What’s your relationship with the clock like? Does it run your day from a morning alarm to a cut-off chime for bed, or are you more of a go-with-the-flow type, letting your mood and emotions decide how much you fall in line with time?

Understanding time in Bulgarian is an important part of your studies. As humans, our lives are filled with habits and schedules. From waking up and going to work or gym, to missing rush hour traffic on our way home, we’re always aware of time. We have routines around coffee breaks, meetings, soccer games and vacations. In fact, time can seem rather capricious – going slowly, going fast, sometimes against us, other times on our side – like a force that has a life of its own.

In science, time is often referred to as a fourth dimension and many physicists and philosophers think that if we understood the physics of the universe, we would see that time is an illusion. We sense an ‘arrow’ or direction of time because we have memories, but really time is just a construct that humans have created to help make sense of the world. 

On the other hand, poets through the ages have written impassioned thoughts about time, depicting it as both a relentless thief and an immensely precious resource, not to be wasted at any cost.

Well, poets and scientists may have their views, but in our everyday lives there’s the question of practicality, isn’t there? I mean, if you have plans and want things to happen your way, there’s a certain amount of conforming to the human rules of time that you can’t avoid. 

In ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the prince has a rose that he falls in love with, and he tenderly protects it with a windscreen and places it under a glass dome on his tiny planet.  I love this quote from the book:  “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”  If we truly love something, we spend time with it and not a second of that time could ever be seen as wasted. I feel that way about horses, my children, travel and learning languages. 

With that in mind, I’d like to take you on a journey into ‘time’ from a Bulgarian perspective. It’s fun, it’s informative and it’s a basic necessity if you’re learning the language – especially if you plan to travel. BulgarianPod101 has all the vocab you need to fall in love with telling time in Bulgarian, and not a minute will be wasted.

Table of Contents

1. Talking about Time in Bulgarian
2. How to Tell the Time in Bulgarian
3. Conclusion

1. Talking about Time in Bulgarian

As a traveler, your primary need for knowing how to read the hour in Bulgarian will be for transportation schedules: the bus, train, airplane, ferry, taxi… whatever you plan to use to get from A to B, it won’t wait for you! Fortunately, it’s really not complicated. You already have a firm grasp of time in English and you know you’ll need to reset your watch and phone to the local time. Great – that means you’ll have the correct time on your person. 

We’re so used to just looking at our phones for the time, that it’s easy to take this convenience for granted and forget some travel basics: in a foreign country, times won’t always be written digitally. If you see the time written in words, it’ll be the same challenge to you as hearing it spoken: you’ll need to be familiar with the language. 

You may be surprised at how often ‘time’ comes into conversation. Learning the Bulgarian terms for time will help you when you have to call a taxi, ask about opening and closing times of events and tourist attractions, restaurants and bars and even late-night food cafes.

My biggest annoyance when traveling is not being able to get coffee and amazingly, even at nice hotels this has happened more times than I care to think about. I’ll be up late planning something, writing my blog or chatting and when I go looking for coffee downstairs, I’m told the kitchen is closed or the ‘coffee lady’ has gone to sleep. Frustrating!

If you’re doing a homestay or at a youth hostel or backpackers, there will probably also be a limited timeframe for when you can grab dinner. Do you know how to ask when it’s time to eat in Bulgarian? I’ve learned that it’s vital to know how to make my queries clearly understood to accommodation staff and for me to clearly understand their answers. Perfect your ‘time in Bulgarian’ translations early on – you’ll thank me. 

At BulgarianPod101, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of Bulgarian time words and phrases to get you going. 

1- Morning – сутрин (sutrin)

Morning is the time when we wake up from our dreamworld, hopefully fully rested and restored; we brew the first delicious cup of coffee for the day and watch the sunrise as we prepare for another glorious twelve hours of life. No matter what happened the day before, a new morning is a chance to make everything right. 

I like these quiet hours for language practice, as my mind is clear and receptive to learning new things. I start by writing the Bulgarian time, date and word of the day on my whiteboard, then get back under the covers for an engrossing lesson.

Time in the morning is written as AM or A.M., which stands for ante meridiem – meaning ‘before midday’ in Latin.

2- Evening – вечер (vecher)

Evening is the part of night when we’re still awake and doing things, winding down from the day. Whether you enjoy a tasty international dinner with friends, go out to see a show, or curl up on the couch with a Bulgarian snack and your favorite TV series, evening is a good time to forget your worries and do something that relaxes you. If you’re checking in with your Facebook friends, say hi to us, too!  

Evening is also an ideal time to catch up on your Bulgarian studies. The neighbourhood outside is likely to be quieter and time is yours, so grab a glass of wine or a delicious local tea, and see what’s new on your Mac App or Kindle. 

3- Daytime – денем (denem)

Daytime is defined as the period from early morning to early evening when the sun is visible outside. In other words: from sunrise to sunset.  Where you are in the world, as well as the season, will determine how many daylight hours you get. 

Interestingly, in locations north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle, in summertime the sun does not sink below the horizon within a 24-hour period, bringing the natural phenomenon of the midnight sun.  You could only experience this in the north, though, because there aren’t any permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle.

4- Nighttime – нощно време (noshtno vreme)

Nighttime is all the hours from sunset to sunrise and depending on where in the country you are, people may be partying all night, or asleep from full-dark. 

In the same northernmost and southernmost regions where you can experience a midnight sun, winter brings the opposite phenomenon: the polar night. Can you imagine a night that lasts for more than 24 hours? 

5- Hour – час (chas)

An hour is a unit of time made up of 60 minutes and is a variable measure of one-24th of a day – also defined by geeks as 3 600 atomic seconds. Of all the ‘time’ words we use on a daily basis, the hour is the most important, as time of day is typically expressed in terms of hours. 

One of the interesting methods of keeping time that people have come up with is the hourglass. Although the origins are unclear, there’s evidence pointing to the hourglass being invented around 1000 – 1100 AD and one of the ways we know this, is from hourglasses being depicted in very old murals. These days, with clocks and watches in every direction we look, they’re really only used symbolically to represent the passage of time. Still – a powerful reminder of our mortality and to seize the day. In his private journal, the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, wrote: “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”

6- Minute – минута (minuta)

Use this word when you want to say a more precise time and express minutes in Bulgarian. A minute is a unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour, or 60 seconds. A lot can happen in the next 60 seconds. For example, your blood will circulate three times through your entire vascular system and your heart will pump about 2.273 litres of blood. 

7- O’clock – часа (chasa)

We use “o’clock” when there are no minutes and we’re saying the exact hour, as in “It’s two o’clock.”

The term “o’clock” is a contraction of the term “of the clock”. It comes from 15th-century references to medieval mechanical clocks. At the time, sundials were also common timekeepers. Therefore, to make clear one was referencing a clock’s time, they would say something like, “It is six of the clock” – now shortened to “six o’clock”.

We only use this term when talking about the 12 hour clock, though, not the 24 hour clock (more on that later!) The 12-hour clock can be traced back as far as Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Both an Egyptian sundial for daytime use and an Egyptian water clock for nighttime use were found in the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep I. Dating to c.1500 BC, these clocks divided their respective times of use into 12 hours each. The Romans also used a 12-hour clock. Daylight was divided into 12 equal hours and the night was divided into four watches. 

