If you’ve gotten used to the intermediate-level Bulgarian vocabulary and feel like it’s time to move ahead, then you’re in the right place. This advanced Bulgarian wordlist from BulgarianPod101 will take you to the next level and help you use Bulgarian fluently in a wide range of contexts.

In this extensive overview, you will get acquainted with a variety of advanced Bulgarian words, their meaning in English, and how to use them in sentences via the examples we’ve provided. For your convenience, we have divided these words into categories.

Of course, it may take a while for you to get used to these advanced Bulgarian words, as they have the highest level of difficulty. However, you can take advantage of these top 15 tips to remember Bulgarian words. We’ve also included some practical exercises that will help you memorize this new set of vocabulary, so don’t give up even if it seems too hard.

Now is the right time to overcome the last big challenge and become a highly proficient Bulgarian speaker!

hypoglycemia

Overcome the last big challenge with this guide.

Table of Contents

1. Advanced Academic Words
2. Advanced Business Words
3. Advanced Medical Words
4. Advanced Legal Words
5. Alternative Words for Acing Bulgarian Writing/Essays
6. How can BulgarianPod101 help you learn Bulgarian?
7. Answers to Practical Exercises

Advanced Academic Words

Let’s take a look at the following list of 27 advanced Bulgarian words related to academia, along with their pronunciation and their meaning in English. To help you understand how these words can be used in speech and writing, we have also included an example sentence for each word.

#1 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
оценка		otsenka	assessment
Example:	Нека направим оценка на работата.		Neka napravim otsenka na rabotata.
Meaning:	Let’s make an assessment of the work.

#2 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
противоречие		protivorechie	contradiction
Example:	В това намирам пълно противоречие с истината.		V tova namiram pаlno protivorechie s istinata.
Meaning:	In this, I find a complete contradiction with the truth.

#3 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
съкращение		sakrashtenie	abbreviation
Example:	Какво означава това съкращение?		Kakvo oznachava tova sakrashtenie?
Meaning:	What does this abbreviation mean?

#4 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
клише		klishe	cliché
Example:	Този израз е клише, затова го замени с по-подходящ.		Tozi izraz e klishe, zatova go zameni s po-podhodyasht.
Meaning:	This expression is a cliché, so replace it with a more suitable one.

#5 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
параграф		paragraf	paragraph
Example:	Основанието за това е посочено в параграф 1.		Osnovanieto za tova e posocheno v paragraf 1.
Meaning:	The reason for this is set out in paragraph 1.

#6 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
логика		logika	logic
Example:	Твоята логика основава ли се на факти?		Tvoyata logika osnovava li se na fakti?
Meaning:	Is your logic based on facts?

#7 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
редакция		redaktsiya	edition / revision
Example:	След направената редакция статията изглежда по-добре.		Sled napravenata redaktsiya statiyata izglezhda po-dobre.
Meaning:	After the edition, the article looks better.

#8 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
проучване		prouchvane	study / research
Example:	След детайлно проучване на проблема комисията реши да вземе окончателно решение.		Sled detaylno prouchvane na problema komisiyata reshi da vzeme okonchatelno reshenie.
Meaning:	After a detailed study of the problem, the commission decided to make a final decision.

#9 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
общност		obshtnost	community
Example:	Общност е група от хора, които имат емоционална връзка помежду си.		Obshtnost e grupa ot hora, koito imat emotsionalna vrazka pomezhdu si.
Meaning:	A community is a group of people who have an emotional connection with one another.

#10 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
хуманизъм		humanizam	humanism
Example:	Ренесансовият хуманизъм е насочен към образованието на младите.		Renesansoviyat humanizam e nasochen kam obrazovanieto na mladite.
Meaning:	Renaissance humanism focused on the education of the young.

#11 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
критика		kritika	criticism
Example:	Младежът беше подложен на строга критика.		Mladezhat beshe podlozhen na stroga kritika.
Meaning:	The young man was subjected to severe criticism.

#12 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
наука		nauka	science
Example:	Изучаването на различните видове науки разширяват кръгозора.		Izuchavaneto na razlichnite vidove nauki razshiryavat kragozora.
Meaning:	The study of different types of science broadens one’s horizons.

#13 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
социализация		sotsializatsiya	socialization
Example:	Училищната среда съдейства за социализацията на децата.		Uchilishtnata sreda sadeystva za sotsializatsiyata na detsata.
Meaning:	The school environment promotes socialization of children.

#14 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
ресурс		resurs	resource
Example:	Компанията избира да инвестира в човешки ресурси.		Kompaniyata izbira da investira v choveshki resursi.
Meaning:	The company chooses to invest in human resources.

#15 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
препратка		prepratka	reference
Example:	Статията използва препратка към закона за образованието.		Statiyata izpolzva prepratka kam zakona za obrazovanieto.
Meaning:	The article contains a reference to the education law.

#16 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
публикация		publikatsiya	publication
Example:	В най-новата публикация във вестника пише по този въпрос.		V nay-novata publikatsiya vav vestnika pishe po tozi vapros.
Meaning:	The latest publication in the newspaper writes about this issue.

#17 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
форум		forum	forum
Example:	В земеделския форум се обсъжда темата за доставките на жито.		V zemedelskiya forum se obsazhda temata za dostavkite na zhito.
Meaning:	The topic of wheat delivery is being discussed in the agricultural forum.

#18 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
проект		proekt	project
Example:	От днес започвам да работя по нов проект.		Ot dnes zapochvam da rabotya po nov proekt.
Meaning:	As of today, I’m starting to work on a new project.

#19 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
семинар		seminar	seminar
Example:	На семинара присъстваха много хора на науката.		Na seminara prisastvaha mnogo hora na naukata.
Meaning:	The seminar was attended by many people of science.

#20 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
конференция		konferentsiya	conference
Example:	Тази година конференцията ще се проведе в София.		Tazi godina konferentsiyata shte se provede v Sofiya.
Meaning:	The conference will be held in Sofia this year.

#21 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
доклад		doklad	report
Example:	В доклада бяха споменати и причините за възникналата ситуация.		V doklada byaha spomenati i prichinite za vazniknalata situatsiya.
Meaning:	The report also mentioned the reasons for the situation.

#22 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
колекция		kolektsiya	collection
Example:	Иван реши да си направи колекция от пощенски марки.		Ivan reshi da si napravi kolektsiya ot poshtenski marki.
Meaning:	Ivan decided to make a collection of postage stamps.

