informal “you”?

You can eventually ask for some assistance in the beginning.

• Може ли да ме разведеш из офисите?
  Mozhe li da me razvedesh iz ofisite?
  Can you take me around the offices?

• Можеш ли да ме запознаеш с останалите колеги?
  Mozhesh li da me zapoznaesh s ostanalite kolegi?
  Can you introduce me to the other colleagues?

• Можеш ли да ми покажеш в какво ще се състои моята работа?
  Mozhesh li da mi pokazhesh v kakvo shte se sastoi moyata rabota?
  Can you show me what my job will be?

• Можеш ли да ми покажеш къде ще бъде моето работно място?
  Mozhesh li da mi pokazhesh kade shte bade moeto rabotno myasto?
  Can you show me where my workplace will be?

B- Introducing yourself to a group

Since the probability that you will have to introduce yourself to a group on your first day at work is quite big, you need to prepare some group introductions in advance, too.

• Здравейте, аз съм Иван и съм новият мениджър по продажбите. 
  Zdraveyte, az sam Ivan i sam noviyat menidzhar po prodazhbite.
  Hello, I’m Ivan and I’m the new sales manager.

• Ще се радвам да се запозная с всички и да работим заедно.
  Shte se radvam da se zapoznaya s vsichki i da rabotim zaedno.
  I will be happy to meet everyone and work together.

• С какво мога да съм ви полезен/полезна днес?
  S kakvo moga da sam vi polezen/polezna dnes?
  How can I be useful to you today?

Note: полезен (polezen) is a male form, полезна (polezna) is a female form.

• По какъв проект работите днес?
  Po kakav proekt rabotite dnes?
  What project are you working on today?

• Може ли да ми обясните особеностите на настоящите проекти, по които работите?
  Mozhe li da mi obyasnite osobenostite na nastoyashtite proekti, po koito rabotite?
  Can you explain to me the details of the current projects you are working on?

3. Conversation Starters for a First Date

Since the first impression is very important, these useful Bulgarian conversation starter words and phrases will help you start an intriguing conversation during your first date. Here are some great ideas for you to use:

• Ако точно сега можеше да се качиш на самолет, за къде би пътувал/а?
  Ako tochno sega mozheshe da se kachish na samolet, za kade bi patuval/a?
  If you could get on a plane right now, where would you travel?

• Защо ти харесва животът тук?
  Zashto ti haresva zhivotat tuk?
  Why do you like living here?

• Кое нещо от детството ти липсва най-много днес?
  Koe neshto ot detstvoto ti lipsva nay-mnogo dnes?
  What’s one thing from your childhood that you miss the most today?

• Как прекара деня?
  Kak prekara denya?
  How was your day?

• Кое е любимото ти ядене?
  Koe e lyubimoto ti yadene?
  What is your favorite food?

• Кой е любимият ти спорт?
  Koy e lyubimiyat ti sport?
  What is your favorite sport?

➜ If you would like to learn more useful sports-related Bulgarian vocabulary, this Bulgarian lesson on playing sports might be interesting.

• Какви книги обичаш да четеш?
  Kakvi knigi obichash da chetesh?
  What kind of books do you like reading?

• Какво прави миналия уикенд?
  Kakvo pravi minaliya uikend?
  What did you do last weekend?

• Кое е любимото ти животно?
  Koe e lyubimoto ti zhivotno?
  What is your favourite animal?

➜ This list prepared by BulgarianPod101 will help you learn the Bulgarian names of 21 animals along with their proper pronunciation.

• От какво се страхуваш най-много?
  Ot kakvo se strahuvash nay-mnogo?
  What are you most afraid of?

4. Conversation Starters for Travelling

Travelling usually provides many opportunities for new acquaintances and making friends. If you don’t want to miss such an opportunity while you travel in Bulgaria, this Bulgarian conversation starter word list for travelling is what you need.

• Били ли сте някога в чужбина? Колко време стояхте там?
  Bili li ste nyakoga v chuzhbina? Kolko vreme stoyahte tam?
  Have you ever been abroad? How long did you stay there?

• Обичате ли да пътувате?
  Obichate li da patuvate?
  Do you like travelling?

• Кои места в България са най-интересни за туристите?
  Koi mesta v Balgariya sa nay-interesni za turistite?
  Which places in Bulgaria are most interesting for tourists?

• Кои държави искате да посетите?
  Koi darzhavi iskate da posetite?
  Which countries do you want to visit?

• Къде прекарвате лятната си ваканция?
  Kade prekarvate lyatnata si vakantsiya?
  Where do you spend your summer vacation?

• Къде бихте предпочели да пътувате – в горещи страни или в студени?
  Kade bihte predpocheli da patuvate – v goreshti strani ili v studeni?
  Where would you prefer to travel – in hot countries or in cold ones?

• Пътували ли сте някога извън Европа?
  Patuvali li ste nyakoga izvan Evropa?
  Have you ever traveled outside of Europe?

• С какво превозно средство обичате да пътувате?
  S kakvo prevozno sredstvo obichate da patuvate?
  What vehicle do you like to travel with?

5. Conversation Starters to Reconnect with a Friend through Text or Email 

If you would like to reconnect with your friends or classmates that you haven’t seen for years, you can use some of the following Bulgarian phrases and sentences in your messages or emails to them.

• Не съм те виждал/а от цяла вечност.
  Ne sam te vizhdal/a ot tsyala vechnost.
  I haven’t seen you in ages.

• Колко време отмина, откакто се видяхме за последно?
  Kolko vreme otmina, otkakto se vidyahme za posledno?
  How long has it been since we last saw each other?

• Видях публикацията ти във Facebook и се сетих, че отдавна не сме се чували.
  Vidyah publikatsiyata ti vav Facebook i se setih, che otdavna ne sme se chuvali.
  I saw your post on Facebook and I found out that we haven’t heard from each other for a long time.

➜ You might be interested in the BulgarianPod 101 Facebook page, which contains tons of helpful information and educational videos.

• Успя ли да започнеш работата, за която мечтаеше?
  Uspya li da zapochnesh rabotata, za koyato mechtaeshe?
  Did you manage to start the job you dreamed of?

• Скоро минах покрай училището ни и се сетих за теб.
  Skoro minah pokray uchilishteto ni i se setih za teb.
  I recently passed by our school and thought of you.

6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian 

This review prepared by BulgarianPod101 helps you not only learn conversation starters in the Bulgarian language easier but also to speak Bulgarian with confidence. It will help you make friends in different situations and give you more confidence. Just try some of these examples in related situations, and you will be surprised with the result.

You might need further help in learning more of the Bulgarian language specifics. In that case, you can choose a native Bulgarian teacher from the MyTeacher section. This expert will help you advance much faster than if you learn the language on your own.

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this review. Did you find these Bulgarian conversation starter examples useful in different situations in your life? What other Bulgarian conversation starter words and meanings would you suggest to be added to this review? Do not hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Do you like traveling and visiting different countries, meeting people from different nationalities and experiencing new things? If yes, you are definitely an adventurer! But how to share all those wonderful experiences with your Bulgarian friends? 

Or maybe you are trying to apply for a Bulgarian citizenship and obtain a Bulgarian passport? There are some requirements you have to meet in order to obtain citizenship in Bulgaria. Yet, you may be interested in how Bulgarian citizens live. Or you might even have ancestors who are from Bulgaria and now you are trying to obtain citizenship by origin? So it is important for you to learn Bulgarian language better. 

If so, you are at the right place and in this guide you will be able to learn the countries and their nationalities in Bulgarian. This basic guide prepared by BulgarianPod101 will help you say your nationality and your country, as well as many of the other countries you have visited or wish to visit, in the local tongue.

Although studying countries and nationalities is considered a basic level of language knowledge, it can be really challenging for the foreigners to form the correct nationality word deriving from the country’s name. The reason for this is that forming nationalities in Bulgarian from countries doesn’t have any specific rules to follow, which means that you just have to memorize them and get used to the forms. 

To make the process easier, we suggest you use flashcards to learn Bulgarian nationalities. How to do that? Prepare small blank cards, write on one side a country in Bulgarian and on the opposite side the corresponding nationality. Such flash cards will help you a lot with memorizing countries and nationalities in Bulgarian.

Besides, we have added a lot of exercises to help you practice and easier learn this new information. Don’t forget to have fun, while learning the Bulgarian nationalities’ vocabulary presented here.

Table of Contents

1. Continents and Countries
2. Top 10 Nationalities in Bulgaria
3. How to Ask Someone About Their Nationality
4. How to Tell Someone Your Nationality
5. Country, City, Nationality and Language in Bulgarian
6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian
7. Answers to Practical Exercises

1. Continents and Countries

Before starting with the countries, let’s see how to say each of the continents in Bulgarian.

A- World’s Continents

The world’s continents below are arranged according to their population starting with the most populated continent and reaching the least populated one. In fact, the last of them – Antarctica – has only around 1000 inhabitants in the winter. 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Азия	Aziya	Asia
Африка	Afrika	Africa
Европа	Evropa	Europe
Северна Америка	Severna Amerika	North America
Южна Америка	Yuzhna Amerika	South America
Австралия	Avstraliya	Australia
Антарктида	Antarktida	Antarctica

➜ This lesson prepared by BulgarianPod101 will help you learn more about world continents and their territories.

Note 1: You may already have noticed that all the continents in Bulgarian end on an -а, which means all of them are in female form. This fact will help you when you try to use them in a sentence. Let’s review a few examples:

• Африка е богата на полезни изкопаеми.
  (Afrika e bogata na polezni izkopaemi)
  Africa is rich in resources.

Note 2: Since the content of Africa is female in Bulgarian, the adjective used to describe it will also be in a female form, i.e. ending with an -а. Here is another example:

• Азия е по-голяма по територия от Европа.
  (Aziya e po-golyama po teritoriya ot Evropa)
  Asia is larger in territory than Europe.

* Now it’s your turn! Knowing this rule, try to write the correct form of the adjective in the following sentence:

• Австралия е (разположен) изцяло в южното полукълбо.
  (Avstraliya e (razpolozhen) iztsyalo v yuzhnoto polukalbo.)
  Australia is located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can check if your answer is correct at the very end of this review.

B- Countries

Countries in the Bulgarian language are assigned a grammatical gender. Here are examples for all three genders:

Male Forms of Countries

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Израел	Izrael	Israel
Египет	Egipet	Egypt
Казахстан	Kazahstan	Kazakhstan
Ливан	Livan	Lebanon
Китай	Kitay	China
Виетнам	Vietnam	Vietnam

• Египет е тайнствен и крие много изненади.
  (Egipet e taynstven i krie mnogo iznenadi)
  Egypt is mysterious and hides many surprises.

• Големият Казахстан граничи с Русия и Китай.
  (Golemiyat Kazahstan granichi s Rusiya i Kitay)
  Great Kazakhstan borders Russia and China.

As you can see from the examples above, the forms of adjectives are also male since the countries are in male forms.

Female Forms of Countries

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
България	Balgariya	Bulgaria
Япония	Yaponiya	Japan
Русия	Rusiya	Russia
Австрия	Avstriya	Austria
Финландия	Finlandiya	Finland
Австралия	Avstraliya	Australia

Just like continents are in female form, these countries are also female. So we prepared an exercise here for you, which is identical to the continents. 

* Open the brackets below placing the adjective in the correct form.

• България е изключително (красив).
  (Balgariya e izklyuchitelno (krasiv))
  Bulgaria is extremely beautiful.

• Страната на изгряващото слънце е (далечeн) Япония.
  (Stranata na izgryavashtoto slantse e (dalechen) Yaponiya)
  The country of the rising sun is distant Japan.

You can check if your answers are correct at the very end of this review.

Neutral Forms of Countries

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Монако	Monako	Monaco
Косово	Kosovo	Kosovo
Мароко	Maroko	Morocco
Мексико	Meksiko	Mexico

Note that the neutral form of the adjective ends in -o.

• Монако е много малко по територия, но е най-гъсто населената държава в света.
  (Monako e mnogo malko po teritoriya, no e nay-gasto naselenata darzhava v sveta.)
  Monaco is very small in territory, but is the most densely populated country in the world.

• Косово е разположено на Балканския полуостров.
  (Kosovo e razpolozheno na Balkanskiya poluostrov)
  Kosovo is located on the Balkan Peninsula.

C- How to form adjectives from the countries in Bulgarian?

Tip: Unlike in English, in Bulgarian the adjectives formed from the coutries are written with a small letter.

Forming Adjectives from Male Forms of Countries

We already reviewed some countries and their genders. Now, let’s try to make an adjective out of the country. In fact, that is easy for a male form. All you need to do is to add -ски at the end and replace the capital letter with a small letter. 

We will make a few examples and then leave the rest to you. 

* Try to complete the table yourself.

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Израел + ски – израелски	izraelski	Israeli
Египет + ски – египетски	egipetski	Egyptian
Казахстан		Kazakh
Ливан		Lebanese
Китай		Chinese
Виетнам		Vietnamese

Forming Adjectives from Female Forms of Countries

For the female form of countries, we need to remove the ending -ия and then add -ски. 