These days, the internet has made it very easy to know what the time is in any part of the world.  Speaking of which, why not add the Bulgarian time zone clock to your laptop?

8- Half past – и половина (i polovina)

When the time is thirty minutes past the hour, in English we say “half past”. Just like the hour, the half-hour is universally used as an orientation point; some languages speak of 30 minutes before the hour (subtraction), whereas others speak of 30 minutes after the hour (addition). 

9- AM – преди обед (predi obed)

As mentioned earlier, AM is the abbreviation of the Latin ante meridiem and means before midday. Using ‘AM’ as a tag on your time simply tells people you’re speaking about a time in the morning. In some countries, morning is abbreviated to “AM” and you’ll see this on shop signs everywhere, announcing the opening hour. A typical shop sign might read something like this:

“Business hours are from 7AM to 6PM.” 

10- PM – следобед (sledobed)

PM is the abbreviation of the Latin post meridiem and means after midday. Along with ‘AM’, you’ll usually find ‘PM’ on store signs and businesses, indicating the closing hours. It’s advisable to learn the difference between the two, since some establishments might only have one or the other on the sign. For example, a night club sign might say: 

“Open from 10 PM until late.” 

11- What time is it now? – Колко е часът сега? (Kolko e chasat sega?)

Here’s a very handy question you should memorize, as you can use it in any situation where you don’t have your watch or phone on you. This could be on the beach, in a club, or if you’re stuck anywhere with a flat phone battery. It happens at home, so it can happen when you’re traveling! 

12- One o’clock – 1 часа (edin chasà)

One o’clock, or 1 PM, is the average lunch time for many people around the world – at least, we try to get a meal in at some point between midday and 2 PM.  In terms of duration, the nations vary: Brazililans reportedly take the longest lunch breaks, averaging 48 minutes, whereas Greece reports an average break of only 19 minutes. Historically, Greeks were known for their very leisurely lunch breaks, so it just goes to show how fast the world is changing. If you’re curious about what to expect in Bulgaria, try asking our online community about lunch time in Bulgarian.

13- Two o’clock – два часá (dva chasá)

In his last days, Napoleon Bonaparte famously spoke of “Two o’clock in the morning courage” – meaning unprepared, spontaneous  courage. He was talking about soldiers who are brave enough to tumble out of bed in an instant, straight into action, without time to think or strategize. Do you think you have what it takes? I’m pretty sure all mothers know this feeling!

14- Three o’clock – три часá (tri chasá)

3 AM can be perceived as the coldest time of day and is not an hour we want to wake up, but meteorologists will tell you that the coldest time is actually half an hour after sunrise. Even though the sun is peeking over the horizon, the solar radiation is still weaker than the earth’s infrared cooling to space.

15- Four o’clock – четири часá (chetiri chasá)

Do you know anyone who purposely gets up at 4 o’clock in the morning? As crazy as it sounds, there is something to be said for rising at 4 AM while the rest of the world sleeps. If you live on a farm, it might even be normal for you. I know that whenever I’m staying in the countryside, rising early is a lot easier, because there’s a satisfying reason to do so: watching a sunrise from a rooftop, with uninterrupted views, can’t be beat! It’s also likely that you’ll be woken by a cock crowing, or other animals waking to graze in the fresh pre-dawn air. 

In the world of business, you’ll find a small group of ambitious individuals – many entrepreneurs – who swear by the 4 o’clock in the morning rise. I’m not sure I like that idea, but I’d wake up at 4 AM if it was summer and I had my car packed for a vacation!

16- Five o’clock – пет часá (pet chasá)

What better way to signal the transition between work and play than the clock hands striking 5 o’clock? It’s the hour most working people look forward to each day – at least, those who get to stop working at 5 PM.  Meanwhile, millions of retired folks are taking out the wine glasses, as 5 PM is widely accepted as an appropriate time to pour the first glass. I don’t know how traditional your families are, but for as long as I’ve been alive, my grandparents have counted down the milliseconds to five o’clock, and the hour is announced with glee.

17- Six o’clock – шест часá (shest chasá)

This is the time many working people and school kids wake up in the morning. In many parts of the world, 6 o’clock is also a good time to watch the sunrise, go for a run or hit the hiking trails. 

18- Seven o’clock – седем часа (sedem chasà)

Health gurus will tell you that 7 o’clock in the morning is the best time to eat your first meal of the day, and 7 o’clock in the evening is the time you should eat your last meal. I’ve tried that and I agree, but it’s not always easy!

19- Eight o’clock – осем часá (osem chasà)

8 o’clock in the morning is the time that most businesses open around the world, and the time most kids are in their first lesson at school – still full of energy and willing to participate. Interestingly, it’s also the time most babies are born in the world!  In the evening, 8 o’clock is many young children’s bedtime and the time for parents to watch the evening news. 

20- Nine o’clock – девет часа (devet chasà)

It’s good to occasionally sleep late on a weekend and for me, this means waking up at 9 AM. If you’re traveling in Bulgaria and staying at a hotel, planning to sleep late means politely requesting to not be woken up by room service.

21- Ten o’clock – десет часá (deset chasà)

10 o’clock in the morning is a popular time to conduct business meetings, and for first break time at schools. We’re usually wide awake and well into our day by then.  But what about the same hour at night? Modern people are often still awake and watching TV at 10 PM, but this isn’t exactly good for us. Experts say that the deepest and most regenerative sleep occurs between 10 PM and 2 AM, so we should already be sound asleep by ten o’clock. 

In advertising, have you ever noticed that the hands of the clock usually point to 10:10? Have a look next time you see a watch on a billboard or magazine. The reason? Aesthetics. Somehow, the human brain finds the symmetry pleasing. When the clock hands are at ten and two, they create a ‘smiley’ face and don’t cover any key details, like a logo, on the clock face. 

22- Eleven o’clock – единадесет часа (edinadeset chasà)

When I see this time written in words, it makes me think of the hilarious Academy Award-winning very short film, “The Eleven O’Clock”, in which the delusional patient of a psychiatrist believes that he is actually the doctor. 

Then there’s the tradition of ‘elevenses’ – tea time at eleven o’clock in the morning. Strongly ingrained in British culture, elevenses is typically a serving of hot tea or coffee with scones or pastries on the side. It’s a great way to stave off hunger pangs before lunch time arrives. In fact, if you were a hobbit, ‘Elevenses’ would be your third meal of the day!

23- Twelve o’clock – дванайсет часá (dvanadeset chasà)

Twelve o’clock in the daytime is considered midday, when the sun is at its zenith and the temperature reaches its highest for that day; it’s written as 12 noon or 12 PM. In most parts of the world, though, this doesn’t happen at precisely 12 PM. ‘Solar noon’ is the time when the sun is actually at its highest point in the sky. The local or clock time of solar noon depends on the longitude and date. If it’s summertime, it’s advisable to stay in the shade during this hour – or at least wear good quality sunblock.

Midnight is the other ‘twelve o’clock’, of course. Midnight is written as 12 AM and is technically the first minute of the morning. On the 24-hour clock, midnight is written as 00:00. 