Ivan decided to make a collection of postage stamps.

#23 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
програма		programa	program
Example:	В програмата тази година са заложени основните приоритети на компанията.		V programata tazi godina sa zalozheni osnovnite prioriteti na kompaniyata.
Meaning:	The main priorities of the company are included in the program this year.

#24 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
манифест		manifest	manifesto
Example:	Властта се обърна към населението с манифест.		Vlastta se obarna kam naselenieto s manifest.
Meaning:	The government addressed the population with a manifesto.

#25 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
архив		arhiv	archive
Example:	Ще проверя в архива дали в библиотеката е налична тази книга.		Shte proverya v arhiva dali v bibliotekata e nalichna tazi kniga.
Meaning:	I will check in the archive whether this book is available in the library.

#26 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
специализант		spetsializant	postgraduate student
Example:	Тази година той е специализант по медицина.		Tazi godina toy e spetsializant po meditsina.
Meaning:	This year, he is a postgraduate student in medicine.

This year, he is a postgraduate student in medicine.

#27 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
докторант		doktorant	doctorate
Example:	За да повиши квалификацията си, Елена започна да учи за докторант.		Za da povishi kvalifikatsiyata si, Elena zapochna da uchi za doktorant.
Meaning:	In order to improve her qualification, Elena started to study for a doctorate.

→ If you have an upcoming advanced-level Bulgarian language exam, here is a guide on how to pass your test successfully.

Practical Exercise for Advanced Academic Words

BulgarianPod101 understands that these academic words can be quite challenging. This is why we’ve prepared some practical exercises to help you understand and memorize these words better.

Please, fill in the blanks below with the correct words. The English text will help you find the correct place for each word. To make it a bit harder, try not to look at the meaning of the bolded Bulgarian words. Note that the word “проучване” is used twice. 

Words: (редакция, доклад, ресурс, проучване, критика, програма, оценка, проект)

В края на годината служителят на компанията състави ___________, където включи своята ___________ за постигнатото през годината. Той беше направил подробно ___________ на човешкия ___________ и доколко предвидената за тази година ___________ беше изпълнена. Директорът не беше доволен от постигнатото и започна безмилостна ___________, насочена към персонала. За следващата година той заповяда да се направи ново ___________ на клиентите, конкурентите и стратегиите и да се направи цялостна ___________ на политиката. Предстоeше и осъществяването на нов ___________.

V kraya na godinata sluzhitelyat na kompaniyata sаstavi ___________, kаdeto vklyuchi svoyata ___________ za postignatoto prez godinata. Toy beshe napravil podrobno ___________ na choveshkiya ___________ i dokolko predvidenata za tazi godina ___________ beshe izpalnena. Direktorat ne beshe dovolen ot postignatoto i zapochna bezmilostna ___________, nasochena kam personala. Za sledvashtata godina toy zapovyada da se napravi novo ___________ na klientite, konkurentite i strategiite i da se napravi tsyalostna ___________ na politikata. Predstoeshe i osashtestvyavaneto na nov ___________.

At the end of the year, the company’s employee compiled a report, which included his assessment of the achievements during the year. He had carried out a detailed study of human resources and the extent to which the program planned for this year had been implemented. The director was dissatisfied with what had been achieved and began relentless criticism of the staff. For the next year, he ordered new research of customers, competitors, and strategies to be performed, along with a comprehensive revision of the policy. A new project was forthcoming. 

*You can check your answers at the end of this review.

Advanced Business Words

Here’s a list of 25 useful Bulgarian business words to know at the advanced level. These words will give you a leg up in the business world, but if you want even more practical vocabulary, make sure to check out our article on Bulgarian business phrases.

#1 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
устойчивост		ustoychivost	sustainability
Example:	Тази година компанията може да се похвали с по-голяма устойчивост в икономическата криза.		Tazi godina kompaniyata mozhe da se pohvali s po-golyama ustoychivost v ikonomicheskata kriza.
Meaning:	This year, the company boasts greater sustainability in the economic crisis.

#2 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
прозрачен		prozrachen	transparent
Example:	Условията по договора са прозрачни и не съдържат скрити такси.		Usloviyata po dogovora sa prozrachni i ne sadarzhat skriti taksi.
Meaning:	The terms and conditions of the contract are transparent and do not contain hidden fees.

#3 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
стабилност		stabilnost	stability
Example:	Мениджърът се надява да допринесе за по-голямата стабилност на компанията.		Menidzharat se nadyava da doprinese za po-golyamata stabilnost na kompaniyata.
Meaning:	The manager hopes to contribute to the greater stability of the company.

#4 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
разрастване		razrastvane	expansion
Example:	Благодарение на новия продукт последва разрастване на базата клиенти.		Blagodarenie na noviya produkt posledva razrastvane na bazata klienti.
Meaning:	Thanks to the new product, an expansion of the customer base followed.

#5 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
политика		politika	policy
Example:	Настоящата политика на компанията съдържа всичките ѝ цели.		Nastoyashtata politika na kompaniyata sadarzha vsichkite i tseli.
Meaning:	The current policy of the company contains all its goals.

#6 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
мисия		misiya	mission
Example:	Основната мисия на компанията е да удовлетвори нуждите на клиентите.		Osnovnata misiya na kompaniyata e da udovletvori nuzhdite na klientite.
Meaning:	The main mission of the company is to meet the needs of customers.

#7 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
клиентела		klientela	clientele
Example:	В условията на силна конкуренция, всеки собственик на бизнес се стреми да привлече по-голяма клиентела.		V usloviyata na silna konkurentsiya, vseki sobstvenik na biznes se stremi da privleche po-golyama klientela.
Meaning:	In the face of strong competition, every business owner strives to attract more clientele.

#8 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
търговец		targovets	merchant
Example:	Този търговец предложи най-изгодната оферта.		Tozi targovets predlozhi nay-izgodnata oferta.
Meaning:	This merchant offered the best deal.

#9 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
доставчик		dostavchik	supplier
Example:	Необходимо е да се свържем с този доставчик за нова поръчка.		Neobhodimo e da se svarzhem s tozi dostavchik za nova porachka.
Meaning:	We need to contact this supplier for a new order.

#10 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
модел		model	model
Example:	Следването на подходящ бизнес модел е от съществено значение за компанията.		Sledvaneto na podhodyasht biznes model e ot sashtestveno znachenie za kompaniyata.
Meaning:	Following an appropriate business model is essential for the company.