* Following the model, try to finish the table yourself. See the notes for the exceptions below: 

България + ски – български	balgarski	Bulgarian
Япония		Japanese
Финландия		Finland
Русия + ски – руски	ruski	Russian
Note that руски is written with one -с instead of two “c” since in Bulgarian language there is no double consonant -c. Only the consonants -т and -н are doubled.  So, writing русски is wrong.
Австрия + ски – австрийски	avstriyski	Austrian
Note that this adjective cannot be австрски because of accumulation of too many consonants and inability to pronounce it correctly. For euphony -ий is added before -ски. The same is the case with Австралия. Complete it below.
Австралия		Australian

Forming Adjectives from Neutral Forms of Countries

To form adjectives from these countries, remove the ending -o and add -ски. Another model to form adjectives from neutral forms of countries is given with Maроко. 

* There are two adjectives for you to compete, following the model.

Монако + ски – монакски	monakski	Monégasque, Monacan
Косово		Kosovar
Мароко+ ан+ ски – марокански	marokanski	Moroccan
Besides Мароко, Мексико also follows this model. Try to make an adjective on your own.
Мексико		Mexican

You can check if your answers are correct at the very end of this review.

➜ Can you find your country in this list of countries in Bulgarian language? If not, you might be interested to check if it presents in the following list of 18 world countries.

2. Top 10 Nationalities in Bulgaria

According to a research made in 2011, there are at least ten more nationalities living in Bulgaria besides Bulgarians. We present here these countries and the corresponding nationalities in both male and female forms starting with Bulgaria and Bulgarians.

Country	Nationality		Nationality in English
	Male	Female
България /Balgariya/	българин /balgarin/	българка /balgarka/	Bulgarian
Турция /Turtsiya/	турчин /turchin/	туркиня /turkinya/	Turkish
Румъния /Rumaniya/	румънец /rumanets/	румънка /rumanka/	Romanian
Русия /Rusiya/	руснак /rusnak/	рускиня /ruskinya/	Russian
Армения /Armeniya/	арменец /armenets/	арменка /armenka/	Armenian
Гърция /Gartsiya/	грък /grak/	гъркиня /garkinya/	Grecian
Украйна /Ukrayna/	украинец /ukrainets/	украинка /ukrainka/	Ukrainian
Молдова /Moldova/	молдовец /moldovets/	молдовка /moldovka/	Moldovan
Северна Македония /Severna Makedoniya/	македонец /makedonets/	македонка /makedonka/	Macedonian
Сърбия /Sarbiya/	сърбин /sarbin/	сръбкиня /srabkinya/	Serbian

Now it is your turn to practice these new words. 

* Open the brackets choosing the correct form of nationality based on the sentence.

1. Този мъж е (Bulgarian).
   Tozi mazh e (Bulgarian).
   This man is Bulgarian.

2. Тя е (Macedonian), но нейният дядо е (Serbian).
   Tya e (Macedonian), no neyniyat dyado e (Serbian).
   She is Macedonian, but her grandfather is Serbian.

3. Лорика е (Romanian), но е омъжена за (Russian).
   Lorika e (Romanian), no e omazhena za (Russian).
   Lorica is Romanian, but she is married to a Russian.

4. Човекът, който се нанесе в съседната къща, е (Ukrainian).
   Chovekat, koyto se nanese v sasednata kashta, e (Ukrainian).
   The man who moved into the house next door is Ukrainian.

5. Днес на пазара срещнах една (Turkish).
   Dnes na pazara sreshtnah edna (Turkish).
   Today I met a Turkish woman at the market.

Tip for the last sentence: To choose the correct form of nationality in the last sentence, pay attention to the translation.

You can check if your answers are correct at the very end of this review.

3. How to Ask Someone About Their Nationality

If you are curious about the nationality of your interlocutor, you can ask them about it in Bulgarian using one of the following ways:

• Откъде си?
  (Otkade si)
  Where are you from?

• От коя държава си?
  (Ot koya darzhava si)
  Which country are you from?

• Къде си роден?
  (Kade si roden)
  Where were you born?

• Каква е твоята националност?
  (Kakva e tvoyata natsionalnost)
  What is your nationality?

• Кой е родният ти език?
  (Koy e rodniyat ti ezik)
  What is your native language?

• Ти (nationality) ли си?
  (Ti (nationality) li si)
  Are you (nationality)?

• Ти от (country) ли си?
  (Ti ot (country) li si)
  Are you from (country)?

Let’s use the last two models to practice! 

* Translate the following questions in Bulgarian using the models and the table with countries & nationalities from the precious section:

• Are you Ukrainian? (When you turn to a woman)
• Are you from Greece?
• Are you Serbian? (When you turn to a man)
• Are you from Armenia?
• Are you Turkish? (When you turn to a woman)
• Are you from Russia?
• Are you Macedonian? (When you turn to a man)
• Are you from Bulgaria?

4. How to Tell Someone Your Nationality

Now, let’s change the roles. If you are asked what your nationality is in Bulgarian, here are a few ways to answer this question.

• Аз съм (nationality).
  (Az sam (nationality))
  I am (nationality).

• Аз съм от (country).
  (Az sam ot (country))
  I am from (country).

• Роден съм в (country), но живея в (country).
  (Roden sam v (country), no zhiveya v (country))
  I was born in (country), but I live in (country).

• Имам двойно гражданство. Аз съм (nationality) и (nationality).
  (Imam dvoyno grazhdanstvo. Az sam (nationality) i (nationality))
  I have dual citizenship. I am (nationality) and (nationality).

Now, let’s practice these models. 

* Using the table with countries and their nationalities in Bulgarian and models, translate the following sentences:

I am Bulgarian. (for a man)
I am Russian. (for a woman)
I am Turkish. (for a man)
I am Romanian. (for a woman)

I am from China.
I am from Russia.
I am from Mexico.
I am from Egypt.

I was born in Israel, but I live in Bulgaria.
I was born in Kazakhstan, but I live in Vietnam.

I have dual citizenship. I am Moldovan and Russian. (for a woman)
I have dual citizenship. I am Grecian and Armenian. (for a man)
I have dual citizenship. I am Serbian and Turkish. (for a woman)

➜ If your country is not in the list of top 10 nationalities in Bulgarian and you wonder what your nationality is in Bulgarian, you can check the following list of 35 nationalities prepared by BulgarianPod101.

5. Country, City, Nationality and Language in Bulgarian

Now, let’s add two more columns to the table – the capital city of the country and its language. It is easy to form the language of each country in Bulgarian: Just remove the ending of the country and add -ски.

For example:
България + -ски – български (balgarski) Bulgarian
Монголия + -ски – монголски (mongolski) Mongolian

Of course, there are some exceptions just like Turkish and Greek, given in the table below.

Tip: Please, note that the language in Bulgarian also starts with a small letter just like the nationality.

Now, let’s take a look at the table:

Country	Capital	Nationality		Language	Nationality in English
		Male	Female
България /Balgariya/	София	българин /balgarin/	българка /balgarka/	бългаски	Bulgarian
Турция /Turtsiya/	Анкара	турчин /turchin/	туркиня /turkinya/	турски	Turkish
Румъния /Rumaniya/	Букурещ	румънец /rumanets/	румънка /rumanka/	румънски	Romanian
Русия /Rusiya/	Москва	руснак /rusnak/	рускиня /ruskinya/	руски	Russian
Армения /Armeniya/	Ереван	арменец /armenets/	арменка /armenka/	арменски	Armenian
Гърция /Gartsiya/	Атина	грък /grak/	гъркиня /garkinya/	гръцки	Grecian
Украйна /Ukrayna/	Киев	украинец /ukrainets/	украинка /ukrainka/	украински	Ukrainian
Молдова /Moldova/	Кишинев	молдовец /moldovets/	молдовка /moldovka/	молдовски	Moldovan
Северна Македония /Severna Makedoniya/	Скопие	македонец /makedonets/	македонка /makedonka/	македонски	Macedonian
Сърбия /Sarbiya/	Белград	сърбин /sarbin/	сръбкиня /srabkinya/	сръбски	Serbian

Let’s do some exercices, following the model:

Аз живея в (city) и говоря (language).
(Az zhiveya v (city) i govorya (language))
I live in (city) and speak (language).

Exercise 1: * Translate the following sentences in Bulgarian:

I live in Kiev and speak Ukrainian and Russian.
I live in Sofia and speak Bulgarian and Turkish.
I live in Belgrade and speak Serbian and Macedonian.
I live in Atina and speak Greek and Armenian.

Exercise 2: * Now try to form languages yourself from the following countries:

Япония
Финландия
Казахстан
Израел
Египет
Китай
Ливан

Tip: Note that you don’t have to change anything in the countries that are of male gender. Just add the ending -ски next to the country. Don’t forget to begin the language with a small letter.

Exercise 3: * In the last exercise try to form the male form of nationality from the following countries:

Япония
Финландия
Казахстан
Израел
Ливан

Tip: To do that just add the ending -ец to all of them. However, you need to remove the current ending of those countries that are in a female gender.

* When you are done, it’s time to form the female form of nationality from the same countries given above.

Tip: To do that just add the ending -ка to all of them. However, you need to remove the current ending of those countries that are in a female gender.

You can check whether your answers are correct at the end of this review.

➜ You might find this lesson about the gender of Bulgarian adjectives very helpful.

6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

Knowing nationalities in Bulgarian can be challenging but BulgarianPod101 prepared this guide to give you more confidence when you speak about your nationality in Bulgarian. Now you know how to say nationalities in Bulgarian male and female form for a great number of countries.

Yet, many exceptions related to countries, nationalities and languages in Bulgarian may be confusing, especially for beginner level learners. If that is the case, you may search for a teacher in the MyTeacher section and choose a Bulgarian native language expert to help you resolve all those difficulties you may come across during your study. 

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this guide. Did you find the exercises easy or difficult? Which part do you find the most challenging? Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments below. 

And now it’s time to check your answers to the practical exercises given above.

7. Answers to Practical Exercises

1. Continents and Countries

A- World’s Continents

• Австралия е разположена изцяло в южното полукълбо.
  (Avstraliya e razpolozhena iztsyalo v yuzhnoto polukalbo)
  Australia is located entirely in the southern hemisphere.

B- Countries

Female Forms of Countries

• България е изключително красива.
  (Balgariya e izklyuchitelno krasiva)
  Bulgaria is extremely beautiful.

• Страната на изгряващото слънце е далечна  Япония.
  (Stranata na izgryavashtoto slantse e dalechna Yaponiya)
  The country of the rising sun is distant Japan.

C- How to form adjectives from the countries in Bulgarian?

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Израел + ски – израелски	izraelski	Israeli
Египет + ски – египетски	egipetski	Egyptian
Казахстан + ски – казахстански	kazahstanski	Kazakh
Ливан + ски – ливански	livanski	Lebanese
Китай + ски – китайски	kitayski	Chinese
Виетнам + ски – виетнамски	vietnamski	Vietnamese

Forming Adjectives from Female Forms of Countries

България + ски – български	balgarski	Bulgarian
Япония + ски – японски	yaponski	Japanese
Финландия + ски – финландски	finlandski	Finland
Русия + ски – руски	ruski	Russian
Note that руски is written with one -с instead of two c since in Bulgarian language there is no double consonant -c. Only the consonants -т and -н are doubled.  So writing русски is wrong.
Австрия + ски – австрийски	avstriyski	Austrian
Note that this adjective cannot be австрски because of accumulation of too many consonants and inability to pronounce correctly. For euphony -ий is added before -ски. The same is the case with Австралия.
Австралия + ски – австралийски	avstraliyski	Australian

Forming Adjectives from Neutral Forms of Countries

Монако + ски – монакски	monakski	Monégasque, Monacan
Косово + ски – косовски	kosovski	Kosovar
Мароко+ ан+ ски – марокански	marokanski	Moroccan
Besides Мароко, Мексико also follows this model. Try to make an adjective on your own.
Мексико+ ан+ ски – мексикански	meksikanski	Mexican

2. Top 10 Nationalities in Bulgaria

1. Този мъж е българин.
   Tozi mazh e balgarin.
   This man is Bulgarian.

2. Тя е македонка, но нейният дядо е сърбин.
   Tya e makedonka, no neyniyat dyado e sarbin.
   She is Macedonian, but her grandfather is Serbian.

3. Лорика е румънка, но е омъжена за руснак.
   Lorika e rumanka, no e omazhena za rusnak.
   Lorica is Romanian, but she is married to a Russian.

4. Човекът, който се нанесе в съседната къща, е украинец.
   Chovekat, koyto se nanese v sasednata kashta, e ukrainets.
   The man who moved into the house next door is Ukrainian.

5. Днес на пазара срещнах една туркиня.
   Dnes na pazara sreshtnah edna turkinya.
   Today, I met a Turkish woman on the market.