2. How to Tell the Time in Bulgarian

Using a clock to read the time in Bulgaria is going to be the same as in your own country, since you’re dealing with numbers and not words. You’ll know the time in your head and be able to say it in English, but will you be able to say it out loud in Bulgarian? 

The first step to saying the time in Bulgarian is knowing your numbers. How are you doing with that? If you can count to twelve in Bulgarian, you’re halfway there! We’ve already covered the phrases you’ll need to say the exact hour, as in “five o’clock”, as well as how to say “half past”. What remains is the more specific phrases to describe what the minute hand is doing.

In everyday speech, it’s common to say the minutes past or before the hour. Often we round the minutes off to the nearest five. 

Then, there’s the 24-hour clock. Also known as ‘military time’, the 24-hour clock is used in most countries and, as such, is useful to understand. You’ll find that even in places where the 12-hour clock is standard, certain people will speak in military time or use a combination of the two.  No doubt you’ve also noticed that in written time, the 24-hour clock is commonly used.  One of the most prominent places you’ll have seen this is on airport flight schedules.

Knowing how to tell military time in Bulgarian is really not complicated if you know your numbers up to twenty-four. One advantage of using the 24-hour clock in Bulgarian, is there’s no chance of confusing AM and PM.

Once you know how to say the time, it will be pretty easy to also write the time in Bulgarian. You’re already learning what the different hours and minutes look and sound like, so give yourself some writing practice of the same. 

3. Conclusion

Now that you understand the vocabulary for telling time in Bulgarian, the best thing you can do to really lock it down is to just practice saying Bulgarian time daily. Start by replacing English with Bulgarian whenever you need to say the time; in fact, do this whenever you look at your watch. Say the time to yourself in Bulgarian and it will become a habit. When learning a new language, the phrases you use habitually are the ones your brain will acquire. It feels amazing when that turning point comes!

To help yourself gain confidence, why don’t you make use of our various apps, downloadable for iPhone and iPad, as well as Android? Choose what works best for you. In addition, we have so many free resources available to supplement your learning, that you simply can’t go wrong. Some of these are:

• Free lessons on iTunes
• A free mini lesson every day with the Innovative Language Calendar.
• Free audio books for lessons on the go.

If you prefer watching your lessons on video, check out our YouTube channel – there are hundreds of videos to browse. For those of you with Roku, we also have a TV channel you can watch.

Well, it’s time for me to say goodbye and for you to practice saying the time in Bulgarian. Look at the nearest clock and try to say the exact time, down to the seconds. See you again soon at BulgarianPod101!

What is the most defining moment you will face this year? From memories that you immortalize in a million photographs, to days you never wish to remember, one thing’s for certain: big life events change you. The great poet, Bukowski, said, “We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well, that death will tremble to take us.” The older I get, the more I agree with him!

Talking about significant events in our lives is part of every person’s journey, regardless of creed or culture. If you’re planning to stay in Bulgaria for more than a quick visit, you’re sure to need at least a few ‘life events’ phrases that you can use. After all, many of these are shared experiences, and it’s generally expected that we will show up with good manners and warm wishes.

Table of Contents

1. Life Events
2. Marriage Proposal Lines
3. Talking About Age
4. Conclusion

1. Life Events

Do you know how to say “Happy New Year” in Bulgarian? Well, the New Year is a pretty big deal that the whole world is in on! We celebrate until midnight, make mindful resolutions, and fill the night sky with the same happy words in hundreds of languages. No doubt, then, that you’ll want to know how to say it like a local!

Big life events are not all about fun times, though. Real life happens even when you’re traveling, and certain terminology will be very helpful to know. From talking about your new job to wishing your neighbors “Merry Christmas” in Bulgarian, here at BulgarianPod101, we’ve put together just the right vocabulary and phrases for you.

1- Birthday – рожден ден (rozhden den)

If you’re like me, any excuse to bring out a pen and scribble a note is a good one. When there’s a birthday, even better: hello, handwriting!

Your Bulgarian friend will love hearing you wish them a “Happy birthday” in Bulgarian, but how much more will they appreciate a thoughtful written message? Whether you write it on their Facebook wall or buy a cute card, your effort in Bulgarian is sure to get them smiling! Write it like this:

Честит Рожден ден
Chestit Rozhden den

Now that you know the words, I challenge you to put them to music and sing your own “Happy birthday” song in Bulgarian! It’s not impossible to figure out even more lyrics, once you start discovering the language from scratch.

2- Buy – купувам (kupuvam)

If there’s a special occasion, you might want to buy somebody a gift. As long as you’ve checked out Bulgarian etiquette on gift-giving (do a Google search for this!), it will be a lovely gesture. If you’re not sure what to buy, how about the awesome and universally-appealing gift of language? That’s a gift that won’t stop giving!

3- Retire – пенсионирам се (pensioniram se)

If you’re planning to expand your mind and retire in Bulgaria, you can use this word to tell people why you seem to be on a perpetual vacation!

Retirement is also a great time to learn a new language, don’t you think? And you don’t have to do it alone! These days it’s possible to connect to a vibrant learning community at the click of a button. The added benefit of a Daily Dose of Language is that it keeps your brain cells alive and curious about the world. After all, it’s never too late to realize those long-ignored dreams of traveling the globe…

4- Graduation – дипломиране (diplomirane)

When attending a graduation ceremony in Bulgaria, be prepared for a lot of formal language! It will be a great opportunity to listen carefully and see if you can pick up differences from the everyday Bulgarian you hear.

5- Promotion – повишение (povishenie)

Next to vacation time, receiving a promotion is the one career highlight almost everyone looks forward to. And why wouldn’t you? Sure, it means more responsibility, but it also means more money and benefits and – the part I love most – a change of scenery! Even something as simple as looking out a new office window would boost my mood.

6- Anniversary – годишнина (godishnina)

Some anniversaries we anticipate with excitement, others with apprehension. They are days marking significant events in our lives that can be shared with just one person, or with a whole nation. Whether it’s a special day for you and a loved one, or for someone else you know, this word is crucial to know if you want to wish them a happy anniversary in Bulgarian.

7- Funeral – погребение (pogrebenie)

We tend to be uncomfortable talking about funerals in the west, but it’s an important conversation for families to have. Around the world, there are many different customs and rituals for saying goodbye to deceased loved ones – some vastly different to our own. When traveling in Bulgaria, if you happen to find yourself the unwitting observer of a funeral, take a quiet moment to appreciate the cultural ethos; even this can be an enriching experience for you.

8- Travel – пътувам (patuvam)

Travel – my favorite thing to do! Everything about the experience is thrilling and the best cure for boredom, depression, and uncertainty about your future. You will surely be forever changed, fellow traveler! But you already know this, don’t you? Well, now that you’re on the road to total Bulgarian immersion, I hope you’ve downloaded our IOS apps and have your Nook Book handy to keep yourself entertained on those long bus rides.

9- Graduate – завършвам (zavarshvam)

If you have yet to graduate from university, will you be job-hunting in Bulgaria afterward? Forward-looking companies sometimes recruit talented students who are still in their final year. Of course, you could also do your final year abroad as an international student – an amazing experience if you’d love to be intellectually challenged and make a rainbow of foreign friends!