#11 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
търговска марка		targovska marka	trademark
Example:	Това не е добре позната търговска марка.		Tova ne e dobre poznata targovska marka.
Meaning:	This is not a well-known trademark.

#12 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
организация		organizatsiya	organization
Example:	Фирмата се радва на добра организация, съдействаща за успешното извършване на работата.		Firmata se radva na dobra organizatsiya, sadeystvashta za uspeshnoto izvarshvane na rabotata.
Meaning:	The company enjoys good organization, contributing to the successful completion of the work.

#13 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
акция		aktsiya	action
Example:	Общността проведе нова акция по засаждане на дръвчета през почивните дни.		Obshtnostta provede nova aktsiya po zasazhdane na dravcheta prez pochivnite dni.
Meaning:	The community held a new action (campaign) of planting trees over the weekend.

The community held a new action of planting trees over the weekend.

#14 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
дружество		druzhestvo	company / organization
Example:	Това дружество беше учредено преди 5 години.		Tova druzhestvo beshe uchredeno predi 5 godini.
Meaning:	This company was established five years ago.

#15 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
бюджет		byudzhet	budget
Example:	Заради съкратения бюджет фирмата не успя да осъществи всичките си планове.		Zaradi sakrateniya byudzhet firmata ne uspya da osashtestvi vsichkite si planove.
Meaning:	Due to the reduced budget, the company could not implement all its plans.

#16 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
рентабилен		rentabilen	profitable
Example:	Избирането на тази продуктова линия не е рентабилно за компанията.		Izbiraneto na tazi produktova liniya ne e rentabilno za kompaniyata.
Meaning:	Choosing this product line is not profitable for the company.

#17 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
структура		struktura	structure
Example:	Всеки бизнес план съдържа добре разработена структура.		Vseki biznes plan sadarzha dobre razrabotena struktura.
Meaning:	Each business plan contains a well-developed structure.

#18 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
реализация		realizatsiya	realization
Example:	Плановете на компанията бяха добри, но до тяхната реализация така и не се стигна.		Planovete na kompaniyata byaha dobri, no do tyahnata realizatsiya taka i ne se stigna.
Meaning:	The company’s plans were good, but their realization was not completed.

#19 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
доходоносен		dohodonosen	profitable
Example:	Този бизнес е много доходоносен.		Tozi biznes e mnogo dohodonosen.
Meaning:	This business is very profitable.

#20 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
командировка		komandirovka	business trip
Example:	Част от служителите заминаха на командировка.		Chast ot sluzhitelite zaminaha na komandirovka.
Meaning:	Some of the employees went on a business trip.

Some of the employees went on a business trip.

#21 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
заявка		zayavka	request
Example:	Ще ти пусна заявка за този продукт.		Shte ti pusna zayavka za tozi produkt.
Meaning:	I will send you a request for this product.

#22 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
кредит		kredit	loan
Example:	Поради липса на достатъчно средства се наложи да тегля кредит.		Poradi lipsa na dostatachno sredstva se nalozhi da teglya kredit.
Meaning:	Due to a lack of funds, I had to take out a loan.

#23 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
капитал		kapital	capital
Example:	За да се стартира даден бизнес, е необходим начален капитал.		Za da se startira daden biznes, e neobhodim nachalen kapital.
Meaning:	Starting a business requires initial capital.

#24 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
инвестиция		investitsiya	investment
Example:	Ние ще участваме в тази инвестиция.		Nie shte uchastvame v tazi investitsiya.
Meaning:	We will participate in this investment.

#25 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
задължение		zadalzhenie	debt
Example:	Компанията има неизплатено задължение по последния кредит.		Kompaniyata ima neizplateno zadalzhenie po posledniya kredit.
Meaning:	The company has an outstanding debt on the last loan.

→ Ready to test your listening skills? You can head over to BulgarianPod101’s YouTube channel, watch this listening comprehension video of a Bulgarian business presentation, and then take the test at the end!

Practical Exercise for Advanced Business Words

This exercise contains two columns: one with Bulgarian business words and the other with their English translations. Connect each Bulgarian word with its corresponding English translation.

търговец (targovets)  доходоносен (dohodonosen)  реализация (realizatsiya)  бюджет (byudzhet)  командировка (komandirovka)  политика (politika)  клиентела (klientela)  разрастване (razrastvane)  инвестиция (investitsiya) устойчивост (ustoychivost)  кредит (kredit)   стабилност (stabilnost)  прозрачен (prozrachen)

expansion   policy   merchant   sustainability   stability   business trip  budget   transparent  clientele  investment  profitable   loan  realization

Advanced Medical Words

Do you plan on studying medicine in Bulgaria, or perhaps finding a job here in the medical field? In either case, learning the advanced Bulgarian words below will give you a great headstart on your dreams. 

#1 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
биопсия		biopsiya	biopsy
Example:	Биопсията ще покаже дали има наличие на злокачествено заболяване.		Biopsiyata shte pokazhe dali ima nalichie na zlokachestveno zabolyavane.
Meaning:	The biopsy will show if there is any malignancy.

#2 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
деменция		dementsiya	dementia
Example:	Възрастният човек страдаше от деменция и често се губеше.		Vazrastniyat chovek stradashe ot dementsiya i chesto se gubeshe.
Meaning:	The old man suffered from dementia and was often lost.

#3 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
хипогликемия		hipoglikemiya	hypoglycemia
Example:	Резкият спад на кръвната захар води до хипогликемия.		Rezkiyat spad na kravnata zahar vodi do hipoglikemiya.
Meaning:	A sudden drop in blood sugar leads to hypoglycemia.

#4 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
мутация		mutatsiya	mutation
Example:	Процесът на израждане на клетките се нарича мутация.		Protsesat na izrazhdane na kletkite se naricha mutatsiya.
Meaning:	The process of cell degeneration is called a mutation.

#5 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
щам		shtam	strain
Example:	Миналата седмица беше открит нов щам на коронавируса.		Minalata sedmitsa beshe otkrit nov shtam na koronavirusa.
Meaning:	A new strain of the coronavirus was discovered last week.

#6 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
акне		akne	acne
Example:	Младежите често страдат от акне, което е трудно лечимо.		Mladezhite chesto stradat ot akne, koeto e trudno lechimo.
Meaning:	Young people often suffer from acne, which is difficult to treat.