3. How to Ask Someone Their Nationality

• Are you Ukrainian? (When you turn to a woman)
  Ти украинка ли си?
  (Ti ukrainka li si)

• Are you from Greece?
  Ти от Гърция ли си?
  (Ti ot Gartsiya li si)

• Are you Serbian? (When you turn to a man)
  Ти сърбин ли си?
  (Ti sarbin li si)

• Are you from Armenia?
  Ти от Армения ли си?
  (Ti ot Armeniya li si)

• Are you Turkish? (When you turn to a woman)
  Ти туркиня ли си?
  (Ti turkinya li si)

• Are you from Russia?
  Ти от Русия ли си?
  (Ti ot Rusiya li si)

• Are you Macedonian? (When you turn to a man)
  Ти македонец ли си?
  (Ti makedonets li si)

• Are you from Bulgaria?
  Ти от България ли си?
  (Ti ot Balgariya li si)

4. How to Tell Someone Your Nationality

I am Bulgarian. (for a man)
Аз съм българин.
Az sam balgarin.

I am Russian. (for a woman)
Аз съм рускиня.
Az sam ruskinya.

I am Turkish. (for a man)
Аз съм турчин.
Az sam turchin.

I am Romanian. (for a woman)
Аз съм румънка.
Az sam rumanka.

I am from China.
Аз съм от Китай.
Az sam ot Kitay.

I am from Russia.
Аз съм от Русия.
Az sam ot Rusiya.

I am from Mexico.
Аз съм от Мексико.
Az sam ot Meksiko.

I am from Egypt.
Аз съм от Египет.
Az sam ot Egipet.

I was born in Israel, but I live in Bulgaria.
Роден съм в Израел, но живея в България.
Roden sam v Izrael, no zhiveya v Balgariya.

I was born in Kazakhstan, but I live in Vietnam. 
Роден съм в Казахстан, но живея във Виетнам.
Roden sam v Kazahstan, no zhiveya vav Vietnam.

I have dual citizenship. I am Moldovan and Russian. (for a woman)
Имам двойно гражданство. Аз съм молдовка и рускиня.
Imam dvoyno grazhdanstvo. Az sam moldovka i ruskinya.

I have dual citizenship. I am Grecian and Armenian. (for a man)
Имам двойно гражданство. Аз съм грък и арменец.
Imam dvoyno grazhdanstvo. Az sam grak i armenets.

I have dual citizenship. I am Serbian and Turkish. (for a woman)
Имам двойно гражданство. Аз съм сръбкиня и туркиня.
Imam dvoyno grazhdanstvo. Az sam srabkinya i turkinya.

5. Country, City, Nationality and Language in Bulgarian

Exercise 1

I live in Kiev and speak Ukrainian and Russian.
Аз живея в Киев и говоря украински и руски.
Az zhiveya v Kiev i govorya ukrainski i ruski.

I live in Sofia and speak Bulgarian and Turkish.
Аз живея в София и говоря български и турски.
Az zhiveya v Sofiya i govorya balgarski i turski.

I live in Belgrad and speak Serbian and Macedonian.
Аз живея в Белград и говоря сръбски и македонски.
Az zhiveya v Belgrad i govorya srabski i makedonski.

I live in Atina and speak Greek and Armenian.
Аз живея в Атина и говоря гръцки и арменски.
Az zhiveya v Atina i govorya gratski i armenski.

Exercise 2

Япония +ски – японски (yaponski)
Финландия +ски – финландски (finlandski)
Казахстан +ски – казахстански (kazahstanski)
Египет+ски – египетски (egipetski)
Китай +ски – китайски (kitayski)
Ливан +ски – ливански (livanski)

Exercise 3

Male form of Nationality

Япония +ец – японец  (yaponets)
Финландия +ец – финландец  (finlandets)
Казахстан +ец – казахстанец (kazahstanets)
Израел +ец – израелец (izraelets)
Ливан +ец – ливанец (livanets)

Female form of Nationality

Япония +ка – японка  (yaponka)
Финландия +ка – финландка (finlandka)
Казахстан +ка – казахстанка (kazahstanka)
Израел +ка – израелка (izraelka)
Ливан +ка – ливанка (livanka)

Many language learners reach a middle level in their studies and stop advancing further because they lack confidence in their ability to succeed. But BulgarianPod101 is here to encourage you to reach even higher—because you can! 

If you plan on working in Bulgaria, building a solid relationship with Bulgarian business partners, studying a major of choice in a Bulgarian university, or moving to Bulgaria for any other reason, we recommend you go through this comprehensive overview of advanced Bulgarian phrases. Memorizing and practicing these phrases will help you start speaking and writing like a native.

In this article, we will acquaint you with useful Bulgarian phrases for academic writing, composing your resume, applying for jobs, and having business meetings with your Bulgarian partners. At the end, you’ll also find some advanced idioms, sayings, and proverbs that Bulgarians use in their everyday speech. We hope that you enjoy this journey to the very top of Bulgarian language learning with us!

Become a Bulgarian language expert with us!

Table of Contents

1. Useful Phrases for Academic Writing
2. Powerful Phrases for a Resume
3. Smart Phrases for Business and Meetings
4. Advanced Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage
5. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian
6. Answers to Practical Exercises

1.  Useful Phrases for Academic Writing 

There are different types of academic writing that students might be asked to use during their studies in a Bulgarian university. That said, each type makes use of the most common advanced Bulgarian words and phrases in order to obtain an academic style. Let’s take a look at some of these advanced Bulgarian phrases for students, as they’ll be useful to know in a variety of academic contexts. To help you understand how to use them in a sentence, we have included examples.

1) When you need to make a conclusion based on a certain fact or piece of information, use the following academic phrases:

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
С оглед на	S ogled na	In view of
Example	С оглед на казаното дотук можем да си извадим извода, че работодателят има право да наложи такива санкции. S ogled na kazanoto dotuk mozhem da si izvadim izvoda, che rabotodatelyat ima pravo da nalozhi takiva sanktsii. In view of what has been said so far, we can conclude that the employer has the right to impose such sanctions.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
В светлината на	V svetlinata na	In light of
Example	В светлината на споделеното от него става ясно, че той не е предизвикал кризата. V svetlinata na spodelenoto ot nego stava yasno, che toy ne e predizvikal krizata. In light of what he shared, it is clear that he did not cause the crisis.

2) When you need to quote or cite a certain person, use the following academic words and phrases:

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
според	spored	according to
Example	Според Айнщайн вселената се състои от 3 пространствени измерения и 1 времево измерение. Spored Aynshtayn vselenata se sastoi ot tri prostranstveni izmereniya i edno vremevo izmerenie. According to Einstein, the universe consists of three spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
заявява, че	zayavyava, che	states that
Example	Айнщайн заявява, че е агностик в писмо от 1950 г. Aynshtayn zayavyava, che e agnostik v pismo ot 1950 godina. Einstein states that he is agnostic in a letter from 1950.

3) When you need to include another important fact in your writing, use the following words and phrases:

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
в допълнение	v dopalnenie	in addition
Example	В допълнение, струва си да приведем резултата от друго научно изследване. V dopalnenie, struva si da privedem rezultata ot drugo nauchno izsledvane. In addition, it is worth adding the result of another scientific study.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
нещо повече	neshto poveche	furthermore
Example	Нещо повече, това ни навежда на мисълта, че в тази теория се крие и нещо друго. Neshto poveche, tova ni navezhda na misalta, che v tazi teoriya se krie i neshto drugo. Furthermore, this leads us to think that there is something else in this theory.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
трябва да се отбележи	tryabva da se otbelezhi	it should be noted
Example	Трябва да се отбележи, че всички тези доказателства не са достатъчни, за да си направим цялостен извод. Tryabva da se otbelezhi, che vsichki tezi dokazatelstva ne sa dostatachni, za da si napravim tsyalosten izvod. It should be noted that all this evidence is not sufficient to draw a comprehensive conclusion.

4) When you would like to illustrate different aspects of a given fact, you can use the following academic phrases:

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
от една страна … от друга страна …	ot edna strana … ot druga strana …	on the one hand … on the other hand …
Example	От една страна правителството реши да подкрепи производителите, но от друга страна повиши данъците. Ot edna strana pravitelstvoto reshi da podkrepi proizvoditelite, no ot druga strana povishi danatsite. On the one hand, the government decided to support producers, but on the other hand, it raised taxes.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
друг ключов момент	drug klyuchov moment	another key point
Example	Друг ключов момент, който не можем да пропуснем, е влиянието на възпитанието му. Drug klyuchov moment, koyto ne mozhem da propusnem, e vliyanieto na vazpitanieto mu. Another key point that we cannot miss out on is the influence of his upbringing.

5) Some other important academic phrases include:

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
с други думи	s drugi dumi	in other words
Example	С други думи, въпросът се свежда до стойността на живота. S drugi dumi, vaprosat se svezhda do stoynostta na zhivota. In other words, the question comes down to the value of life.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
казано с прости думи	kazano s prosti dumi	in simple words
Example	Казано с прости думи, това е е абсолютно ненужно за хората. Kazano s prosti dumi, tova e e absolyutno nenuzhno za horata. In simple words, this is absolutely unnecessary for people.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
по подобен начин	po podoben nachin	in a similar way
Example	По подобен начин можем да разсъждаваме и за предимствата от класическата музика. Po podoben nachin mozhem da razsazhdavame i za predimstvata ot klasicheskata muzika. In a similar way, we can think about the advantages of classical music.

6) You can use these academic phrases to conclude your writing:

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
в заключение	v zaklyuchenie	in conclusion
Example	В заключение можем да кажем, че смисълът на живота е в даването. V zaklyuchenie mozhem da kazhem, che smisalat na zhivota e v davaneto. In conclusion, we can say that the meaning of life is in giving.

Bulgarian Academic Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
в резюме/заключение	v rezyume/zaklyuchenie	in summary
Example	В резюме можем да направим извода, че животът и делото на поета са съдействали за възраждането на нацията. V rezyume mozhem da napravim izvoda, che zhivotat i deloto na poeta sa sadeiystvali za vazrazhdaneto na natsiyata. In summary, we can conclude that the poet’s life and work contributed to the revival of the nation.

Let’s Practice: Academic Writing 

The more you practice new words and phrases, the easier it will become for you to use them appropriately. Eventually, you’ll reach the level where they naturally appear in your mind as soon as you need them. To expedite this process, we have prepared some practical exercises throughout the article that will help you learn these advanced Bulgarian phrases more easily.

In this exercise, you need to choose the correct option from the brackets (only one correct option per bracket). You can check your answers at the end of this article. Note that the given sentences are arranged in a logical sequence.

1. [Друг ключов момент; Според; Нещо повече] някои специалисти, ученето на чужд език в онлайн среда има свои предимства.
   [Drug klyuchov moment; Spored; Neshto poveche] nyakoi spetsialisti, ucheneto na chuzhd ezik v onlayn sreda ima svoi predimstva.
   [Another key point; According to; Something more] some professionals, learning a foreign language in an online environment has its advantages.

2. [Заявява, че; Според; От една страна] онлайн обучението дава възможност на учителите да споделят много иновативни образователни ресурси, а от друга страна могат да изработят индивидуален подход към всеки ученик.
   [Zayavyava, che; Spored; Ot edna strana] onlayn obuchenieto dava vazmozhnost na uchitelite da spodelyat mnogo inovativni obrazovatelni resursi, a ot druga strana mogat da izrabotyat individualen podhod kam vseki uchenik.
   [States that; According to; On the one hand] online learning enables teachers to share many innovative educational resources, and on the other hand, they can develop an individual approach for each student.

3. [С други думи; Друг ключов момент; Трябва да се отбележи] ученето в електронна среда е не само полезно, но и забавно.
   [S drugi dumi; Drug klyuchov moment; Tryabva da se otbelezhi] ucheneto v elektronna sreda e ne samo polezno, no i zabavno.
   [In other words; Another key point; It should be noted] learning in an electronic environment is not only useful but also fun.

4. [В светлината на; По подобен начин; В заключение] стои и въпросът с изучаването на чужд език.
   [V svetlinata na; Po podoben nachin; V zaklyuchenie] stoi i vaprosat s izuchavaneto na chuzhd ezik.
   [In light of; In a similar way; In conclusion] is the question of learning a foreign language.

5. [В заключение; В светлината на; Според] можем да кажем, че ученето на чужд език онлайн не е губене на време, a съдейства за достигането на реални резултати.
   [V zaklyuchenie; V svetlinata na; Spored] mozhem da kazhem, che ucheneto na chuzhd ezik onlayn ne e gubene na vreme, no sadeiystva za dostiganeto na realni rezultati.
   [In conclusion; In light of; According to] we can say that learning a foreign language online is not a waste of time but contributes to achieving real results.

2.  Powerful Phrases for a Resume 

It’s time to learn advanced Bulgarian phrases that will help you write a powerful resume. Using these phrases in your resume will make it stand out, help you efficiently describe your relevant knowledge and abilities, and leave a strong impression on the employer. 

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
Мога да анализирам и решавам проблеми.	Moga da analiziram i reshavam problemi.	I can analyze and solve problems.

Мога да изграждам успешни административни стратегии.