10- Wedding – сватба (svatba)

One of the most-loved traditions that humans have thought up, which you’ll encounter anywhere in the world, is a wedding. With all that romance in the air and months spent on preparations, a wedding is typically a feel-good affair. Two people pledge their eternal love to each other, ladies cry, single men look around for potential partners, and everybody has a happy day of merrymaking.

Ah, but how diverse we are in our expression of love! You will find more wedding traditions around the world than you can possibly imagine. From reciting love quotes to marrying a tree, the options leave no excuse to be boring!

11- Move – премествам се (premestvam se)

I love Bulgaria, but I’m a nomad and tend to move around a lot, even within one country. What are the biggest emotions you typically feel when moving house? The experts say moving is a highly stressful event, but I think that depends on the circumstances. Transitional periods in our lives are physically and mentally demanding, but changing your environment is also an exciting adventure that promises new tomorrows!

12- Be born – роден (roden)

I was not born in 1993, nor was I born in Asia. I was born in the same year as Aishwarya Rai, Akon, and Monica Lewinsky, and on the same continent as Freddy Mercury. When and where were you born? More importantly – can you say it in Bulgarian?

13- Get a job – намирам работа (namiram rabota)

The thought of looking for a job in a new country can be daunting, but English speakers are in great demand in Bulgaria – you just have to do some research, make a few friends and get out there! Also, arming yourself with a few Bulgarian introductions that you can both say and write will give you a confidence boost. For example, can you write your name in Bulgarian?

14- Die – умирам (umiram)

Death is a universal experience and the final curtain on all other life events. How important is it, then, to fully live before we die? If all you have is a passport, a bucket list, and a willingness to learn some lingo, you can manifest those dreams!

15- Home – дом (dom)

If home is where the heart is, then my home is on a jungle island completely surrounded by the turquoise ocean. Right now, though, home is an isolation room with a view of half a dry palm tree and a tangle of telephone wires.

If you’re traveling to Bulgaria for an extended stay, you’ll soon be moving into a new home quite unlike anything you’ve experienced before!

16- Job – работа (rabota)

What job do you do? Does it allow you much time for travel, or for working on this fascinating language that has (so rightfully) grabbed your attention? Whatever your job, you are no doubt contributing to society in a unique way. If you’re doing what you love, you’re already on the road to your dream. If not, just remember that every single task is one more skill to add to your arsenal. With that attitude, your dream job is coming!

17- Birth – раждане (razhdane)

Random question: do you know the birth rate of Bulgaria?

If you’re lucky enough to be invited to see a friend’s baby just after they are born, you’ll have all my respect and all my envy. There is nothing cuter! Depending on which part of the country you’re in, you may find yourself bearing witness to some pretty unexpected birth customs. Enjoy this privilege!

18- Engaged – сгодявам се (sgodyavam se)

EE Cummings said, “Lovers alone wear sunlight,” and I think that’s most true at the moment she says “yes.” Getting engaged is something young girls dream of with stars in their eyes, and it truly is a magical experience – from the proposal, to wearing an engagement ring, to the big reveal!

In the world of Instagram, there’s no end to the antics as imaginative couples try more and more outrageous ways to share their engagement with the world. I love an airport flashmob, myself, but I’d rather be proposed to on a secluded beach – salt, sand, and all!

Engagement customs around the world vary greatly, and Bulgaria is no exception when it comes to interesting traditions. Learning their unique romantic ways will inspire you for when your turn comes.

Speaking of romance, do you know how to say “Happy Valentine’s Day” in Bulgarian?

19- Marry – женя (zhenya)

The one you marry will be the gem on a shore full of pebbles. They will be the one who truly mirrors your affection, shares your visions for the future, and wants all of you – the good, the bad and the inexplicable.

From thinking up a one-of-a-kind wedding, to having children, to growing old together, finding a twin flame to share life with is quite an accomplishment! Speaking of which…

2. Marriage Proposal Lines

Ah, that heart-stopping moment when your true love gets down on one knee to ask for your hand in marriage, breathlessly hoping that you’ll say “Yes!” If you haven’t experienced that – well, it feels pretty darn good, is all I can say! If you’re the one doing the asking, though, you’ve probably had weeks of insomnia agonizing over the perfect time, location and words to use.

How much more care should be taken if your love is from a different culture to yours? Well, by now you know her so well, that most of it should be easy to figure out. As long as you’ve considered her personal commitment to tradition, all you really need is a few words from the heart. Are you brave enough to say them in Bulgarian?

3. Talking About Age

Part of the wonder of learning a new language is having the ability to strike up simple conversations with strangers. Asking about age in this context feels natural, as your intention is to practice friendly phrases – just be mindful of their point of view!

When I was 22, I loved being asked my age. Nowadays, if someone asks, I say, “Well, I’ve just started my fifth cat life.” Let them ponder that for a while.

In Bulgaria, it’s generally not desirable to ask an older woman her age for no good reason, but chatting about age with your peers is perfectly normal. Besides, you have to mention your birthday if you want to be thrown a birthday party!

4. Conclusion

Well, there you have it! With so many great new Bulgarian phrases to wish people with, can you think of someone who has a big event coming up? If you want to get even more creative, BulgarianPod101 has much to inspire you with – come and check it out! Here’s just some of what we have on offer at BulgarianPod101:

• Free Resources: Sharing is caring, and for this reason, we share many free resources with our students. For instance, start learning Bulgarian with our basic online course by creating a lifetime account – for free! Also get free daily and iTunes lessons, free eBooks, free mobile apps, and free access to our blog and online community. Or how about free Vocabulary Lists? The Bulgarian dictionary is for exclusive use by our students, also for free. There’s so much to love about BulgarianPod101…!
• Innovative Learning Tools and Apps: We make it our priority to offer you the best learning tools! These include apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac OSX; eBooks for Kindle, Nook, and iPad; audiobooks; Roku TV and so many more. This means that we took diverse lifestyles into account when we developed our courses, so you can learn anywhere, anytime on a device of your choice. How innovative!
• Live Hosts and One-on-One Learning: Knowledgeable, energetic hosts present recorded video lessons, and are available for live teaching experiences if you upgrade. This means that in the videos, you get to watch them pronounce those tongue-twisters, as if you’re learning live! Add octane to your learning by upgrading to Premium Plus, and learn two times faster. You can have your very own Bulgarian teacher always with you, ensuring that you learn what you need, when you need to – what a wonderful opportunity to master a new language in record time!
• Start Where You Are: You don’t know a single Bulgarian word? Not to worry, we’ve absolutely got this. Simply enroll in our Absolute Beginner Pathway and start speaking from Lesson 1! As your learning progresses, you can enroll in other pathways to match your Bulgarian level, at your own pace, in your own time, in your own place!

Learning a new language can only enrich your life, and could even open doors towards great opportunities! So don’t wonder if you’ll regret enrolling in BulgarianPod101. It’s the most fun, easy way to learn Bulgarian.

Did you know that every minute of the day, one billion tons of rain falls on the earth? Hard to believe, considering the climate crisis! Of course, all that rain is not equally shared across the planet.