#7 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
акупунктура		akupunktura	acupuncture
Example:	Наред с традиционната медицина, някои предпочитат да приложат и акупунктура.		Nared s traditsionnata meditsina, nyakoi predpochitat da prilozhat i akupunktura.
Meaning:	Along with traditional medicine, some prefer to use acupuncture.

#8 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
ампутация		amputatsiya	amputation
Example:	Измръзването на крака беше толкова голямо, че се наложи ампутация на единия пръст.		Izmrazvaneto na kraka beshe tolkova golyamo, che se nalozhi amputatsiya na ediniya prast.
Meaning:	The frostbite of the foot was so great that it required the amputation of a toe.

#9 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
ангина		angina	tonsillitis
Example:	Като вторична инфекция от грипа се появи гнойна ангина.		Kato vtorichna infektsiya ot gripa se poyavi gnoyna angina.
Meaning:	As a secondary influenza infection, purulent tonsillitis appeared.

#10 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
артерия		arteriya	artery
Example:	Това е главната артерия, която отвежда кръвта към сърцето.		Tova e glavnata arteriya, koyato otvezhda kravta kam sartseto.
Meaning:	This is the main artery that carries blood to the heart.

#11 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
вена		vena	vein
Example:	Във вените му тече българска кръв.		Vav venite mu teche balgarska krav.
Meaning:	Bulgarian blood flows in his veins.

#12 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
ваксина		vaksina	vaccine
Example:	С увеличаване на заболеваемостта все повече хора си биха ваксина.		S uvelichavane na zabolevaemostta vse poveche hora si biha vaksina.
Meaning:	As the incidence of disease increased, more and more people got vaccinated.

#13 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
жлеза		zhleza	gland
Example:	Предстои ми преглед на щитовидната жлеза.		Predstoi mi pregled na shtitovidnata zhleza.
Meaning:	I’m up for an examination of my thyroid gland.

#14 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
жлъчка		zhlachka	bile
Example:	Той често се оплакваше от болки в корема и се оказа, че има възпалена жлъчка.		Toy chesto se oplakvashe ot bolki v korema i se okaza, che ima vazpalena zhlachka.
Meaning:	He often complained about abdominal pain, and it turned out that his gallbladder was inflamed.

#15 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
инсулин		insulin	insulin
Example:	Диабетикът се нуждае от редовни дози инсулин.		Diabetikat se nuzhdae ot redovni dozi insulin.
Meaning:	A diabetic needs regular doses of insulin.

#16 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
интубация		intubatsiya	intubation
Example:	След като той вече не можеше да диша добре, се стигна до интубация.		Sled kato toy veche ne mozheshe da disha dobre, se stigna do intubatsiya.
Meaning:	After he was no longer able to breathe well, intubation ensued.

#17 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
инфекция		infektsiya	infection
Example:	Порязването с нож може да доведе до голяма инфекция в областта на раната.		Poryazvaneto s nozh mozhe da dovede do golyama infektsiya v oblastta na ranata.
Meaning:	A knife cut can lead to a large infection in the wounded area.

#18 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
парализа		paraliza	paralysis
Example:	В следствие на катастрофата пациентът беше диагностициран с парализа на долните крайници.		V sledstvie na katastrofata patsientat beshe diagnostitsiran s paraliza na dolnite kraynitsi.
Meaning:	As a result of the accident, the patient was diagnosed with paralysis of the lower limbs.

#19 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
патоген		patogen	pathogen
Example:	В момента учени изследват появата на нов патоген.		V momenta ucheni izsledvat poyavata na nov patogen.
Meaning:	Scientists are currently investigating the emergence of a new pathogen.

#20 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
реанимация		reanimatsiya	intensive care
Example:	Състоянието му крайно се влоши и го преместиха в отделението по реанимация.		Sastoyanieto mu krayno se vloshi i go premestiha v otdelenieto po reanimatsiya.
Meaning:	His condition deteriorated, and he was transferred to the intensive care unit.

#21 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
хемоглобин		hemoglobin	hemoglobin
Example:	Преди кръводаряването непременно проверяват нивото на хемоглобина.		Predi kravodaryavaneto nepremenno proveryavat nivoto na hemoglobina.
Meaning:	Before donating blood, be sure to check the hemoglobin level.

#22 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
хепатит		hepatit	hepatitis
Example:	Хепатитът е известен още като болестта на мръсните ръце.		Hepatitat e izvesten oshte kato bolestta na mrasnite ratse.
Meaning:	Hepatitis is also known as the disease of dirty hands.

#23 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
хипертония		hipertoniya	hypertension
Example:	Пациентът с хипертония се оплака от често сърцебиене.		Patsientat s hipertoniya se oplaka ot chesto sartsebiene.
Meaning:	The patient with hypertension complained of palpitations.

#24 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
хрема		hrema	runny nose
Example:	Много хора са алергични и страдат от хрема през пролетта.		Mnogo hora sa alergichni i stradat ot hrema prez proletta.
Meaning:	Many people have allergies and suffer from a runny nose in the spring.

#25 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
хрущял		hrushtyal	cartilage
Example:	Дефектите на ставния хрущял водят до увреждане на коляното.		Defektite na stavniya hrushtyal vodyat do uvrezhdane na kolyanoto.
Meaning:	Defects in the articular cartilage lead to knee damage.

#26 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
сърцебиене		sartsebiene	palpitation
Example:	Когато се притесня много, получавам сърцебиене.		Kogato se pritesnya mnogo, poluchavam sartsebiene.
Meaning:	When I worry a lot, I get palpitations.

→ Want to expand your medical vocabulary even further? See this lesson about medicine on BulgarianPod101.com.

Practical Exercise for Advanced Medical Words

While medical terms can be quite challenging, we’ve prepared a simple (and fun!) exercise for you. Just connect the Bulgarian medical term with the correct picture. You can check your answers at the end of this article.

ваксина (vaksina)
хрема (hrema)
акне (akne)
вена (vena)
акупунктура (akupunktura)

Advanced Legal Words

You might not be able to use these advanced Bulgarian terms in everyday life, but knowing them will allow you to engage in more complex conversations and maybe even help you land a job in the legal world!  

#1 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
иск		isk	claim
Example:	В съда беше внесен иск срещу обвиняемия.		V sada beshe vnesen isk sreshtu obvinyaemiya.
Meaning:	A claim was filed in court against the defendant.