Moga da izgrazhdam uspeshni administrativni strategii.

I can build successful administrative strategies.

Информиран съм за новите технологии в офис автоматизацията.

Informiran sam za novite tehnologii v ofis avtomatizatsiyata.

I am informed about the new technologies in office automation.

Фокусирам се върху резултатите.

Fokusiram se varhu rezultatite.

I focus on the results.

Постигам трайни резултати.

Postigam trayni rezultati.

I achieve lasting results.

Ефективен съм в комуникациите и взаимодействието с другите.

Efektiven sam v komunikatsiite i vzaimodeystvieto s drugite.

I am effective in communicating and interacting with others.

Имам богат опит в областта.

Imam bogat opit v oblastta.

I have extensive experience in the field.

Посещавал съм семинари за подобряване на ефективността в работата.

Poseshtaval sam seminari za podobryavane na efektivnostta v rabotata.

I have attended seminars to improve work efficiency.

Вземам решения с увереност.

Vzemam resheniya s uverenost.

I make decisions with confidence.

Изпълнявам всички поети ангажименти.

Izpalnyavam vsichki poeti angazhimenti.

I fulfill all my commitments.

Имам желание и способност за лично израстване.

Imam zhelanie i sposobnost za lichno izrastvane.

I have the desire and ability for personal growth.

Не се страхувам да прилагам нововъведения.

Ne se strahuvam da prilagam novovavedeniya.

I am not afraid of innovations.

Гледам на трудностите като на възможности.

Gledam na trudnostite kato na vazmozhnosti.

I see difficulties as opportunities.

 Let’s Practice: Resume 

Now it’s time to practice what we covered in this section. This time, your task is to replace the English phrases with their corresponding advanced Bulgarian phrases.

Кандидатствам за позицията мениджър във вашата компания, защото I have extensive experience in the field, работейки на същата позиция за две други фирми преди това, I can build successful administrative strategies и I see difficulties as opportunities. I have attended seminars to improve work efficiency и I have the desire and ability for personal growth. Нещо повече, I am not afraid of innovations и I make decisions with confidence.

Kandidatstvam za pozitsiyata menidzhar vav vashata kompaniya, zashtoto I have extensive experience in the field, raboteyki na sashtata pozitsiya za dve drugi firmi predi tova, I can build successful administrative strategies i I see difficulties as opportunities. I have attended seminars to improve work efficiency i I have the desire and ability for personal growth. Neshto poveche, I am not afraid of innovations i I make decisions with confidence.

I am applying for the position of manager in your company because I have extensive experience in the field (having worked in the same position for two other companies before), I can build successful administrative strategies, and I see difficulties as opportunities. I have attended seminars to improve work efficiency, and I have the desire and ability for personal growth. Moreover, I am not afraid of innovations, and I make decisions with confidence. 

3.  Smart Phrases for Business and Meetings 

If you intend to conduct business of any kind with Bulgarians, it will be useful to know some common advanced Bulgarian phrases that you can use during business meetings, online conferences, negotiations, etc. Here’s a practical list to get you started. 

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	English Translation
Бихте ли повторили, моля?	Bihte li povtorili, molya?	Could you repeat that, please?

Боя се, че не ви разбрах.

Boya se, che ne vi razbrah.

I’m afraid I didn’t understand you.

Налага се да изляза за десет минути. Всички съгласни ли са?

Nalaga se da izlyaza za deset minuti. Vsichki saglasni li sa?

I need to leave for ten minutes. Is it okay with everyone?

Добре дошли на всички. Казвам се ___ и съм ръководител на проекта.

Dobre doshli na vsichki. Kazvam se ___ i sam rakovoditel na proekta.

Welcome, everybody. My name is ___, and I am the project manager.

Ще съм кратък, тъй като знам, че всички сте заети хора.

Shte sam kratak, tay kato znam, che vsichki ste zaeti hora.

I’m going to keep this brief, as I know you are all busy people.

Първо ще говоря за…

Parvo shte govorya za…

First, I will talk about…

След това ще преминем на…

Sled tova shte preminem na…

Then, we’ll go over…

В заключение ще разгледаме…

V zaklyuchenie shte razgledame…

To conclude, we’ll touch on…

Извинете, прекъснах ви. Вие казвахте…

Izvinete, prekasnakh vi. Vie kazvahte…

Sorry, I interrupted you. You were saying…

Бих искал да си уговорим среща възможно най-скоро. Кога сте свободен/на?

Bih iskal da si ugovorim sreshta vazmozhno nay-skoro. Koga ste svoboden/na?

I would like to set a meeting with you as early as possible. When are you available?

 Let’s Practice: Business Meetings 

Below is a sample business dialogue. Your task is to choose the correct option for the answer.

г-н Смит: Добър ден, г-н Петров. Аз съм г-н Смит и бих искал да Ви представя основния продукт на нашата фирма. Мисля, че той ще е изключително полезен за общността в България, а Вашата компания би могла да бъде отличен дистрибутор за страната Ви.

g-n Smit: Dobar den, g-n Petrov. Az sam g-n Smit i bih iskal da Vi predstavya osnovniya produkt na nashata firma. Mislya, che toy shte e izklyuchitelno polezen za obshtnostta v Balgariya, a Vashata kompaniya bi mogla da bade otlichen distributor za stranata Vi.

Mr. Smith: Good afternoon, Mr. Petrov. I am Mr. Smith, and I would like to present to you the main product of our company. I think it will be extremely useful for the community in Bulgaria, and your company could be an excellent distributor for your country. 

г-н Петров: Здравейте г-н Смит. Много ми е приятно и се интересувам от предложението Ви, но в момента имам неотложни дела. 

g-n Petrov: Zdraveyte g-n Smit. Mnogo mi e priyatno i se interesuvam ot predlozhenieto Vi, no v momenta imam neotlozhni dela.

Mr. Petrov: Hello, Mr. Smith. I am very pleased and interested in your proposal, but I have an urgent job at the moment. 

Choose the next words of Mr. Smith from the options below:

Извинете, прекъснах ви. Вие казвахте…
(Izvinete, prekasnah vi. Vie kazvahte…)

Ще съм кратък, тъй като знам, че сте зает.
(Shte sam kratak, tay kato znam, che ste zaet.)

Бих искал да си уговорим среща възможно най-скоро. Кога сте свободен?
(Bih iskal da si ugovorim sreshta vazmozhno nay-skoro. Koga ste svoboden?)

4.  Advanced Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage 

It will be useful for you to know some advanced sayings, idioms, and proverbs that local people use in their everyday conversations. Once a foreigner understands them well, it indicates that they have mastered the highest level of language proficiency.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
пълна къща	palna kashta	a full house
Meaning	The whole household gathered together
Example	Днес имам пълна къща. Дошли са ми на гости всички деца и внуци. Dnes imam palna kashta. Doshli sa mi na gosti vsichki detsa i vnutsi. Today, I have a full house. All my children and grandchildren came to visit me.

➜ Please visit our free vocabulary list Must-Know Terms for Family Members to pick up more useful vocabulary on the topic.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
час пик	chas pik	rush hour
Meaning	The busiest time of the workday
Example	Обикновено в час пик е трудно да се придвижиш бързо с автомобил в града. Obiknoveno v chas pik e trudno da se pridvizhish barzo s avtomobil v grada. Usually, during rush hour, it is difficult to get around quickly by car in the city.

➜ In this lesson from BulgarianPod101, you can learn more about the most widely used modes of transportation in Bulgaria.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
час по час	chas po chas	hour by hour
Meaning	Very often
Example	Не съм добре с бъбреците и се налага час по час да ходя до тоалетна. Ne sam dobre s babretsite i se nalaga chas po chas da hodya do toaletna. My kidneys are not well, and I have to go to the toilet very often.

➜ There is a specific holiday on the Bulgarian folklore calendar related to diseases. You can learn more about it in this lesson.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
час по-скоро	chas po-skoro	an hour sooner
Meaning	As soon as possible; right away
Example	Налага се да отида на лекар час по-скоро. Nalaga se da otida na lekar chas po-skoro. I have to go to the doctor as soon as possible.

➜ Are you interested in learning some useful phrases for talking to your Bulgarian doctor? BulgarianPod101 has you covered!

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
на бърза ръка	na barza raka	with a quick hand
Meaning	Hastily; in a hurry
Example	На бърза ръка направих една баница за гостите. Na barza raka napravih edna banitsa za gostite. I hastily made banitsa for the guests.

➜ Here is a list of 10 popular Bulgarian dishes that you might want to try during your stay in Bulgaria.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
ябълка на раздора	yabalka na razdora	apple of discord
Meaning	Something that causes controversy or misunderstandings
Example	Този въпрос се превърна в ябълка на раздора сред присъстващите на конференцията. Tozi vapros se prevarna v yabalka na razdora sred prisastvashtite na konferentsiyata. This issue became an apple of discord among those present at the conference.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
има си хас	ima si has	–
Meaning	Unbelievable; impossible
Example	Има си хас той да получи добра оценка по български език, като го знам колко учи. Ima si has toy da poluchi dobra otsenka po balgarski ezik, kato go znam kolko uchi. It is impossible for him to get a good grade in Bulgarian, knowing how little he studies.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
барабар Петко с мъжете	barabar Petko s mazhete	Petko together with the men
Meaning	When someone goes to do something along with others
Example	Барабар Петко с мъжете! Тръгнал и моят син да цепи дърва. Barabar Petko s mazhete! Tragnal i moyat sin da tsepi darva. Petko is alongside the men! My son also went chopping wood.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
парите говорят	parite govoryat	money talks
Meaning	Money rules a situation
Example	Там нямаш шанс да те послушат—там парите говорят. Tam nyamash shans da te poslushat—tam parite govoryat. You have no chance to be heard—money rules there.

Advanced Bulgarian Phrase	Pronunciation	Literal English Translation
всичко си има цена	vsichko si ima tsena	everything has a price
Meaning	It all came at a price
Example	Той се преуморяваше постоянно, но всичко си има цена—накрая се разболя тежко. Toy se preumoryavashe postoyanno, no vsichko si ima tsena—nakraya se razbolya tezhko. He was constantly overworked, but it all came at a price—in the end, he became seriously ill.

 Let’s Practice: Advanced Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs 

Now that you’ve seen a few advanced Bulgarian slang phrases, it’s time to test how much you remember. Choose the correct idiom for each sentence. You can check your answers at the very end of this article. 

1. Остават ми само 10 минути до урока, затова се налага [час по час; на бърза ръка; има си хас] да направя домашното.
   Ostavat mi samo 10 minuti do uroka, zatova se nalaga [chas po chas; na barza raka; ima si has] da napravya domashnoto.
   I only have 10 minutes left until the lesson, so I have to do my homework (…).

2. Сигурно искаш да надминеш всичките си конкуренти в бизнеса, но [всичко си има цена; барабар Петко с мъжете; парите говорят]—семейството ще остане на заден план.
   Sigurno iskash da nadminesh vsichkite si konkurenti v biznesa, no [vsichko si ima tsena; barabar Petko s mazhete; parite govoryat]—semeystvoto shte ostane na zaden plan.
   You probably want to surpass all your business competitors, but (…)—the family will remain in second place.

3. Жена ми се обади по телефона и се налага да си тръгна [час пик; час по час; час по-скоро].
   Zhena mi se obadi po telefona i se nalaga da si tragna [chas pik; chas po chas; chas po-skoro].
   My wife called me on the phone, and I had to leave (…).

4. Той ми е голям приятел и [час пик; час по час; час по-скоро] идва у дома.
   Toy mi e golyam priyatel i [chas pik; chas po chas; chas po-skoro] idva u doma.
   He is a great friend of mine and (…) comes to my house.

5. С него вече не сме приятели, след като едно момиче се превърна в [час пик; ябълката на раздора; парите говорят].
   S nego veche ne sme priyateli, sled kato edno momiche se prevarna v [chas pik; yabalkata na razdora; parite govoryat].
   We are no longer friends with him after a girl became (…).

5.  How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian 

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this extensive overview of advanced Bulgarian phrases to help you move from the intermediate to the advanced level in Bulgarian. As an advanced learner, you’ll be able to write academic texts, craft powerful resumes, and speak freely in Bulgarian with colleagues, friends, and acquaintances. 

If you still don’t feel confident in your knowledge, you can turn to our MyTeacher service for Premium PLUS members and choose an experienced native Bulgarian teacher. They will provide you with needed help by clarifying any points of difficulty that you come across while studying advanced-level Bulgarian. 

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this article. Did you find it difficult or easy to understand? Do you plan to add some of these advanced Bulgarian words and phrases to your academic texts or your resume? And which of the advanced Bulgarian idioms do you plan to use most often in your daily conversations with Bulgarians? Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments below. 

And now it’s time to check your answers to the practical exercises given above.

6.  Answers to Practical Exercises 

 Answers to the practical exercise for Academic Writing 

1. [друг ключов момент; според; нещо повече] някои специалисти, ученето на чужд език в онлайн среда има свои предимства.
   Spored nyakoi spetsialisti, ucheneto na chuzhd ezik v onlayn sreda ima svoi predimstva.
   According to some professionals, learning a foreign language in an online environment has its advantages.