So, would you mention this fascinating fact to your new Bulgarian acquaintance? Well, small talk about local weather is actually a great conversation-starter. Everyone cares about the weather and you’re sure to hear a few interesting opinions! Seasons can be quite unpredictable these days and nobody knows the peculiarities of a region better than the locals.

BulgarianPod101 will equip you with all the weather vocabulary you need to plan your next adventure. The weather can even be an important discussion that influences your adventure plans. After all, you wouldn’t want to get caught on an inflatable boat with a two-horsepower motor in Hurricane Horrendous!

Table of Contents

1. Talking about the weather in Bulgaria
2. Words for the first day of spring
3. Do You Know the Essential Summer Vocabulary?
4. Must-Know Autumn vocabulary
5. Winter
6. BulgarianPod101 can prepare you for any season.

1. Talking about the weather in Bulgaria

If you’re like me, your day’s activity plan is likely to begin with a strong local coffee and a chat about what the sky is doing. After all, being prepared could be the difference between an amazing day and a miserable one! Luckily, it’s not difficult to comment on Bulgarian weather – just start with these simple words and phrases.

1- The rain is falling on the street – Дъждът пада на улицата (Dazhdat pada na ulitsata).

Watercolor artists, take out your paints! You might not be able to venture out on foot today, but just embrace the rain as part of your Bulgarian experience. When the rain stops, the air will be clean and colours vibrant.

2- The snow has covered everything – Снегът покрива всичко (Snegat pokriva vsichko).

A fresh blanket of snow is irresistibly beautiful. Pull on your boots and beanie, and leave your tracks in this foreign landscape. Don’t resist the urge to build a snowman – you need this!

3- Fluffy cloud – пухкав облак (puhkav oblak)

When you’re waiting for a warm beach day, fluffy white clouds in a blue sky are a good sign. Don’t forget your sunscreen, as clouds will intensify the UV rays hitting your skin.

4- The water froze on the glass – Водата замръзна на стъклото (Vodata zamrazna na stakloto).

Night temperatures can get chilly and might freeze the condensation on your windows. A good way to clear them up is with warm salt water.

5- The heavy rain could cause flash flooding – Този порой може да причини светкавично наводнение (Tozi poroy mozhe da prichini svetkavichno navodnenie).

If you’re visiting Bulgaria in the wet season, it’s important to stay informed when heavy rain sets in, so keep an eye on the weather radar. Avoid river activities and rather spend this time making a home-cooked meal and brushing up on your Bulgarian weather words.

6- Flood – наводнение (navodnenie)

If you do get caught in a flood, your destination should no longer be ‘home’, but the nearest high ground.

7- The typhoon has hit – Тайфунът удари (Tayfunat udari).

Not all countries experience typhoons, but you need to know when to prepare for one! It will be very scary if you’ve never experienced one before. Your local neighbours are the best people to advise you on where to take shelter, as they’ve been doing it for generations. Be sure to get the low-down at the first sign of rough weather!

8- Check the weather report before going sailing – Провери прогнозата за времето преди да отплаваш (Proveri prognozata za vremeto predi da otplavash).

When planning an outdoor activity, especially on a body of water, always be prepared for a change in the weather. Ask your hotel receptionist or neighbour where you can get a reliable daily weather report, and don’t forget your sweater!

9- Today’s weather is sunny with occasional clouds – Времето днес е слънчево с краткотрайни облаци (Vremeto dnes e slanchevo s kratkotrayni oblatsi).

Sunny weather is the dream when traveling in Bulgaria! Wake up early, pack the hats and sunblock and go and experience the terrain, sights and beautiful spots. You’ll be rewarded with happy vibes all around.

10- A rainy day – дъждовен ден (dazhdoven den)

Remember when you said you’d save the Bulgarian podcasts for a rainy day? Now’s that day!

11- Scenic rainbow – живописна дъга (zhivopisna daga)

The best part about the rain is that you can look forward to your first rainbow in Bulgaria. There’s magic in that!

12- Flashes of lightning can be beautiful, but are very dangerous – Просветванията на мълнията може да са красиви, но са много опасни (Prosvetvaniyata na malniyata mozhe da sa krasivi, no sa mnogo opasni).

Lightning is one of the most fascinating weather phenomena you can witness without really being in danger – at least if you’re sensible and stay indoors! Did you know that lightning strikes the earth 40-50 times per second? Fortunately, not all countries experience heavy electric storms!

13- 25 degrees Celsius – двадесет и пет градуса по Целзий (dvadeset i pet gradusa po Tselziy)

Asking a local what the outside temperature will be is another useful question for planning your day. It’s easy if you know the Bulgarian term for ‘degrees Celsius’.

14- Fahrenheit – Фаренхайт (Farenhayt)

Although the Fahrenheit system has been replaced by Celsius in almost all countries, it’s still used in the US and a few other places. Learn this word in Bulgarian in case one of your companions develops a raging fever in one of those places.

15- Today the sky is clear – Днес небето е ясно (Dnes nebeto e yasno).

Clear skies mean you’ll probably want to get the camera out and capture some nature shots – not to mention the great sunsets you’ll have later on. Twilight can lend an especially magical quality to a landscape on a clear sky day, when the light is not filtered through clouds.

16- Light drizzle – лек ситен дъждец (lek siten dazhdets)

Days when it’s drizzling are perfect for taking in the cultural offerings of Bulgaria. You could go to the mall and watch a Bulgarian film, visit museums and art galleries, explore indoor markets or even find the nearest climbing wall. Bring an umbrella!

17- Temperature – температура (temperatura)

Because of the coronavirus, many airports are conducting temperature screening on passengers. Don’t worry though – it’s just a precaution. Your temperature might be taken with a no-touch thermometer, which measures infrared energy coming off the body.

18- Humid – влажен (vlazhen)

I love humid days, but then I’m also a water baby and I think the two go
together like summer and rain. Find a pool or a stream to cool off in – preferably in the shade!

19- With low humidity the air feels dry – При ниска влажност въздухът се чувства сух (Pri niska vlazhnost vazduhat se chuvstva suh).

These are the best days to go walking the hills and vales. Just take at least one Bulgarian friend with you so you don’t get lost!

20- The wind is really strong – Вятърът е наистина силен (Vyatarat e naistina silen).

A strong wind blows away the air pollution and is very healthy in that respect. Just avoid the mountain trails today, unless you fancy being blown across the continent like a hot air balloon.

21- It’s windy outside – Навън е ветровито (Navan e vetrovito).

Wind! My least favourite weather condition. Of course, if you’re a kitesurfer, a windy day is what you’ve been waiting for!

22- Wet roads can ice over when the temperature falls below freezing – Мокрите пътища могат да се заледят, когато температурата падне под замръзване (Mokrite patishta mogat da se zaledyat, kogato temperaturata padne pod zamrazvane).

The roads will be dangerous in these conditions, so please don’t take chances. The ice will thaw as soon as the sun comes out, so be patient!

23- Today is very muggy – Днес е много задушно (Dnes e mnogo zadushno).

Muggy days make your skin feel sticky and sap your energy. They’re particular to high humidity. Cold shower, anyone? Ice vest? Whatever it takes to feel relief from the humidity!