#2 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
прокурор		prokuror	prosecutor
Example:	На заседанието прокурорът изложи всички доказателства за виновността на обвиняемия.		Na zasedanieto prokurorat izlozhi vsichki dokazatelstva za vinovnostta na obvinyaemiya.
Meaning:	At the hearing, the prosecutor presented all the evidence of the defendant’s guilt.

#3 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
адвокат		advokat	lawyer
Example:	Адвокатът опита да намери смекчаващи вината обстоятелства в случая на своя клиент.		Advokatat opita da nameri smekchavashti vinata obstoyatelstva v sluchaya na svoya klient.
Meaning:	The lawyer tried to find mitigating circumstances in his client’s case.

#4 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
защита		zashtita	defense
Example:	Всеки обвиняем има право на защита.		Vseki obvinyaem ima pravo na zashtita.
Meaning:	Every defendant has the right to a defense.

#5 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
ответник		otvetnik	defendant
Example:	Ответникът трябва да се яви в съда в 11 ч.		Otvetnikat tryabva da se yavi v sada v 11 chasa.
Meaning:	The defendant must appear in court at 11 o’clock.

#6 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
ищец		ishtets	plaintiff
Example:	По думите на ищеца вие сте се забавили с плащането.		Po dumite na ishtetsa vie ste se zabavili s plashtaneto.
Meaning:	According to the plaintiff, you delayed the payment.

#7 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
съд		sad	court
Example:	Съдията влезе в съда.		Sadiyata vleze v sada.
Meaning:	The judge entered the court.

#8 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
заседание		zasedanie	hearing
Example:	Заседанието на съда започна.		Zasedanieto na sada zapochna.
Meaning:	The court hearing began.

#9 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
разпит		razpit	questioning
Example:	Всички свидетели по делото бяха поканени на разпит.		Vsichki svideteli po deloto byaha pokaneni na razpit.
Meaning:	All witnesses in the case were summoned for questioning.

#10 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
свидетел		svidetel	witness
Example:	Нито един свидетел не опроверга обвинението.		Nito edin svidetel ne oproverga obvinenieto.
Meaning:	No witness denied the accusation.

#11 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
заседател		zasedatel	juror
Example:	Заседанието започна при липсата на един съдебен заседател.		Zasedanieto zapochna pri lipsata na edin sadeben zasedatel.
Meaning:	The hearing began in the absence of a juror.

#12 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
престъпление		prestaplenie	crime
Example:	Това престъпление беше извършено през нощта.		Tova prestaplenie beshe izvarsheno prez noshtta.
Meaning:	This crime was committed at night.

#13 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
обвиняем		obvinyaem	defendant
Example:	Най-близкият на убития беше обвиняем.		Nay-blizkiyat na ubitiya beshe obvinyaem.
Meaning:	The person closest to the victim was the defendant.

#14 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
престъпник		prestapnik	criminal
Example:	Не си личи по външния му вид, че е престъпник.		Ne si lichi po vanshniya mu vid, che e prestapnik.
Meaning:	He doesn’t look like a criminal.

#15 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
вина		vina	guilt
Example:	Мъжът не чувстваше никаква вина за деянието.		Mazhat ne chuvstvashe nikakva vina za deyanieto.
Meaning:	The man felt no regret for the act.

#16 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
доказателство		dokazatelstvо	evidence
Example:	Съдът събираше доказателства за виновността на обвиняемия.		Sadat sabirashe dokazatelstva za vinovnostta na obvinyaemiya.
Meaning:	The court was gathering evidence of the defendant’s guilt.

#17 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
наказание		nakazanie	judgement
Example:	Наложеното наказание е съразмерно с вината.		Nalozhenoto nakazanie e sarazmerno s vinata.
Meaning:	The judgement imposed is proportionate to the guilt.

#18 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
право		pravo	right
Example:	Обвиняемият има права, които трябва да се спазват при разпита.		Obvinyaemiyat ima prava, koito tryabva da se spazvat pri razpita.
Meaning:	The defendant has rights that must be respected during the interrogation.

#19 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
обезщетение		obezshtetenie	compensation
Example:	Освен наказание с лишаване от свобода, обвиняемият трябваше да плати и обезщетение.		Osven nakazanie s lishavane ot svoboda, obvinyaemiyat tryabvashe da plati i obezshtetenie.
Meaning:	In addition to imprisonment, the defendant had to pay compensation as well.

#20 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
доживотен		dozhivoten	lifelong
Example:	Съдът не наложи доживотен затвор, както всички очакваха.		Sadat ne nalozhi dozhivoten zatvor, kakto vsichki ochakvakha.
Meaning:	The court did not impose a life sentence, as everyone expected.

#21 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
помилване		pomilvane	pardon
Example:	Адвокатът пледираше за помилване на обвиняемия.		Advokatat pledirashe za pomilvane na obvinyaemiya.
Meaning:	The lawyer pleaded for pardon of the defendant.

#22 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
затвор		zatvor	prison
Example:	Осъдиха престъпника на 2 години затвор.		Osadiha prestapnika na 2 godini zatvor.
Meaning:	The criminal was sentenced to 2 years in prison.

#23 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
невинен		nevinen	innocent
Example:	Осъденият каза, че е невинен.		Osadeniyat kaza, che e nevinen.
Meaning:	The convict said he was innocent.

#24 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
освободен		osvoboden	released
Example:	Той плати гаранцията, за да бъде освободен.		Toy plati garantsiyata, za da bade osvoboden.
Meaning:	He paid the bail to be released.

#25 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
преследване		presledvane	prosecution
Example:	Съдебно преследване грози нарушителите на закона.		Sadebno presledvane grozi narushitelite na zakona.
Meaning:	Violators face prosecution.

Practical Exercise for Advanced Legal Words

Fill in the blanks with the correct advanced legal word out of the three options presented.

Всеки ____________(съд, затвор, престъпник) трябва да понесе ____________(заседание, наказание, доказателство).
Vseki (sad, zatvor, prestapnik) tryabva da ponese (zasedanie, nakazanie, dokazatelstvo).
Every criminal must bear judgement.