2. [заявява, че; според; от една страна] онлайн обучението дава възможност на учителите да споделят много иновативни образователни ресурси, а от друга страна могат да изработят индивидуален подход към всеки ученик.
   Ot edna strana onlayn obuchenieto dava vazmozhnost na uchitelite da spodelyat mnogo inovativni obrazovatelni resursi, a ot druga strana mogat da izrabotyat individualen podhod kam vseki uchenik.
   On the one hand, online learning enables teachers to share many innovative educational resources, and on the other hand, they can develop an individual approach for each student.

3. [с други думи; друг ключов момент; трябва да се отбележи] ученето в електронна среда е не само полезно, но и забавно.
   S drugi dum ucheneto v elektronna sreda e ne samo polezno, no i zabavno.
   In other words, learning in an electronic environment is not only useful but also fun.

4. [в светлината на; по подобен начин; в заключение] стои и въпросът с изучаването на чужд език.
   Po podoben nachin stoi i vaprosat s izuchavaneto na chuzhd ezik.
   In a similar way is the question of learning a foreign language.

5. [в заключение; в светлината на; според] можем да кажем, че ученето на чужд език онлайн не е губене на време, но съдейства за достигането на реални резултати.
   V zaklyuchenie mozhem da kazhem, che ucheneto na chuzhd ezik onlayn ne e gubene na vreme, no sadeiystva za dostiganeto na realni rezultati.
   In conclusion, we can say that learning a foreign language online is not a waste of time but contributes to achieving real results.

 Answers to the practical exercise for Resume 

Кандидатствам за позицията мениджър във вашата компания, защото имам богат опит в областта, работейки на същата позиция за две други фирми преди това, мога да изграждам успешни административни стратегии и гледам на трудностите като на възможности. Посещавал съм семинари за подобряване на ефективността в работата и имам желание и способност за лично израстване. Нещо повече, не се страхувам да прилагам нововъведения и вземам решения с увереност.

—

Kandidatstvam za pozitsiyata menidzhar vav vashata kompaniya, zashtoto imam bogat opit v oblastta, raboteyki na sashtata pozitsiya za dve drugi firmi predi tova, moga da izgrazhdam uspeshni administrativni strategii i gledam na trudnostite kato na vazmozhnosti. Poseshtaval sam seminari za podobryavane na efektivnostta v rabotata i imam zhelanie i sposobnost za lichno izrastvane. Neshto poveche, ne se strahuvam da prilagam novovavedeniya i vzemam resheniya s uverenost.

—

I am applying for the position of manager in your company because I have extensive experience in the field (having worked in the same position for two other companies before), I can build successful administrative strategies, and I see difficulties as opportunities. I have attended seminars to improve work efficiency, and I have the desire and ability for personal growth. Moreover, I am not afraid of innovations, and I make decisions with confidence. 

 Answers to the practical exercise for Business Meetings 

г-н Смит: Добър ден, г-н Петров. Аз съм г-н Смит и бих искал да Ви представя основния продукт на нашата фирма. Мисля, че той ще е изключително полезен за общността в България, а Вашата компания би могла да бъде отличен дистрибутор за страната Ви.

g-n Smit: Dobar den, g-n Petrov. Az sam g-n Smit i bih iskal da Vi predstavya osnovniya produkt na nashata firma. Mislya, che toy shte e izklyuchitelno polezen za obshtnostta v Balgariya, a Vashata kompaniya bi mogla da bade otlichen distributor za stranata Vi.

Mr. Smith: Good afternoon, Mr. Petrov. I am Mr. Smith, and I would like to introduce the main product of our company to you. I think it will be extremely useful for the community in Bulgaria, and your company could be an excellent distributor for your country. 

г-н Петров: Здравейте г-н Смит. Много ми е приятно и се интересувам от предложението Ви, но в момента имам неотложни дела. 

g-n Petrov: Zdraveyte g-n Smit. Mnogo mi e priyatno i se interesuvam ot predlozhenieto Vi, no v momenta imam neotlozhni dela.

Mr. Petrov: Hello, Mr. Smith. I am very pleased and interested in your proposal, but I have an urgent job at the moment. 

Choose the next words of Mr. Smith from the options below:

Бих искал да си уговорим среща възможно най-скоро. Кога сте свободен?
Bih iskal da si ugovorim sreshta vazmozhno nay-skoro. Koga ste svoboden?
I would like to set a meeting with you as soon as possible. When are you free?

 Answers to the practical exercise for Advanced Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs 

1. Остават ми само 10 минути до урока, затова се налага [час по час; на бърза ръка;  има си хас] да направя домашното.
   Ostavat mi samo 10 minuti do uroka, zatova se nalaga na barza raka da napravya domashnoto.
   I only have 10 minutes left until the lesson, so I have to do my homework in a hurry.

2. Сигурно искаш да надминеш всичките си конкуренти в бизнеса, но [всичко си има цена; барабар Петко с мъжете; парите говорят]—семейството ще остане на заден план.
   Sigurno iskash da nadminesh vsichkite si konkurenti v biznesa, no vsichko si ima tsena—semeystvoto shte ostane na zaden plan.
   You probably want to surpass all your business competitors, but it will all come at a price—the family will remain in second place.

3. Жена ми се обади по телефона и се налага да си тръгна [час пик; час по час; час по-скоро].
   Zhena mi se obadi po telefona i se nalaga da si tragna chas po-skoro.
   My wife called me on the phone, and I had to leave right away.

4. Той ми е голям приятел и [час пик; час по час; час по-скоро] идва у дома.
   Toy mi e golyam priyatel i chas po chas idva u doma.
   He is a great friend of mine and comes very often to my house.

5. С него вече не сме приятели, след като едно момиче се превърна в [час пик; ябълката на раздора; парите говорят].
   S nego veche ne sme priyateli, sled kato edno momiche se prevarna v yabalkata na razdora.
   We are no longer friends with him after a girl became an apple of discord.

It’s quite challenging to progress from the beginner to the intermediate level. There are many things to learn, many rules to remember, and many sentence patterns to follow. This is why many people give up at the beginning of their foreign language studies and never move forward. 

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this useful overview of intermediate Bulgarian phrases to help you overcome these difficulties, gain more self-confidence, and not give up too soon. In this practical guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Talk about past events
• Make plans 
• Explain how you’re feeling
• React to different everyday conversations
• Much more! 

You don’t have to remain a beginner-level speaker. Study the Bulgarian phrases for intermediate-level students given below, and you’ll gain much more confidence in your everyday communication with your Bulgarian friends. What’s more, you won’t be afraid of making mistakes. In fact, each mistake will help you learn more and progress. This is what the great Albert Einstein said: 

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

So, with or without mistakes, let’s give it a try!

Table of Contents

1. Talking About Past Events
2. Making and Changing Plans
3. Explaining and Listing Reasons
4. Making Recommendations and Complaints
5. Reaction Phrases for Everyday Conversations
6. Etiquette Phrases for Social and Business Settings
7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

1. Talking About Past Events

There are many cases where you will need to talk about past events and experiences. For example, how did you feel at the party yesterday or on your vacation last year? Here are some useful intermediate Bulgarian phrases in the form of questions and their possible corresponding answers. You could use them to ask your friends about their past experiences or answer the questions yourself. We encourage you to learn them in pairs (the question with the answer) so that you’ll always be ready to keep the conversation going. 

Question 1:

Как мина партито вчера?

Kak mina partito vchera?

How was the party yesterday?

Possible Answer:

Вчера прекарах страхотно на партито.

Vchera prekarah strahotno na partito.

I had a great time at the party yesterday.

I had a great time at the party yesterday.

➞ You might be interested in this list of the top twenty Bulgarian words for positive emotions.

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Question 2:

Ходил ли си на почивка в Лондон?

Hodil li si na pochivka v London?

Have you been to London on holiday?

Possible Answer:

В Лондон не съм бил, но миналата година ходих на почивка в Париж.

V London ne sam bil, no minalata godina hodih na pochivka v Parizh.

I haven’t been to London, but last year I went on holiday to Paris.

➞ You can take a look at this lesson on the most popular Bulgarian cities to get some fresh ideas for your upcoming vacation or holiday!

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Question 3:

Как мина денят ти?

Kak mina denyat ti?

How was your day?

Possible Answer:

Имах много работа и сега съм уморен.

Imah mnogo rabota i sega sam umoren.

I had a lot of work, and now I’m tired.

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Question 4:

Миналата събота отиде ли на рождения ден?

Minalata sabota otide li na rozhdeniya den?

Did you go to the birthday party last Saturday?

Possible Answer:

Да, прекарахме си чудесно!

Da, prekarahme si chudesno!

Yes, we had a great time!

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Question 5:

Какво направи, след като завърши училище?

Kakvo napravi, sled kato zavarshi uchilishte?

What did you do after graduating from school?

**********************                    ***********************                    ***********************

Possible Answer:

Кандидатствах в университет и ме приеха в специалност Мениджмънт.

Kandidatstvah v universitet i me prieha v spetsialnost Menidzhmant.

I applied to a university and was accepted as a Management major.

Question 6:

Ял ли си някога вкусна китайска храна?

Yal li si nyakoga vkusna kitayska hrana?

Have you ever eaten delicious Chinese food?

Possible Answer:

Храната в китайския ресторант, който посетихме миналата седмица, беше много вкусна.

Hranata v kitayskiya restorant, koyto posetihme minalata sedmitsa, beshe mnogo vkusna.

The food at the Chinese restaurant we visited last week was very tasty.

➞ BulgarianPod101 has prepared a list of famous Bulgarian meals in case you’d like to learn more about our wonderful cuisine.

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Question 7:

Кога започна работа в тази фирма?

Koga zapochna rabota v tazi firma?

When did you start working for this company?

Possible Answer:

Започнах работа в тази фирма преди три години.

Zapochnah rabota v tazi firma predi tri godini.

I started working for this company three years ago.

2. Making and Changing Plans

It’s important to tell your friends about your plans, but sometimes plans change. In case this happens, you should know how to let your Bulgarian acquaintances know. Below, we’ll show you several intermediate phrases in Bulgarian that you could use for these purposes. 

Making Plans

#1 

Какво ще кажеш да отидем на кино вечерта?

Kakvo shte kazhesh da otidem na kino vecherta?

How about going to the cinema tonight?

#2 

Следващият месец ще пътувам за Австрия.

Sledvashtiyat mesets shte patuvam za Avstriya.

I will travel to Austria next month.

➞ Here, “Austria” could be replaced with any other country name. You can find the country name you’re looking for in our World Countries vocabulary list or in this lesson.

#3 

Това лято планираме да почиваме в Испания.

Tova lyato planirame da pochivame v Ispaniya.

This summer, we plan to go on a vacation in Spain.

#4 

Смятам да кандидатствам за работа в международна фирма.

Smyatam da kandidatstvam za rabota v mezhdunarodna firma.

I plan to apply for a job in an international company.

#5 

Искаш ли да отидем на китайски ресторант във вторник?

Iskash li da otidem na kitayski restorant vav vtornik?

Do you want to go to a Chinese restaurant on Tuesday?

➞ Would you like to learn (or review) the other days of the week? Then visit our free vocabulary list Talking About Days in Bulgarian!

Changing  Plans

#1

Заради пандемията тази година няма да отида на почивка в Турция.

Zaradi pandemiyata tazi godina nyama da otida na pochivka v Turtsiya.

Due to the pandemic, I will not go on holiday to Turkey this year.

#2 

Ще отложа пътуването си, защото колата ми се развали.

Shte otlozha patuvaneto si, zashtoto kolata mi se razvali.

I will postpone my trip because my car broke down.

#3

Във вторник трябва да пътувам, затова няма да мога да отида на зъболекар.

Vav vtornik tryabva da patuvam, zatova nyama da moga da otida na zabolekar.

I have to travel on Tuesday, so I won’t be able to go to the dentist.

#4 

Днес не мога да дойда на срещата. Какво ще кажеш да я отложим за утре?

Dnes ne moga da doyda na sreshtata. Kakvo shte kazhesh da ya otlozhim za utre?

I can’t come to the meeting today. How about postponing it until tomorrow?

3. Explaining and Listing Reasons

Explaining Your Reasons

Explaining how you feel in different situations is important, as it lets others understand you and sympathize with your reasoning. We have prepared a list of nine useful Bulgarian phrases for intermediate learners that you can use to reject an invitation or disagree with someone. For each phrase, we have also included a sample sentence. 

Reason #1

Много съм зает/заета. Mnogo sam zaet/zaeta. I am very busy.
Example	Не мога да дойда с теб на разходка. Много съм зает днес.
	Ne moga da doyda s teb na razhodka. Mnogo sam zaet dnes.
	I can’t go for a walk with you. I’m very busy today.

Reason #2

Имам много работа. Imam mnogo rabota. I have a lot of work.
Example	Налага се днес да остана след работно време, защото имам много работа.
	Nalaga se dnes da ostana sled rabotno vreme, zashtoto imam mnogo rabota.
	I have to stay at the office longer today because I have a lot of work to do.