24- Fog – мъгла (magla)

Not a great time to be driving, especially in unknown territory, but keep your fog lights on and drive slowly.

25- Hurricane – ураган (uragan)

Your new Bulgarian friends will know the signs, so grab some food and candles and prepare for a night of staying warm and chatting about wild weather in Bulgaria.

26- Big tornado – голямо торнадо (golyamo tornado)

If you hear these words, it will probably be obvious already that everyone is preparing for the worst! Definitely do whatever your accommodation hosts tell you to do when a tornado is expected.

27- It’s cloudy today – Днес е облачно (Dnes e oblachno).

While there won’t be any stargazing tonight, the magnificent clouds over Bulgaria will make impressive photographs. Caption them in Bulgarian to impress your friends back home!

28- Below freezing temperatures – температури под нулата (temperaturi pod nulata)

When the temperature is below freezing, why not take an Uber and go shopping for some gorgeous Bulgarian winter gear?

29- Wind chill is how cold it really feels outside – Вятърното охлаждане е колко студено се чувства навън (Vyatarnoto ohlazhdane e kolko studeno se chuvstva navan).

Wind doesn’t change the ambient temperature of the air, it just changes your body temperature, so the air will feel colder to you than it actually is. Not all your Bulgarian friends will know that, though, so learn this Bulgarian phrase to sound really smart!

30- Water will freeze when the temperature falls below zero degrees celsius – Водата ще замръзне, когато температурата падне под нула градуса по Целзий (Vodata shte zamrazne, kogato temperaturata padne pod nula gradusa po Tselziy).

If you’re near a lake, frozen water is good news! Forgot your ice skates? Don’t despair – find out where you can hire some. Be cautious, though: the ice needs to be at least four inches thick for safe skating. Personally, I just slide around on frozen lakes in my boots!

31- Waiting to clear up – чакам да се изясни (chakam da se izyasni)

Waiting for the weather to clear up so you can go exploring is frustrating, let’s be honest. That’s why you should always travel with two things: a scintillating novel and your Bulgarian Nook Book.

32- Avoid the extreme heat – избягвам горещината (izbyagvam goreshtinata)

Is the heat trying to kill you? Unless you’re a hardened heatwave hero, definitely avoid activity, stay hydrated and drink electrolytes. Loose cotton or linen garb is the way to go!

33- Morning frost – сутрешна слана (sutreshna slana)

Frost is water vapour that has turned to ice crystals and it happens when the earth cools so much in the night, that it gets colder than the air above it. Winter is coming!

34- Rain shower – преваляване от дъжд (prevalyavane ot dazhd)

Rain showers are typically brief downpours that drench the earth with a good drink of water.

35- In the evening it will become cloudy and cold – Привечер ще се заоблачи и ще застудее (Privecher shte se zaoblachi i shte zastudee).

When I hear this on the Bulgarian weather channel, I buy a bottle of wine (red, of course) and wood for the fireplace. A cold and cloudy evening needs its comforts!

36- Severe thunderstorm – силна гръмотевична буря (silna gramotevichna burya)

Keep an eye on the Bulgarian weather maps if it looks like a big storm is coming, so you’ll be well-informed.

37- Ice has formed on the window – Образувал се е лед на прозореца (Obrazuval se e led na prozoretsa).

You could try this phrase out on the hotel’s helpful cleaning staff, or fix the problem yourself. Just add a scoop or two of salt to a spray bottle of water – that should work!

38- Large hailstones – големи парчета град (golemi parcheta grad)

As a kid, I found hail crazy exciting. Not so much now – especially if I’m on the road and large hailstones start pummeling my windscreen!

39- Thunder – гръмотевица гръмотевица (gramotevitsa)

The rumble of rolling thunder is that low-volume, ominous background sound that goes on for some time. It’s strangely exciting if you’re safely in your hotel room; it could either suddenly clear up, or escalate to a storm.

40- Sleet – суграшица (sugrashitsa)

Sleet is tiny hard pieces of ice made from a mixture of rain and melted snow that froze. It can be messy, but doesn’t cause major damage the way hail does. Pretty cool to know this word in Bulgarian!

2. Words for the first day of spring

You know the feeling: your heart skips a beat when you wake up and spring has sprung! Spring will reward you with new blossoms everywhere, birdsong in the air, kittens being born in the neighborhood and lovely views when you hit the trails. Pack a picnic and ask a new Bulgarian friend to show you the more natural sights. Don’t forget a light sweater and a big smile. This is the perfect time to practice some Bulgarian spring words!

3. Do You Know the Essential Summer Vocabulary?

Summer! Who doesn’t love that word? It conjures up images of blue skies, tan skin, vacations at the beach and cruising down the coast in an Alfa Romeo, sunglasses on and the breeze in your hair. Of course, in Bulgaria there are many ways to enjoy the summer – it all depends on what you love to do. One thing’s for sure: you will have opportunities to make friends, go on picnics, sample delicious local ice-cream and maybe even learn to sing some Bulgarian songs. It’s up to you! Sail into Bulgarian summer with this summer vocab list, and you’ll blend in with ease.

4. Must-Know Autumn vocabulary

Victoria Ericksen said, “If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour,” and I agree. Who can resist the beauty of fall foliage coloring the Bulgarian landscape? Birds prepare to migrate; travelers prepare to arrive for the best weather in Bulgaria.

The autumnal equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator, making day and night almost equal in length. The cool thing about this event is that the moon gets really bright – the ‘harvest moon’, as it’s traditionally known.

So, as much as the change of season brings more windy and rainy days, it also brings celebration. Whether you honor Thanksgiving, Halloween or the Moon Festival, take some time to color your vocabulary with these Bulgarian autumn words.

5. Winter

Winter is the time the natural world slows down to rest and regroup. I’m a summer girl, but there are fabulous things about winter that I really look forward to. For one, it’s the only season I get to accessorize with my gorgeous winter gloves and snug down coat!

Then, of course, there’s ice skating, holiday decorations and bonfires. As John Steinbeck said, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” Get ready for the cold season with our list of essential Winter words!

6. BulgarianPod101 can prepare you for any season.

Now that you know how to inquire and comment on the weather in Bulgaria, you
can confidently plan your weather-ready travel itinerary. How about this for an idea: the next
time you’re sitting in a Bulgarian street café, try asking someone local this question:

“Do you think the weather will stay like this for a few days?” If you loved learning these cool Bulgarian weather phrases with us, why not take it a step further and add to your repertoire? BulgarianPod101 is here to help!

You probably already know a lot of basic Bulgarian words. However, to connect them properly in a sentence, you need to learn more about different Bulgarian conjunctions. They enable you to learn bulgarian words, phrases, and clauses in order to form grammatically correct sentences.

BulgarianPod101 not only reveals the most common types of Bulgarian conjunctions in this guide, but has also added examples to show you how to use them and help you transform your own thoughts into understandable sentences using Bulgarian conjunctions like “and,” “or,” “but,” to name a few. But that’s not all. To help you memorize the most common Bulgarian conjunctions  easier, we prepared some practical Bulgarian conjunctions exercises.