Всеки е ____________(невинен, доживотен, обвиняем) до доказване на ____________(помилването, преследването, вината).
Vseki e (nevinen, dozhivoten, obvinyaem) do dokazvane na (pomilvaneto, presledvaneto, vinata).
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Присъдата на обвиняемия беше ____________(освободен, обвиняем, доживотен) затвор.
Prisadata na obvinyaemiya beshe (osvoboden, obvinyaem, dozhivoten) zatvor.
The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Издадена бе окончателна ____________(защита, присъда, вина) без право на ____________(помилване, обезщетение, доказателство).
Izdadena be okonchatelna (zashtita, prisada, vina) bez pravo na (pomilvane, obezshtetenie, dokazatelstvo).
A final sentence was issued without the right to pardon.

Адвокатът не можа да намери ____________(престъпление, заседание, доказателство) за оправдаването на ____________(престъпника, прокурора, ищеца).
Advokatat ne mozha da nameri (prestaplenie, zasedanie, dokazatelstvo) za opravdavaneto na (prestapnika, prokurora, ishtetsa).
The lawyer could not find evidence for the acquittal of the criminal.

Alternative Words for Acing Bulgarian Writing/Essays

If you would like to improve your writing style so that it sounds closer to a native’s level, we suggest you substitute the following words with their more advanced synonyms. This will make your essays more impressive and powerful. We have categorized our suggestions based on part of speech.

→ You might also be interested in this guide to the top 10 Bulgarian sentence patterns.

Nouns

#1 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	мониторинг	monitoring	monitoring
With	наблюдение	nablyudenie	monitoring
Example:	Услугата включва (денонощен мониторинг) денонощно наблюдение.		Uslugata vklyuchva (denonoshten monitoring) denonoshtno nablyudenie.
Meaning:	The service includes round-the-clock monitoring.

#2  Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	локация	lokatsiya	location
With	местоположение	mestopolozhenie	location
Example:	Можете да споделите (локацията) местоположението си.		Mozhete da spodelite (lokatsiyata) mestopolozhenieto si.
Meaning:	You can share your location.

#3  Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	експозиция	ekspozitsiya	exposition
With	изложба	izlozhba	exposition / exhibition
Example:	Днес беше открита нова (експозиция) изложба в града на розите.		Dnes beshe otkrita nova (ekspozitsiya) izlozhba v grada na rozite.
Meaning:	A new exhibition opened today in The City of Roses.

#4  Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	евент	event	event
With	събитие	sabitie	event
Example:	(Официалният евент) Официалното събитие беше посетено от президента.		(Ofitsialniyat event) Ofitsialnoto sabitie beshe poseteno ot prezidenta.
Meaning:	The official event was attended by the President.

#5  Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	шоу	shou	show
With	представление	predstavlenie	show
Example:	Много знаменити актьори участваха в това (шоу) представление.		Mnogo znameniti aktyori uchastvaha v tova (shou) predstavlenie.
Meaning:	Many famous actors took part in this show.

#6  Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	мотивация	motivatsiya	motivation
With	подбуда	podbuda	motivation
Example:	(Мотивацията) Подбудата му е да направи света по-добър.		(Motivatsiyata) Podbudata mu e da napravi sveta po-dobar.
Meaning:	His motivation is to make the world a better place.

#7 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	красота	krasota	beauty
With	прелест	prelest	beauty
Example:	Под семплата външност се крие истинска (красота) прелест.		Pod semplata vanshnost se krie istinska (krasota) prelest.
Meaning:	Beneath the simple appearance lies a real beauty.

#8 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	печалба	pechalba	profit
With	облага	oblaga	profit
Example:	Той се възползва от тази материална (печалба) облага.		Toy se vazpolzva ot tazi materialna (pechalba) oblaga.
Meaning:	He takes advantage of this material profit.

#9 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	съгласие	saglasie	understanding
With	разбирателство	razbiratelstvo	understanding
Example:	Хубаво е да живеем в (съгласие) разбирателство.		Hubavo e da zhiveem v (saglasie) razbiratelstvo.
Meaning:	It is good to live in understanding.

#10 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	заплата	zaplata	salary
With	трудово възнаграждение	trudovo vaznagrazhdenie	salary
Example:	Всеки месец получавам (заплата) трудово възнаграждение.		Vseki mesets poluchavam (zaplata) trudovo vaznagrazhdenie.
Meaning:	Every month, I receive a salary.

#11 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	директор	direktor	manager
With	управител	upravitel	manager
Example:	Днес (директорът) управителят на фирмата събра работниците на кратко събрание.		Dnes (direktorat) upravitelyat na firmata sabra rabotnitsite na kratko sabranie.
Meaning:	Today, the company’s manager gathered the workers for a short meeting.

#12 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	кеш	kesh	cash
With	пари в брой	pari v broy	cash
Example:	Плащането е (в кеш) с пари в брой.		Plashtaneto e (v kesh) s pari v broy.
Meaning:	Payment is in cash.

#13 Bulgarian noun		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	оферта	oferta	offer
With	предложение	predlozhenie	offer
Example:	Това е много (изгодна оферта) изгодно предложение.		Tova e mnogo (izgodna oferta) izgodno predlozhenie.
Meaning:	This is a very good offer.

Verbs

#1 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	стартирам	startiram	to start
With	започвам	zapochvam	to start
Example:	Днес планирам да (стартирам) започна нов проект.		Dnes planiram da (startiram) zapochna nov proekt.
Meaning:	Today, I plan to start a new project.

#2 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	планирам	planiram	to plan
With	кроя	kroya	to plan
* кроя is used in a negative context and can be translated as “to be up for mischief.”
Example:	Веднага разбрах, че (планираш) кроиш да направиш нещо лошо.		Vednaga razbrah, che (planirash) kroish da napravish neshto losho.
Meaning:	I immediately realized that you were planning to do something bad.

#3 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	планирам	planiram	to plan
With	възнамерявам	vaznameryavam	to plan
* Аnother verb for планирам, but this time with a positive meaning
Example:	Скоро (планирам) възнамерявам да създам семейство.		Skoro (planiram) vaznameryavam da sazdam semeystvo.
Meaning:	I plan to start a family soon.

#4 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	създавам	sazdavam	to create
With	творя	tvorya	to create
Example:	Отдавна не съм (създавал) творил нещо ново.		Otdavna ne sam (sazdaval) tvoril neshto novo.
Meaning:	I haven’t created anything new for a long time.

#5 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	идвам	idvam	to come / to arrive
With	пристигам	pristigam	to arrive
* While идвам is usually used for coming by foot, пристигам is used for arriving by vehicle.
Example:	Утре (идвам) пристигам с автобуса на автогарата.		Utre (idvam) pristigam s avtobusa na avtogarata.
Meaning:	Tomorrow, I will arrive by bus at the bus station.