Reason #3

Не се чувствам добре. Ne se chuvstvam dobre. I’m not feeling well.
Example	Днес не се чувствам добре, затова предпочитам да си остана вкъщи.
	Dnes ne se chuvstvam dobre, zatova predpochitam da si ostana vkashti.
	I’m not feeling well today, so I prefer to stay home.

Reason #4

Не съм сигурен/сигурна. Ne sam siguren/sigurna. I’m not sure.
Example	Не ми се ходи на кино, защото не съм сигурна, че този филм ще ми хареса.
	Ne mi se hodi na kino, zashtoto ne sam sigurna, che tozi film shte mi haresa.
	I don’t want to go to the cinema because I’m not sure I will like this movie.

Reason #5

Имам други планове. Imam drugi planove. I have other plans.
Example	Нека оставим разходката за друг път, защото имам други планове за тази вечер.
	Neka ostavim razhodkata za drug pat, zashtoto imam drugi planove za tazi vecher.
	Let’s leave the walk for another time, because I have different plans for tonight.

Reason #6

Мисля по различен начин. Mislya po razlichen nachin. I think differently.
Example	Разбирам твоето мнение по въпроса, но аз мисля по различен начин.
	Razbiram tvoeto mnenie po vaprosa, no az mislya po razlichen nachin.
	I understand your opinion on the matter, but I think differently.

Reason #7

Предпочитам… Predpochitam… I prefer…
Example	Не ми се излиза днес. Предпочитам да си остана у дома и да гледам някой филм.
	Ne mi se izliza dnes. Predpochitam da si ostana u doma i da gledam nyakoy film.
	I don’t want to go out today. I would prefer to stay home and watch a movie.

Reason #8

Много съм уморен/а. Mnogo sam umoren/a. I am very tired.
Example	Зная, че се уговорихме да излезем днес, но съм много уморен. Нека оставим за друг път.
	Znaya, che se ugovorihme da izlezem dnes, no sam mnogo umoren. Neka ostavim za drug pat.
	I know we agreed to go out today, but I’m very tired. Let’s leave it for another time.

Reason #9

Времето е лошо. Vremeto e losho. The weather is bad.
Example	Днес времето е лошо и много вали. Защо да не отложим срещата за по-нататък?
	Dnes vremeto e losho i mnogo vali. Zashto da ne otlozhim sreshtata za po-natatak?
	Today the weather is bad and it’s raining a lot. Why not postpone the meeting further?

Listing Your Reasons

Here are two short dialogues depicting how you might list your reasons in Bulgarian.

Example 1:

Защо избра тази кола?
Zashto izbra tazi kola?
Why did you choose this car?

По три причини: първо, икономична е. Второ, евтина е. И трето и най-важно – много ми харесва.
Po tri prichini: parvo, ikonomichna e. Vtoro, evtina e. I treto i nay-vazhno – mnogo mi haresva.
For three reasons: First, it’s economical. Second, it’s cheap. And third, and most importantly, I really like it.

Example 2:

Не мога да разбера какво ти харесва в това момиче.
Ne moga da razbera kakvo ti haresva v tova momiche.
I can’t figure out what you like about this girl.

Първо, тя е много добра с мен. Второ, облича се винаги с вкус. И трето, казва, че ме обича.
Parvo, tya e mnogo dobra s men. Vtoro, oblicha se vinagi s vkus. I treto, kazva, che me obicha.
First, she is very good to me. Second, she always has good taste in fashion. And third, she says she loves me.

She always has good taste when it comes to fashion.

4. Making Recommendations and Complaints

Now, let’s take a look at a list of intermediate-level Bulgarian phrases related to making complaints and recommendations. We’ll first present you with complaints you might make at a hotel or restaurant, and then show you recommendations you might make to the staff for each complaint. 

Making Complaints

In a hotel

#1 

Аз резервирах стая с изглед към морето, а получих стая без никаква панорама.

Az rezervirah staya s izgled kam moreto, a poluchih staya bez nikakva panorama.

I booked a room with a sea view and instead got a room without any panorama.

#2 

Не съм доволен от обслужването.

Ne sam dovolen ot obsluzhvaneto.

I’m not happy with the service.

#3

Душът в банята не работи.

Dushat v banyata ne raboti.

The shower in the bathroom does not work.

#4 

Крушката в стаята е изгоряла.

Krushkata v stayata e izgoryala.

The light bulb in the room has burned out.

#5

Не е добре почистено.

Ne e dobre pochisteno.

It is not cleaned well.

#6 

Съседите вдигат голям шум.

Sasedite vdigat golyam shum.

The neighbors make a lot of noise.

#7 

Басейнът е мръсен.

Baseiynat e mrasen.

The pool is dirty.

In a restaurant

#1 

Салатата ми е пресолена.

Salatata mi e presolena.

My salad is too salty.

My salad is too salty.

#2 

Намерих муха в супата!

Namerih muha v supata!

I found a fly in the soup!

#3

Пицата е много малка.

Pitsata e mnogo malka.

The pizza is very small.

#4 

Това е много скъпо.

Tova e mnogo skapo.

This is very expensive.

#5

Защо има пушачи в залата за непушачи?

Zashto ima pushachi v zalata za nepushachi?

Why are there smokers in the non-smoking room?

#6 

Келнерът се бави половин час с поръчката ми.

Kelnerat se bavi polovin chas s porachkata mi.

The waiter is taking half an hour for my order.

#7 

Тази маса е мръсна.

Tazi masa e mrasna.

This table is dirty.

#8 

Тук става течение.

Tuk stava techenie.

There is a strong airflow here.

Making Recommendations to the Staff

In a hotel

#1 

Complaint	Аз резервирах стая с изглед към морето, а получих стая без никаква  панорама.
	Az rezervirah staya s izgled kam moreto, a poluchih staya bez nikakva panorama.
	I booked a room with a sea view and instead got a room without any panorama.

Recommendation	Моля, преместете ме в стая с красива панорама.
	Molya, premestete me v staya s krasiva panorama.
	Please switch my room to one with a beautiful view.

#2 

Complaint	Не съм доволен от обслужването.
	Ne sam dovolen ot obsluzhvaneto.
	I’m not happy with the service.

Recommendation	Препоръчвам ви да смените персонала!
	Preporachvam vi da smenite personala!
	I recommend you change the staff!

#3 & 4

Complaint	Душът в банята не работи.
	Dushat v banyata ne raboti.
	The shower in the bathroom does not work.

Complaint	Крушката в стаята е изгоряла.
	Krushkata v stayata e izgoryala.
	The light bulb in the room has burned out.

Recommendation	Моля, направете необходимия ремонт, преди да пускате туристи в стаята.
	Molya, napravete neobhodimiya remont, predi da puskate turisti v stayata.
	Please make the necessary repairs before letting tourists into the room.

#5

Complaint	Не е добре почистено.
	Ne e dobre pochisteno.
	It is not cleaned well.

Recommendation	Моля, почистете стаята ми и сменете чаршафите.
	Molya, pochistete stayata mi i smenete charshafite.
	Please clean my room and change the sheets.

#6 

Complaint	Съседите вдигат голям шум.
	Sasedite vdigat golyam shum.
	The neighbors make a lot of noise.

Recommendation	Моля, направете им забележка да не вдигат шум след 10 ч. вечерта.
	Molya, napravete im zabelezhka da ne vdigat shum sled 10 chasa vecherta.
	Please tell them not to make any noise after 10 p.m.

#7 

Complaint	Басейнът е мръсен.
	Baseiynat e mrasen.
	The pool is dirty.

Recommendation	Моля, почиствайте редовно басейна.
	Molya, pochistvayte redovno baseyna.
	Please clean the pool regularly.

Clean the pool regularly.

In a restaurant

#1 

Complaint	Салатата ми е пресолена.
	Salatata mi e presolena.
	My salad is too salty.

Recommendation	Моля, заменете я с друг вид салата, в която няма толкова сол.
	Molya, zamenete ya s drug vid salata, v koyato nyama tolkova sol.
	Please replace it with another salad that does not contain as much salt.

#2 

Complaint	Намерих муха в супата!
	Namerih muha v supata!
	I found a fly in the soup!

Recommendation	Моля, следете за хигиената в кухнята!
	Molya, sledete za higienata v kuhnyata!
	Please pay attention to the hygiene in the kitchen!

#3

Complaint	Пицата е много малка.
	Pitsata e mnogo malka.
	The pizza is very small.

Recommendation	Моля, добавете още една порция към пицата.
	Molya, dobavete oshte edna portsiya kam pitsata.
	Please add another serving to the pizza.

#4 

Complaint	Това е много скъпо.
	Tova e mnogo skapo.
	This is very expensive.

Recommendation	Можете ли да намалите малко цената?
	Mozhete li da namalite malko tsenata?
	Can you lower the price a bit?

#5

Complaint	Защо има пушачи в залата за непушачи?
	Zashto ima pushachi v zalata za nepushachi?
	Why are there smokers in the non-smoking room?

Recommendation	Не настанявайте пушачи в залата за непушачи.
	Ne nastanyavayte pushachi v zalata za nepushachi.
	Do not accommodate smokers in the non-smoking room.

#6 

Complaint	Келнерът се бави половин час с поръчката ми.
	Kelnerat se bavi polovin chas s porachkata mi.
	The waiter is taking half an hour for my order.

Recommendation	Моля да ме обслужите по-бързо.
	Molya da me obsluzhite po-barzo.
	I would like faster service, please.

I would like faster service, please.

#7 & 8

Complaint	Тази маса е мръсна.
	Tazi masa e mrasna.
	This table is dirty.

Complaint	Тук става течение.
	Tuk stava techenie.
	There is a strong airflow here.

Recommendation	Бих искал да се преместя на друга маса.
	Bih iskal da se premestya na druga masa.
	I would like to move to another table.

Making Recommendations to Friend

Now, let’s add some useful phrases for recommending a specific place or service.

Recommendation	Препоръчвам ви този ресторант заради добрата храна и обслужване.
	Preporachvam vi tozi restorant zaradi dobrata hrana i obsluzhvane.
	I recommend this restaurant because of the good food and service.

Recommendation	Препоръчвам ви този доктор, защото е добър специалист.
	Preporachvam vi tozi doktor, zashtoto e dobar spetsialist.
	I recommend this doctor because he is a good specialist.

Recommendation	Препоръчвам ви този майстор, защото направи отличен ремонт у дома.
	Preporachvam vi tozi maystor, zashtoto napravi otlichen remont u doma.
	I recommend this handyman because he made an excellent repair at home.

5. Reaction Phrases for Everyday Conversations

In order to have natural and engaging conversations with native speakers, you’ll have to know a few common reaction phrases. Although we cannot provide all possible reactions here, we believe that this list is a great place to start. Since they’re short and uncomplicated, you’ll get used to them pretty easily. In addition, we have provided two example dialogues using some of these intermediate phrases for Bulgarian conversations.

Reaction Phrases

#1 

Така ли?

Taka li?

Indeed?

#2 

Наистина ли?

Naistina li?

Really?

#3

Струва си да опитам.

Struva si da opitam.

It’s worth a try.

#4

Мисля и аз да пробвам.

Mislya i az da probvam.

I’m thinking of trying it, too.

#5 

О, не! Това определено не е за мен!

O, ne! Tova opredeleno ne e za men!

Oh no! This is definitely not for me!

#6 

Съжалявам да го чуя!

Sazhalyavam da go chuya!

I’m sorry to hear it!

#7

И аз мисля така!

I az mislya taka!

I think so, too!

#8 

При мен не се случи така.

Pri men ne se sluchi taka.

It didn’t happen to me like that.

#9 

Страхотни новини!

Strahotni novini!

Great news!

#10 

Поздравления!

Pozdravleniya!

Congratulations!

#11 

Супер! Много се радвам за теб!

Super! Mnogo se radvam za teb!

Great! I’m very happy for you!

#12 

Извинявай!

Izvinyavay!

Sorry!

#13 

Наистина много съжалявам.

Naistina mnogo sazhalyavam.

I’m really sorry.

#14 

Съболезнования!

Saboleznovaniya!

Condolences!

Examples

For your convenience, we have highlighted the key phrases. 

Positive dialogue

A:
Вчера бях на Златни пясъци.
Vchera byah na Zlatni pyasatsi.
I was at Golden Sands Resort yesterday.

B:
Така ли? И как беше?
Taka li? I kak beshe?
Really? And how was it?

A:
О, изкарахме си страхотно!
O, izkarahme si strahotno!
Oh, we had a great time!

B:
Супер! Много се радвам за теб!
Super! Mnogo se radvam za teb!
Great! I’m very happy for you!

Negative dialogue

A:
Вчера ми се случи нещо наистина ужасно.
Vchera mi se sluchi neshto naistina uzhasno.
Something really terrible happened to me yesterday.

B:
Наистина ли? Съжалявам да го чуя! Какво стана?
Naistina li? Sazhalyavam da go chuya! Kakvo stana?
Really? I’m sorry to hear it! What happened?