There is no more time to waste, so let’s start right away!

Table of Contents

1. What is a Bulgarian conjunction?
2. Conjunctions for Correlating Similar Thoughts
3. Conjunctions for Expressing Condition
4. Conjunctions for Expressing Cause
5. Conjunctions for Expressing Opposition
6. Even More Conjunctions
7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian?
8. Answers to Practical Exercises

1. What is a Bulgarian conjunction?

Conjunctions are parts of speech intended to connect the homogeneous parts in a simple sentence, and the simple sentences in complex sentences. Bulgarian conjunctions can be divided into two groups:

Simple Conjunctions

These are conjunctions that consist of a single word, like и, а, но. We will take a closer look at them later.

There is a very interesting type of simple conjunctions that in Bulgarian is called разделителни (razdelitelni) conjunctions (in English correlative conjunctions). Such Bulgarian correlative conjunctions are: 

или-или 
дали-или
ту-ту
хем-хем

Bulgarian Conjunction	Pronunciation	English Conjunction
или-или	Ili – ili	either… or
Example:	Или ще вали, или ще е слънчево. Ili shte vali, ili shte e slanchevo. It will either rain or it will be sunny.
Note:	или-или can be used with different parts of the speech, but it is most common with verbs. Please note that you should always put a comma before the second или.
дали-или	dali – ili	whether… or
Example:	Дали да отида на празника, или да не ходя? Dali da otida na praznika, ili da ne hodya Whether to go to the party or not?
Note:	This conjunction is usually used to express uncertainty and hesitation about what decision to make.
ту-ту	tu-tu
Example:	Тя ту плаче, ту се смее. Tya tu plache, tu se smee. She sometimes cries, sometimes laughs.
Note:	This Bulgarian conjunction has no specific translation in English, but the meaning is that the same person radically changes his behavior within short intervals, for example during a conversation.
хем-хем	hem-hem	both… and
Example:	Хем боли, хем сърби. Hem boli, hem sarbi. It both hurts and itches.
Note:	This is a popular Bulgarian idiom that means that, on the one hand, you want to do something very much, but on the other you delay doing it as you are afraid of the consequences.

➜ You might be interested to learn some more popular Bulgarian idioms explained in this lesson.

Complex Conjunctions

There are many Bulgarian conjunctions that consist of two or more words. These are called complex conjunctions, such as в случай че, при условие че, въпреки че, като че ли. We will review them in detail later.

And now, let’s study different Bulgarian conjunctions based on their role in the sentence.

2. Conjunctions for Correlating Similar Thoughts

Let’s start with the most common and easy Bulgarian conjunctions list that correlates similar thoughts.

Bulgarian Conjunction	Pronunciation	English Conjunction
и	i	and
Example:	Аз ям и пия. Az yam i piya. I eat and drink.
Note:	Unlike in English where and is used for showing what your intention is after specific verbs, such as ‘go’, ‘come’, ‘try’, or ‘wait’ (I will go and see your new house.), in Bulgarian, this is not a typical usage of и, and this sentence will look the following way:               Ще отида да видя новата ти къща.               Shte otida da vidya novata ti kashta. Literally: I will go to (instead of and) see your new house.

също и / също така и	sashto i / sashto taka	and also / and so
Examples:	Обичам да слушам музика, също и да пея. Obicham da slusham muzika, sashto i da peya. I like listening to music and also singing.  Аз мисля, че си красива, също така и брат ми мисли така. Az mislya, che si krasiva, sashto taka i brat mi misli taka. I think you’re beautiful, and so does my brother.
Note:	These two Bulgarian conjunctions have the same meaning and are usually used to connect two simple sentences in one complex sentence.

както и	kakto i	as well as / in addition to
Example:	Обичам да ям сладолед, пържени картофи, както и торта. Obicham da yam sladoled, parzheni kartofi, kakto i torta. I like eating ice cream, french fries, as well as cake.
Note:	This conjunction is usually used to add more details to a description or at least one more thing when we enumerate different things.

след което	sled koeto	after which / and then
Example:	Често се прибирам уморен от работа, след което си лягам. Chesto se pribiram umoren ot rabota, sled koeto si lyagam. I often come home from work tired and then go to bed.
Note:	This Bulgarian conjunction is used to show that one thing causes another. But it also may show the sequence of events (find such in the practical exercise below).

Practice with us!

It’s time to practice these four Bulgarian conjunctions, described above. Please, put the correct conjunction in the blanks. Choose between (и, също така и, както и, след което). This will help you get used to their usage in the correct place. It can be challenging, but you can check the correct answers at the end of this review.

Tip: All the conjunctions are used once except for и that is used three times.

Note: 

1. Сутрин ставам, обличам се, сресвам се и си мия си зъбите  ___________ закусвам, преди да отида на работа.
   (Sutrin stavam, oblicham se, sresvam se i si miya si zabite ___________ zakusvam, predi da otida na rabota.)
   I get up in the morning, get dressed, comb my hair, and brush my teeth ___________ I have breakfast before I go to work.

2. Ставам много рано ___________  веднага тръгвам по задачи.
   (Stavam mnogo rano ___________ vednaga tragvam po zadachi.)
   I get up very early ___________ I immediately go on assignments.

3. Моят баща обича да чете книги, ___________ аз много обичам да чета книги.
   (Moyat bashta obicha da chete knigi, __________ az mnogo obicham da cheta knigi.)
   My father loves reading books, ___________ I love reading books.

4. Днес срещнах Иван ___________  Мария.
   (Dnes sreshtnah Ivan ___________ Mariya.)
   Today, I met Ivan ___________ Maria.

5. Ще купя от магазина хляб, картофи ___________  яйца, ___________ брашно за кекса.
   (Shte kupya ot magazina hlyab, kartofi ___________ yaytsa, ___________ brashno za keksa.)
   I will buy from the store bread, potatoes ___________ eggs, ___________ flour for the cake.

3. Conjunctions for Expressing Condition

It’s time to move on with Bulgarian conjunctions that express condition.

Bulgarian Conjunction	Pronunciation	English Conjunction
ако	ako	if
Example:	Ще отида на почивка, ако имам пари. Shte otida na pochivka, ako imam pari. I will go on vacation if I have money.
Note:	In Bulgarian, in most cases, there is a comma in front of ако. There are cases in which there is no need for a comma and we will see this rule in the next example.

в случай, че	v sluchay che	in case / if
Examples:	Ще му простя само в случай че ми се извини. Shte mu prostya samo v sluchay che mi se izvini. I will forgive him only if he apologizes to me.
Note:	Both of these conjunctions (ако and в случай че) are interchangeable and you can safely say/write the following: Ще отида на почивка в случай че имам пари. Shte otida na pochivka v sluchay che imam pari. I will go on vacation in case I have money.  Ще му простя само ако ми се извини. Shte mu prostya samo ako mi se izvini. I will forgive him only if he apologizes to me.  Please note that in the last example there is no need for a comma in front of ако because there is a clarifying word (само/only) before it.