#6 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	мечтая	mechtaya	to dream
With	копнея	kopneya	to dream / to long for
* While мечтая is not incorrect, копнея shows a higher degree of desire.
Example:	Отдавна (мечтая) копнея да срещна хора като вас.		Otdavna (mechtaya) kopneya da sreshtna hora kato vas.
Meaning:	I have dreamed of meeting people like you for a long time.

#7 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	мисля	mislya	to think
With	считам	schitam	to think
Example:	Определено (мисля) считам, че предложението е добро.		Opredeleno (mislya) schitam, che predlozhenieto e dobro.
Meaning:	I definitely think the proposal is good.

#8 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	уча	ucha	to study
With	изучавам	izuchavam	to study
Example:	Дълги години (учех) изучавах историята на България.		Dalgi godini (ucheh) izuchavah istoriyata na Balgariya.
Meaning:	For many years, I studied the history of Bulgaria.

#9 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	разбирам	razbiram	to understand
With	схващам	shvashtam	to understand
Example:	Той може много добре да (разбере) схване разликата.		Toy mozhe mnogo dobre da (razbere) shvane razlikata.
Meaning:	He can understand the difference very well.

#10 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	харча	harcha	to spend
With	изразходвам	izrazhodvam	to spend
Example:	Налага се да (изхарча) изразходя всичките си пари за този проект.		Nalaga se da (izharcha) izrazhodya vsichkite si pari za tozi proekt.
Meaning:	I have to spend all my money on this project.

#11 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	оглагам	otlagam	to postpone
With	отрочвам	otsrochvam	to postpone
Example:	Няма да се наложи да (отлагам) отсрочвам изпита.		Nyama da se nalozhi da (otlagam) otsrochvam izpita.
Meaning:	I will not have to postpone the exam.

#12 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	правя	pravya	to make
With	изработвам	izrabotvam	to make
Example:	От много отдавна (правя) изработвам глинени съдове.		Ot mnogo otdavna (pravya) izrabotvam glineni sadove.
Meaning:	I have been making pottery for a long time.

#13 Bulgarian verb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	консултирам	konsultiram	to consult
With	съветвам	savetvam	to advise
Example:	По този въпрос трябва да се (консултирам) посъветвам със специалист.		Po tozi vapros tryabva da se (konsultiram) posavetvam sas spetsialist.
Meaning:	I should get advised by a specialist on this issue.

Adjectives

#1 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	голям	golyam	big/great
With	огромен	ogromen	great/huge
Example:	По този въпрос имам (голям) огромен опит.		Po tozi vapros imam (golyam) ogromen opit.
Meaning:	I have great experience in this matter.

#2 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	спокоен	spokoen	calm
With	хладнокръвен	hladnokraven	cold-blooded
Example:	Той даде съвсем (спокоен) хладнокръвен отговор на въпроса.		Toy dade savsem (spokoen) hladnokraven otgovor na vaprosa.
Meaning:	He gave a cold-blooded answer to the question.

#3 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	решителен	reshitelen	steadfast
With	непоколебим	nepokolebim	unwavering
Example:	След като веднъж вземе решение, той е (решителен) непоколебим.		Sled kato vednazh vzeme reshenie, toy e (reshitelen) nepokolebim.
Meaning:	Once he makes a decision, he is unwavering.

#4 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	уморен	umoren	tired
With	изтощен	iztoshten	tired/exhausted
Example:	Чувствам се (уморен) изтощен след дългата работа.		Chuvstvam se (umoren) iztoshten sled dalgata rabota.
Meaning:	I feel exhausted after long work.

#5 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	интересен	interesen	interesting
With	интригуващ	intriguvasht	intriguing
Example:	Този въпрос е много (интересен) интригуващ за мен.		Tozi vapros e mnogo (interesen) intriguvasht za men.
Meaning:	This question is very intriguing to me.

#6 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	работлив	rabotliv	hardworking
With	трудолюбив	trudolyubiv	hardworking
Example:	Човекът е много (работлив) трудолюбив.		Chovekat e mnogo (rabotliv) trudolyubiv.
Meaning:	The man is very hardworking.

#7 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	неподходящ	nepodhodyasht	unsuitable
With	неуместен	neumesten	inappropriate
Example:	Твоят въпрос е съвсем (неподходящ) неуместен.		Tvoyat vapros e savsem (nepodhodyasht) neumesten.
Meaning:	Your question is completely inappropriate.

#8 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	безинтересен	bezinteresen	uninteresting
With	скучен	skuchen	boring
Example:	Този разказ е (безинтересен) скучен.		Tozi razkaz e (bezinteresen) skuchen.
Meaning:	This story is boring.

#9 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	модерен	moderen	modern
With	съвременен	savremenen	contemporary
Example:	Този (модерен) съвременен стил ми харесва.		Tozi (moderen) savremenen stil mi haresva.
Meaning:	I like this contemporary style.

#10 Bulgarian adjective		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	богат	bogat	rich
With	заможен	zamozhen	wealthy
Example:	(Богатият) Заможният човек отдели малко пари за каузата.		(Bogatiyat) Zamozhniyat chovek otdeli malko pari za kauzata.
Meaning:	The wealthy man set aside some money for the cause.

Adverb

#1 Bulgarian adverb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	много	mnogo	very/too
With	твърде	tvarde	too
Example:	Този камък е (много) твърде тежък.		Tozi kamak e (mnogo) tvarde tezhak.
Meaning:	This stone is too heavy.

#2 Bulgarian adverb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	трудно	trudno	difficult
With	непосилно	neposilno	impossible
Example:	Тази задача е (трудна) непосилна.		Tazi zadacha e (trudna) neposilna.
Meaning:	This task is (difficult) impossible.

#3 Bulgarian adverb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	нетърпимо	netarpimo	intolerable
With	непоносимо	neponosimo	unbearable
Example:	Положението е (нетърпимо) непоносимо.		Polozhenieto e (netarpimo) neponosimo.
Meaning:	The situation is unbearable.

#4 Bulgarian adverb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	постоянно	postoyanno	constantly
With	неизменно	neizmenno	constantly
Example:	Той (постоянно) неизменно твърдеше, че има голям опит.		Toy (postoyanno) neizmenno tvardeshe, che ima golyam opit.
Meaning:	He constantly claimed to have extensive experience.