A:
Баба ми почина, докато бяхме при нея на село.
Baba mi pochina, dokato byahme pri neya na selo.
My grandmother died while we were visiting her in the village.

B:
О! Наистина много съжалявам. Съболезнования!
O! Naistina mnogo sazhalyavam. Saboleznovaniya!
Oh! I’m really sorry. Condolences!

6. Etiquette Phrases for Social and Business Settings

There are some common phrases that are useful to know for particular situations. In this section, we’ll introduce you to intermediate Bulgarian words and phrases you could use (or hear) at a social gathering, at a restaurant, and on a train/plane. Note that each phrase is formal. 

At a social gathering

Здравейте, радвам се да се запознаем!
Zdraveyte, radvam se da se zapoznaem!
Hello, nice to meet you!

Добре дошли!
Dobre doshli!
Welcome!

Моля, чувствайте се като у дома си.
Molya, chuvstvayte se kato u doma si.
Please make yourself at home.

Заповядайте, седнете.
Zapovyadayte, sednete.
Welcome. Sit down.

At a restaurant

Избрахте ли си нещо?
Izbrahte li si neshto?
Did you choose something?

Готови ли сте с поръчката?
Gotovi li ste s porachkata?
Are you ready to order?

Мога ли да Ви бъда полезен с още нещо?
Moga li da Vi bada polezen s oshte neshto?
Can I do something else for you?

Желаете ли още нещо?
Zhelaete li oshte neshto?
Do you want anything else?

Добър апетит!
Dobar apetit!
Enjoy your meal!

➞ Visit our lesson series Speaking Perfect Bulgarian at a Restaurant to learn more useful words and phrases for dining out in Bulgaria.

On a train/plane

Вашият билет, моля!
Vashiyat bilet, molya!
Your ticket, please!

Ето, заповядайте!
Eto, zapovyadayte!
Here you are!

Благодаря! Приятно пътуване!
Blagodarya! Priyatno patuvane!
Thanks! Have a pleasant trip!

➞ Do you need some more phrases for public transportation? We have you covered!

7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

We hope that our overview of essential intermediate Bulgarian phrases helped you feel more confident in your communication with locals. Learning these phrases by heart will be a giant step forward as you progress from beginner to intermediate. Make sure to practice them whenever you get the chance; even if you make mistakes, it will greatly enrich your learning experience and help you gradually move to a higher level of Bulgarian proficiency. 

If you would like to keep learning with us, create your free lifetime account on BulgarianPod101.com today. This will give you access to numerous lessons as well as our free resources and themed vocabulary lists! For further assistance, you can upgrade to Premium PLUS and learn with your very own Bulgarian teacher through our MyTeacher service. Your teacher can help you advance even faster! 

Are there any more Bulgarian phrases for the intermediate level that you would like to learn? We would love to hear from you in the comments, and we’ll do our best to help. 

Happy learning! 

Learning a foreign language is a big challenge for anyone. However, using podcasts as a study tool can greatly facilitate the learning process. Why? Because podcasts make learning fun, and if your study time is enjoyable, you can definitely learn much faster. 

Listening to a Bulgarian podcast is an entertaining way to learn—and immerse yourself in—the language. Moreover, there are podcasts you can start enjoying right away, even as a beginner-level Bulgarian learner. These podcasts will help you get used to the language’s sounds, specific phrases, and overall structure.

Another great way to stay motivated is to find a partner who can accompany you throughout your learning process. BulgarianPod101 aims to be the ultimate language study partner, and it’s our goal to help you learn Bulgarian in the fastest, easiest, and most fun way possible. To help you advance with ease, we’ve prepared this list of the five best Bulgarian podcasts for learning the language, divided into three categories: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Table of Contents

1. Different Listening Opportunities for Bulgarian Language Learners
2. Benefits of Using Podcasts to Learn Bulgarian
3. The Best Podcasts for Learning Bulgarian
4. Tricks to Learn Bulgarian More Effectively with Podcasts
5. How can BulgarianPod101 help you learn Bulgarian?

1. Different Listening Opportunities for Bulgarian Language Learners

The best way to learn a foreign language is to live in the country where that language is spoken. However, if you don’t have the opportunity to live in Bulgaria, there are still numerous opportunities available to help you quickly improve your listening comprehension and feel just like you’re living here! Let’s take a look at them:

• YouTube can be a great resource for finding educational videos. For example, you can find Bulgarian children’s channels that are appropriate for beginner-level learners; you could search for Bulgarian cartoons, educational videos for studying the Bulgarian alphabet, etc.

YouTube is a great source of educational videos.

• Watching Bulgarian television shows and movies can help you advance even further in the language. The more engaging the plot, the easier it will be to immerse yourself in the Bulgarian language and culture. 

• Listening to songs and concerts is another great way to study Bulgarian, especially if there are subtitles. Nursery rhymes are especially appropriate; you can try translating and comprehending the whole song, which is especially doable if there are key words or phrases in place.

Why not listen to some Bulgarian songs?

• Some people prefer to study a foreign language by following the news. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, tuning in to the newscast of any popular news company in Bulgaria would work. Moreover, you have the option to watch the news with videos, listen via podcast or radio, or read news articles. 

• Reading Bulgarian books is another great way to practice. BulgarianPod101 can help you break into Bulgarian reading with our fun miniature books! 

• Making some native Bulgarian friends can greatly enhance your learning endeavors, as you’ll be able to listen to native Bulgarian speech on a regular basis. 

• Podcasts give you the opportunity to listen to specific situations and how words are used in context. Podcasts are usually theme-oriented, so you can choose a topic you’re interested in and learn related vocabulary.

• The BulgarianPod101 website, YouTube channel, and mobile app are effective tools for learning Bulgarian. They contain all you need to advance and improve—from beginner-level materials to advanced-level lessons and exercises—so you can gain more confidence in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Make BulgarianPod101 your language partner.

2. Benefits of Using Podcasts to Learn Bulgarian

Regular podcast listening can provide a range of benefits, especially for people who would like to learn a foreign language. How can listening to podcasts in Bulgarian help you? Here are five benefits you can expect to experience:

• Podcasts present information in a convenient and easy-to-understand format. You can listen to them anywhere, and you can even subscribe to your favorite podcasts so that new episodes will automatically be sent to you.
• Podcasts are very listener-oriented, making the information personal. You can find podcasts in audio or video formats, both of which are much more fun than reading a Bulgarian textbook. 
• Podcasts are an affordable way to study a language. This is because podcasts are digitally delivered, which reduces costs associated with paper, postage, and printing.
• Podcasts are portable, which means that you can download them onto any convenient media player and take them with you.
• Podcasts help you effectively use your time, since you can listen to them while you do other things at home or at work. 

3. The Best Podcasts for Learning Bulgarian

Now, let’s take a look at the best Bulgarian podcasts for studying Bulgarian. We’ve divided them into three categories based on the learner’s proficiency level.

Beginner

BulgarianPod101

BulgarianPod101 is a language learning platform that offers thousands of audio and video lessons, as well as podcast episodes that teach you not only the basics of the Bulgarian language but also more advanced concepts. 

These podcast episodes will help you create a foundation upon which to build your future progress. By watching and listening to our podcast, you’ll learn the key grammar points, interesting facts about Bulgarian grammar, vocabulary, and more.

In addition, many of our podcast episodes allow you to practice your language skills through natural dialogues, exercises, and tests. This practical and personal approach makes us an excellent resource for improving your language skills and gaining more self-confidence when communicating with native Bulgarian speakers.

Besides podcasts, BulgarianPod101 also offers additional resources that you can access upon subscription. Here’s an overview of our plans and prices: 

• Free: $0/mo.
• Basic: $8/mo.
• Premium: $25/mo.
• Premium PLUS: $47/mo.

Colloquial Bulgarian

Colloquial Bulgarian offers numerous downloadable audio files for beginner-level learners, so you can download them onto any device and listen to them at your convenience. As the name suggests, their purpose is to teach you colloquial Bulgarian that will help you communicate freely with locals.

The podcast includes basic grammar points, and you can find additional resources on their website: lesson summaries, glossaries, and more. All the audio files are free of charge, but textbooks are going to cost you.

50 Languages: Bulgarian for Beginners

There are 100 downloadable podcast episodes for beginners, containing the most basic language concepts. The series covers a number of topics, so you can pick whatever you’re interested in—numbers, months, adverbs, and the list goes on. 

Intermediate 

The Bulgarian History Podcast

This is a great source of Bulgarian history podcasts mostly recorded in English. You can tune in to get a lot of information on the history, culture, and language of Bulgarian people, which will help you become immersed in their world and understand them better.

New episodes are regularly being uploaded—once every two weeks—and each one has a length of about 30 minutes. There are currently more than 100 episodes available, so you have a wide selection to choose from. 

Advanced

SBS Bulgarian

SBS Bulgarian is a great source of world news as well as stories related to Bulgarian culture, politics, sports, interesting events, etc. They’re recorded in the Bulgarian language, so they could serve as a useful comprehension exercise for advanced-level learners who are preparing to take Bulgarian language proficiency exams. Each podcast is about ten minutes long, and the platform is updated weekly with 4-5 (or more) new episodes.

4. Tricks to Learn Bulgarian More Effectively with Podcasts

There are some powerful tricks you can apply in order to learn Bulgarian more effectively using podcasts. Here are four suggestions:

#1: Ensure that the material you choose fits your level.

Many new language learners try to use podcasts aimed at advanced speakers and soon become disappointed with the results. In their opinion, the speakers talk too fast, so they cannot understand even the main idea of the talk. Instead of choosing beginner-level podcasts, they give up using podcasts as a way of language learning altogether. 

To avoid such a fate, we recommend starting with simple Bulgarian podcasts for beginners and working your way up. This will introduce you to basic vocabulary, phrases, and grammar concepts that you can use to build a solid foundation. In addition, the hosts tend to speak more slowly so you can better understand what’s being said. 

Instead of biting off more than you can chew, start with beginner-level podcasts for the most efficient learning experience.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. 

#2: Look at the whole context.

Unlike vocabulary lists or lessons, where words are given out of context, podcasts are a great way to hear them in context and figure out how to use them. They provide you with the opportunity to look at the big picture and to see the role that each specific word plays. This gives you the level of language practice you need to have steady progress.

Don’t try to comprehend the meaning of every single word, as that’s not your goal at the beginning. Just try to understand the general points of what the speaker is talking about. To do that, answer the following questions:

• Who are the participants in the conversation?
• What situation are they talking about?
• (If it’s a video) What are the surroundings? What context clues can I gain from them?

#3: Note the use of specific keywords.

Keywords provide you with an idea of what’s being spoken about. This is crucial because you can’t learn to speak well until you can understand what others are saying. It’s just like how babies learn to speak—they first learn to understand what others say to them. 

You might not get all the details, and you might even get many things wrong. The important thing is that you understand the main idea. Over time, your comprehension level will significantly improve.

#4: Dig into the language specifics.

In order to learn the Bulgarian language with podcasts, you’ll have to take a more active approach than just listening. You should be prepared to listen to the same podcast several times over, only moving forward when you can understand most of what’s being said or taught. You may face different conjugations, verbs, tenses, adjectives, etc. 

You can take notes of all the new information you get, keeping in mind that it takes about half an hour to fully understand 90 seconds of foreign-language content. So don’t rush. Move slowly, and the results will be very satisfying. 

5. How can BulgarianPod101 help you learn Bulgarian?

We hope you found our overview of the best Bulgarian podcasts helpful, and that you now see how practical it can be to learn Bulgarian by listening to podcasts. 

Although it might be challenging in the beginning, podcasts are an affordable and fun way to learn not only the basics of the language but also more advanced concepts. They provide information in an easy-to-digest way, and new vocabulary is used in context so you can really get used to the language, understand what’s being said, and start practicing on your own.  

BulgarianPod101 provides tons of useful podcasts and other lesson materials to help you reach your Bulgarian language learning goals. Moreover, our Premium PLUS students have access to one of our most intuitive features: MyTeacher. With MyTeacher, you get a personal teacher who can explain the specifics and even provide you with personalized exercises. 

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this article. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us! 

Which of these top Bulgarian podcasts are you most excited to start listening to? Do you know of any good ones we didn’t include? Let us (and your fellow Bulgarian learners) know in the comments below. 

Happy learning!

If you’re a beginner-level learner and have already studied some basic Bulgarian words, it’s now time to start practicing them in real life. For this reason, BulgarianPod101 has created this extensive guide to the most common Bulgarian words and phrases for beginners. We will help you start speaking with native Bulgarians in a variety of common situations, such as at a restaurant, in a shop, during a business meeting, or in your daily conversations with Bulgarian friends. In this practical overview, we have also included Bulgarian beginner phrases you can use to ask for help, just in case.

Before starting, we would like to encourage you.