#5 Bulgarian adverb		Pronunciation	Translation
Replace	щедро	shtedro	generous
With	великодушно	velikodushno	generous
Example:	Той реши да постъпи (щедро) великодушно към бедняка.		Toy reshi da postapi (shtedro) velikodushno kam bednyaka.
Meaning:	He decided to be generous to the poor man.

How can BulgarianPod101 help you learn Bulgarian?

BulgarianPod101 hopes that this comprehensive guide to advanced Bulgarian vocabulary words helps you advance further in your knowledge of and experience with the Bulgarian language. It can be of great aid in preparation for your advanced-level Bulgarian language exam, and it’s a practical tool for reaching your learning goals.  

Since the advanced level is very challenging, you may need personal guidance to help you progress at this stage. If so, you can turn to our MyTeacher service to choose a native and experienced Bulgarian teacher who understands your difficulties and knows how to help you successfully overcome them.

We would love to hear your feedback about this article. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and we’ll help you out the best we can. 

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

Answers to Practical Exercises

Advanced Academic Words

В края на годината служителят на компанията състави доклад, където включи своята оценка за постигнатото през годината. Той беше направил подробно проучване на човешкия ресурс и доколко предвидената за тази година програма беше изпълнена. Директорът не беше доволен от постигнатото и започна безмилостна критика, насочена към персонала. За следващата година той заповяда да се направи ново проучване на клиентите, конкурентите и стратегиите и да се направи цялостна редакция на политиката. Предстоeше и осъществяването на нов проект.

V kraya na godinata sluzhitelyat na kompaniyata sаstavi doklad, kаdeto vklyuchi svoyata otsenka za postignatoto prez godinata. Toy beshe napravil podrobno prouchvane na choveshkiya resurs i dokolko predvidenata za tazi godina programa beshe izpalnena. Direktorat ne beshe dovolen ot postignatoto i zapochna bezmilostna kritika, nasochena kam personala. Za sledvashtata godina toy zapovyada da se napravi novo prouchvane na klientite, konkurentite i strategiite i da se napravi tsyalostna redaktsiya na politikata. Predstoeshe i osashtestvyavaneto na nov proekt.

At the end of the year, the company’s employee compiled a report, which included his assessment of the achievements during the year. He had carried out a detailed study of human resources and the extent to which the program planned for this year had been implemented. The director was dissatisfied with what had been achieved and began relentless criticism of the staff. For the next year, he ordered new research of customers, competitors, and strategies to be performed, along with a comprehensive revision of the policy. A new project was forthcoming.

Advanced Business Words

търговец (targovets) доходоносен (dohodonosen) реализация (realizatsiya) бюджет (byudzhet) командировка (komandirovka) политика (politika) клиентела (clientela) разрастване (razrastvane) инвестиция (investitsiya) устойчивост (ustoychivost) кредит (kredit) стабилност (stabilnost) прозрачен (prozrachen)

merchant  profitable realization  budget  business trip  policy  clientele expansion  investment sustainability  loan stability  transparent

Advanced Medical Words

хрема (hrema)
ваксина (vaksina)
акупунктура (akupunktura)
акне (akne)
вена (vena)

Advanced Legal Words

Всеки престъпник трябва да понесе наказание.
Vseki prestapnik tryabva da ponese nakazanie.
Every criminal must bear punishment.

Всеки е невинен до доказване на вината.
Vseki e nevinen do dokazvane na vinata.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Присъдата на обвиняемия беше доживотен затвор.
Prisadata na obvinyaemiya beshe dozhivoten zatvor.
The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Издадена бе окончателна присъда без право на помилване.
Izdadena be okonchatelna prisada bez pravo na pomilvane.
A final sentence was issued without the right to pardon.

Адвокатът не можа да намери доказателство за оправдаването на престъпника.
Advokatat ne mozha da nameri dokazatelstvo za opravdavaneto na prestapnika.
The lawyer could not find evidence for the acquittal of the criminal.

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

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

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

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

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

Table of Contents

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

1. Negate a Statement

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

Here are the positive statements:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Negate a statement in the future tense

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

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

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

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

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

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

Practical exercise: Negate a statement in the future tense

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Giving a Negative Response to a Question

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

With a possessive pronoun

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

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

With the verb “to be“

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

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

With a common verb 

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

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

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

Practical exercise: Giving a negative response to a question

Your next task is to answer the following questions negatively. 

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

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

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

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

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

★ One more task:

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

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

4. Other Negating Words and Phrases

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

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

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

Practical exercise: Negating words and phrases

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

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

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

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

5. Double Negatives

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

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

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

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

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

6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian

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

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

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

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

7. Answers to the Practical Exercises

Answers to practical exercise: Making affirmative statements negative

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

★ One more task:

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

Answers to practical exercise: Negating words and phrases

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

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

1. Bulgarian Language Specifics

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

No infinitive form

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

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

Bulgarian verb conjugations

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

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

Examples:

1st Conjugation

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

3rd Conjugation

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

★ Practical Exercise No. 1 – Conjugations

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

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

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

★ Practical Exercise No. 2 – Conjugations

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

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

Bulgarian:

Bulgarian auxiliary verbs

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

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

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

Examples: 

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

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

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

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

2. Present Tense

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

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

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

★ Practical Exercise No. 3 – Present Tense

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

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

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

Uses of the Bulgarian Present Tense

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

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

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

3. Past Tenses

There are four Bulgarian past tenses: 

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

Past Simple Tense (Aorist)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

★ Practical Exercise No. 4 – Past Simple Tense

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

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

Bonus exercise:

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

•  успях (uspyah) – I succeeded

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

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

Past Imperfect Tense

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the endings for the past continuous tense:

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

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

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

★ Practical Exercise No. 5 – Past Continuous Tense

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

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

We added one new verb: 

• лежах (lezhah) – I was lying

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

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

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

Examples:

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

    [meaning that they are still in our house]

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

    [meaning that the textbook is still missing]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

Let’s see how it’s formed:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Future Tenses

There are four Bulgarian future tenses: 

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

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

Future Tense

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

Examples:

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

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

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

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

★ Practical Exercise No. 8 – Future Tense

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

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

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

Future Perfect Tense

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Future in the Past Tense

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

Examples:

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

Examples:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Past Future Perfect

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

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

Let’s give an example:

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

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

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

★ Practical Exercise No. 11 – Past Future Perfect Tense

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

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

5. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian Tenses

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

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

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

Happy learning!