We understand that it is very difficult for beginners to overcome the language barrier and start speaking a foreign language they’re not confident in. However, don’t be afraid of making mistakes; the more you try, the more speaking experience you will gain. Moreover, the Bulgarians you’re speaking with will probably be forgiving of your mistakes and even try to help you improve your Bulgarian language skills. So, it’s not as hard as it might seem to start speaking Bulgarian, especially when you have this list of Bulgarian beginner phrases with pronunciation at hand.

Start speaking to your Bulgarian friends!

Table of Contents

1. Greetings and Self-introductions
2. Courtesy Phrases & Social Expressions
3. Dining & Shopping Phrases
4. Asking for Help
5. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

1. Greetings and Self-introductions

Let’s begin with some beginner phrases in Bulgarian for greetings and self-introductions. They will help you attract attention, begin conversations with Bulgarians, and make new friends. In addition, your Bulgarian friends, business partners, colleagues, and relatives will appreciate your efforts to start speaking in their own language.

Greetings 

Begin your conversation with one of the following phrases, depending on the time of day!

Bulgarian Greeting	Pronunciation	Translation
Добро утро!	Dobro utro!	Good morning!
Добър ден!	Dobar den!	Good afternoon!
Добър вечер!	Dobar vecher!	Good evening!

• You can also check out our vocabulary list of different ways to say hello in Bulgarian for more inspiration. 

If you’re invited to your Bulgarian friend’s house, you will probably be greeted with the following phrase:

Bulgarian Greeting	Pronunciation	Translation
Добре дошъл!	Dobre doshal!	Welcome!

Welcome!

How should you reply in that case? You have two options:

Bulgarian Greeting	Pronunciation	Translation
Благодаря!	Blagodarya!	Thank you!
Добре заварил/а/и!*	Dobre zavaril/a/i!	Well met!
* The form заварил (zavaril) is masculine and is used when speaking to a man. * The form заварила (zavarila) is feminine and is used when speaking to a woman. * The form заварили (zavarili) is plural and is used when speaking to more than one person.

When you’re going to bed, you can say goodbye to the person you’re with by saying:

Bulgarian Greeting	Pronunciation	Translation
Лека нощ!	Leka nosht!	Good night!

Self-introductions 

It’s easy to introduce yourself in Bulgarian if you know the following patterns:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Казвам се…	Kazvam se…	My name is…
Examples:  Казвам се Антонио. (Kazvam se Antonio.) – My name is Antonio. Казвам се Диана. (Kazvam se Diana.) – My name is Diana.
Аз съм…	Az sam…	I am…
Examples (name):  Аз съм Антонио. (Az sam Antonio.) – I am Antonio. Аз съм Диана. (Az sam Diana.) – I am Diana. Examples (nationality):  Аз съм англичанка. (Az sam anglichanka.) – I am English. [woman] Аз съм италианец. (Az sam italianets.) – I am Italian. [man] Аз съм американка. (Az sam amerikanka.) – I am American. [woman] Аз съм българин. (Az sam balgarin.) – I am Bulgarian. [man] * Learn the names of more nationalities in Bulgarian in this vocabulary list. Examples (profession):  Аз съм учител. (Az sam uchitel.) – I am a teacher. Аз съм строител. (Az sam stroitel.) – I am a builder. Аз съм художник. (Az sam hudozhnik.) – I am an artist. I am an artist. * Learn how to tell people what kind of work you do in Bulgarian by studying our list of the 20 most common professions.  Examples (tourist):  Аз съм чужденец. (Az sam chuzhdenets.) – I am a foreigner. [man] Аз съм чужденка. (Az sam chuzhdenka.) – I am a foreigner. [woman] Аз съм турист/ка. (Az sam turist/ka.) – I am a tourist. [man/woman] I am a tourist.
Аз съм от…	Az sam ot…	I’m from…
Examples:  Аз съм от Япония. (Az sam ot Yaponiya.) – I am from Japan. Аз съм от Кипър. (Az sam ot Kipar.) – I am from Cyprus. Аз съм от Англия. (Az sam ot Angliya.) – I am from England.  * If your country is not mentioned above, you can search for it on this vocabulary list of world countries from BulgarianPod101.

After you and the other person have introduced yourselves, you can say: 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Приятно ми е!	Priyatno mi e!	Nice to meet you!

How are you? 

There are a couple of simple Bulgarian phrases you could use to inquire after the other person’s well-being during your first conversation. They mean the same thing, so choose whichever one you prefer! 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Как си?	Kak si?	How are you?
Какво правиш?	Kakvo pravish?	How do you do?

What if the other person asks how you are? You could reply with one of the following phrases:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Добре съм.	Dobre sam.	I am fine.
Горе-долу.	Gore-dolu.	So-so.
Чудесно!	Chudesno!	I am doing great!

2. Courtesy Phrases & Social Expressions 

Our next set of useful Bulgarian phrases for beginners consists of polite expressions you should apply to your daily interactions whenever appropriate. 

Courtesy Phrases 

Let’s start with some courtesy phrases that will help you be polite when talking with your Bulgarian interlocutor. 

→ If these aren’t enough, you can also study our list of common ways to say thank you in Bulgarian! 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Много благодаря.	Mnogo blagodarya.	Thank you so much.
Благодаря за помощта.	Blagodarya za pomoshtta.	Thanks for the help.
Много сте любезен!	Mnogo ste lyubezen!	You are very kind!

Basic Apologies 

These basic Bulgarian phrases for beginners will help you make a quick apology or ask to be excused. 

→ As your language skills progress, you might want to learn a few more apology phrases for different contexts—we have you covered.

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Много съжалявам.	Mnogo sazhalyavam.	I’m very sorry.
Извинете, моля.	Izvinete, molya.	Excuse me, please.
And the answer to these apologies could be:
Няма проблем!	Nyama problem!	No problem!
Всичко е наред.	Vsichko e nared.	Everything is fine.
Не се притеснявайте!	Ne se pritesnyavaiyte!	Do not worry!

I’m very sorry! 

Saying Goodbye 

Let’s see how to end a conversation and what to say before leaving.

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
До следващия път.	Do sledvashtiya pat.	Until next time.
Ще се видим пак.	Shte se vidim pak.	See you again.
До нови срещи.	Do novi sreshti.	See you soon.
Приятен ден!	Priyaten den!	Have a nice day!

3. Dining & Shopping Phrases 

If you plan to visit Bulgaria, you’ll definitely want to set aside some time in your schedule for dining out and shopping! We have compiled a list of beginner phrases in Bulgarian that you can use to order food, ask about prices, and more. 

Shopping Phrases 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Може ли…?	Mozhe li…?	May I have…?
Examples:  Може ли един хляб? (Mozhe li edin hlyab?) – May I have bread? Може ли два сандвича? (Mozhe li dva sandvicha?) – May I have two sandwiches?  * You can take a look at this lesson to learn how to count in Bulgarian.
Имате ли…?	Imate li…?	Do you have…?
Examples:  Имате ли кренвирши? (Imate li krenvirshi?) – Do you have hotdogs?  Имате ли торта? (Imate li torta?) – Do you have a cake? Do you have any sausages?
Колко струва…?	Kolko struva…?	How much does … cost?
Examples for singular items:  Колко струва сиренето? (Kolko struva sireneto?) – How much does cheese cost? Колко струва кашкавалът? (Kolko struva kashkavalat?) – How much does yellow cheese cost? Examples for plural items:  Колко струват яйцата? (Kolko struvat yaytsata?) – How much do eggs cost?  Колко струват доматите? (Kolko struvat domatite?) – How much do tomatoes cost? * Trying to eat right? Then head over to our list of the top 10 foods that will make you live longer, and learn how to say them in Bulgarian.

Restaurant  Phrases 

Here are several easy Bulgarian phrases for beginners that will help you order food in a Bulgarian restaurant. 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Може ли менюто?	Mozhe li menyuto?	May I have the menu?
Менюто, моля!	Menyuto, molya!	Menu, please.
Ще платя с карта.	Shte platya s karta.	I will pay with a card.
Ще платя в брой.	Shte platya v broy.	I will pay in cash.
Оставете си рестото.	Ostavete si restoto.	Take the change.
Много вкусно!	Mnogo vkusno!	Very tasty!

Now, let’s look at some phrases that the waiter may use when you enter the restaurant.

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Какво ще поръчате?	Kakvo shte porachate?	What will you order?
Нещо за пиене?	Neshto za piene?	Something to drink?
Това е специалитетът на деня.	Tova e spetsialitetat na denya.	This is the specialty of the day.
Как ще платите?	Kak shte platite?	How will you pay?
Искате ли още нещо?	Iskate li oshte neshto?	Do you want anything else?

4. Asking for Help 

Especially if you’re not yet comfortable using the Bulgarian language, you might feel nervous about something going wrong during your trip. Luckily, there are several simple Bulgarian phrases you can memorize to more easily resolve different issues. 

Essential Phrases for Tourists 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Извинете, къде се намира…?	Izvinete, kade se namira…?	Excuse me, where is … located?
Examples:  Извинете, къде се намира Делфинариумът? (Izvinete, kade se namira Delfinariumat?) – Excuse me, where is the Dolphinarium located?  Извинете, къде се намира театърът? (Izvinete, kade se namira teatarat?) – Excuse me, where is the theater located? * Study this lesson to learn the names of different places around the city.
Извинете, как да стигна до…?	Izvinete, kak da stigna do…?	Excuse me, how do I get to…?
Examples:  Извинете, как да стигна до Делфинариума? (Izvinete, kak da stigna do Delfinariuma?) – Excuse me, how do I get to the Dolphinarium?  Извинете, как да стигна до театъра? (Izvinete, kak da stigna do teatara?) – Excuse me, how do I get to the theater? Excuse me, how do I get to the theater?
Извинете, близо ли е…?	Izvinete, blizo li e…?	Excuse me, is … close?
Examples:  Извинете, близо ли е Делфинариумът? (Izvinete, blizo li e Delfinariumat?) – Excuse me, is the Dolphinarium close? Извинете, близо ли е театърът? (Izvinete, blizo li e teatarat?) – Excuse me, is the theater close?
Извинете, има ли наблизо…?	Izvinete, ima li nablizo…?	Excuse me, is there a … nearby?
Examples:  Извинете, има ли наблизо магазин? (Izvinete, ima li nablizo magazin?) – Excuse me, is there a shop nearby?  Извинете, има ли наблизо ресторант? (Izvinete, ima li nablizo restorant?) – Excuse me, is there a restaurant nearby? Извинете, има ли наблизо аптека? (Izvinete, ima li nablizo apteka?) – Excuse me, is there a pharmacy nearby?

Overcoming Language Barriers 

If you encounter any speaking or comprehension issues during your conversations with native Bulgarians, you can use any of these basic Bulgarian phrases for beginners to smooth things over. 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Може ли да повторите?	Mozhe li da povtorite?	Can you repeat?
Не ви чух добре.	Ne vi chuh dobre.	I didn’t hear you well.
Не разбрах, може ли по-бавно?	Ne razbrah, mozhe li po-bavno?	I didn’t understand; could you speak slower?
Не разбирам добре български.	Ne razbiram dobre balgarski.	I do not understand Bulgarian well.
Говорите ли английски?	Govorite li angliyski?	Do you speak English?
Как да кажа … на български?	Kak da kazha … na balgarski?	How do I say … in Bulgarian?
Examples:  Как да кажа restaurant на български? (Kak da kazha restaurant na balgarski?) – How do I say “restaurant” in Bulgarian?  Как да кажа shop на български? (Kak da kazha shop na balgarski?) – How do I say “shop” in Bulgarian?  Как да кажа pharmacy на български? (Kak da kazha pharmacy na balgarski?) – How do I say “pharmacy” in Bulgarian?

Phrases for Emergencies 

Before visiting Bulgaria, you should learn how to let others know that you’re feeling unwell and need a doctor. Here are some basic Bulgarian phrases you could use:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	Translation
Лошо ми е.	Losho mi e.	I feel unwell.
Болен съм.	Bolen sam.	I’m sick.
Повикайте лекар.	Povikayte lekar.	Call a doctor.
Трябва ми помощ.	Tryabva mi pomosht.	I need help.
Извикайте линейка.	Izvikayte lineyka.	Call an ambulance.

5. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian 

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this guide of Bulgarian phrases for beginners to help you start having basic conversations with native speakers. We believe that knowing these Bulgarian beginner phrases will give you more confidence and that having this list at the ready could help you out in a pinch. 

If you enjoyed this lesson and want to continue learning Bulgarian with us, create your free lifetime account on BulgarianPod101.com today. We provide our students with a variety of audio and video lessons, free vocabulary lists, and other useful resources. It’s our goal to teach you Bulgarian in the fastest, easiest, and most fun way possible. 

If you feel that you need personal guidance in these initial steps of your Bulgarian language learning journey, you can upgrade to Premium PLUS and take advantage of our MyTeacher service. This will allow you to choose a private Bulgarian teacher who will help you learn the basics and build a foundation upon which you can accumulate your knowledge.

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this review. Are there any Bulgarian beginner phrases that you think should have been included in this review? Please don’t hesitate to share them with us in the comments below, and we’ll help out the best we can. 

Happy learning!