при условие че	pri uslovie che	provided that
Example:	Не разбирам защо се отказваш, при условие че обеща да свършиш тази работа. Ne razbiram zashto se otkazvash, pri uslovie che obeshta da svarshish tazi rabota. I don’t understand why you’re giving up, provided that you promised to do the job.
Note:	This conjunction can also be placed in the very beginning of the sentence.

Practice with us!

This time the practical exercise is easier. You have to choose only between ако and при условие че to fill in the blanks.

___________ много пъти досега си лъгал, няма кой да ти повярва.
___________ mnogo pati dosega si lagal, nyama koy da ti povyarva.
___________ you have lied many times so far, no one will believe you.

Никой няма да ти вярва ______ лъжеш.
Nikoy nyama da ti vyarva ______ lazhesh.
No one will believe you ______ you are lying.

Не можеш да вдигнеш сам този багаж ___________ вчера те болеше кракът.
Ne mozhesh da vdignesh sam tozi bagazh ___________ vchera te boleshe krakat.
You can’t pick up this luggage alone ___________ your leg was hurting yesterday.

4. Conjunctions for Expressing Cause

Bulgarian Conjunction	Pronunciation	English Conjunction
защото	zashtoto	because
Example:	Ще отида сам, защото съм смел. Shte otida sam, zashtoto sam smel. I will go alone because I am brave.
Note:	In Bulgarian, there is always a comma in front of защото and the other conjunctions that express cause given below.

понеже	ponezhe	because / since
Example:	Понеже не вали, ще отида да работя в градината. Ponezhe ne vali, shte otida da rabotya v gradinata. Since it is not raining, I will go work in the garden.
Note:	Понеже is almost identical to защото. In fact, both of these conjunctions are replaceable if they are located in the middle of the sentence. So you can safely replace  Ще отида сам, защото съм смел. with Ще отида сам, понеже съм смел. Shte otida sam, ponezhe sam smel. I will go alone because I am brave. One important note here is that, unlike понеже, защото cannot be in the beginning of the sentence.

тъй като	tay kato	as / since
Example:	Тъй като е неделя, днес няма да работя. Tay kato e nedelya, dnes nyama da rabotya. Since it’s Sunday, I won’t be working today.
Note:	Another identical conjunction to защото and понеже. Just like понеже, тъй като can also be placed in the very beginning of the sentence. The exception of this rule is защото. So we can safely change the sample above in the following way: Тъй като е неделя, днес няма да работя. with Понеже е неделя, днес няма да работя. Ponezhe  e nedelya, dnes nyama da rabotya. Since it’s Sunday, I won’t be working today. The same applies to this sentence: Понеже не вали, ще отида да работя в градината. It may be changed the following way: Тъй като не вали, ще отида да работя в градината. Tay kato ne vali, shte otida da rabotya v gradinata. Since it is not raining, I will go work in the garden. The only way in which this sentence could sound wrong is when placing защото in the beginning: Защото не вали, ще отида да работя в градината.

Practice with us!

Exercise 1: As explained above, the following sentence is incorrect: 

• Защото не вали, ще отида да работя в градината.

Can you make it correct without changing the conjunction?

You may check the correct answer at the end of this guide.

за да	za da	to / in order to
Example:	Трябва да работя, за да имам пари. Tryabva da rabotya, za da imam pari. I have to work to have money.

Practice with us!

Exercise 2: Let’s practice some more Bulgarian vocabulary. Put the correct Bulgarian conjunction in the place of the English conjunction. Tip: there could be more than one correct answer, but be careful to not put the wrong one.

• Since искам да кандидатствам в университет, уча много.
  Since iskam da kandidat·stvam v universitet, ucha mnogo.
  Since I want to apply to university, I study a lot.

• Не обичам лимоните, because са кисели.
  Ne obicham limonite, because sa kiseli.
  I don’t like lemons because they are sour.

• Трябват ми яйца to направя баница.
  Tryabvat mi yaytsa to napravya banitsa.
  I need eggs to make banitsa.

In order to make this exercise even more challenging, try to place all possible correct answers for each of these three sentences. You can check whether your answers are correct at the end of this review.

5. Conjunctions for Expressing Opposition

Bulgarians are famous for their obstinacy that is expressed in the popular idiom: магарешки инат (magareshki inat) as stubborn as a donkey.

➜ You can learn the meaning of some other common Bulgarian idioms in the following lesson.

This likely explains why there are so many Bulgarian conjunctions that express opposition. We will review the most popular of them below:

Bulgarian Conjunction	Pronunciation	English Conjunction
но	no	but
Example:	Аз съм малък, но вече зная. Az sam malak, no veche znaya. I’m little, but I already know.

ама	ama	but
Example:	Надявах се да е хубаво времето, ама заваля. Nadyavah se da e hubavo vremeto, ama zavalya. I was hoping for good weather, but it started to rain.
Note:	Conjunctions но and ама are interchangeable, but но is more often used, while ама is considered too informal and cannot be used in formal conversations.

обаче	obache	but / however
Example:	Планирах да отида на почивка тази година, обаче няма да ми стигнат парите.Planirah da otida na pochivka tazi godina, obache nyama da mi stignat parite.I planned to go on vacation this year, but I won’t have enough money.
Note:	Обаче is very similar to но and ама and practically can be replaced by them. Let’s practice it in the exercise below.

Practice with us!

Exercise 1:  To practice Bulgarian grammar, make two different sentences from this one by replacing обаче with но (for the first sentence) and ама (for the second one).

Планирах да отида на почивка тази година, обаче няма да ми стигнат парите.

1.

2.

Check your answer at the end of this review.

въпреки че	vapreki che	although
Example:	Ще отида сам, въпреки че ме е страх. Shte otida sam, vapreki che me e strah. I will go alone, although I am afraid.

макар че	makar che	although
Example:	Ще отида на празненството, макар че не съм поканен. Shte otida na praznenstvoto, makar che ne sam pokanen. I will go to the party, although I am not invited.
Note:	Conjunctions въпреки че and макар че are interchangeable and there is no difference in their meaning.

Practice with us!

Exercise 2: Let’s practice some more with these two conjunctions. Replace въпреки че with its analogue in the following sentence:

• Ще отида сам, въпреки че ме е страх.

• Ще отида сам,                       ме е страх.

Now, replace макар че with its analogue in the following sentence.

• Ще отида на празненството, макар че не съм поканен.

• Ще отида на празненството,                    не съм поканен.

вместо	vmesto	instead of
Example:	Вместо да се прибера вкъщи, реших да се поразходя. Vmesto da se pribera vkashti, reshih da se porazhodya. Instead of going home, I decided to take a walk.
Note:	In Bulgarian, вместо could be placed both in the beginning or in the middle of the sentence without changing the meaning. Let’s have one more exercise using this example.

Practice with us!

Exercise 3: Try to reorder the words in the sentence and move вместо to the middle of it.

Вместо да се прибера вкъщи, реших да се поразходя.

Your version:

Let’s try with another sentence. Please, move вместо in the middle of this sentence.

Вместо да командваш, иди свърши малко работа.
Vmesto da komandvash, idi svarshi malko rabota.
Instead of commanding, go and do some work.

Your version:

отколкото	otkolkoto	rather than / instead of
Example:	Предпочитам да изляза на разходка, отколкото да съм пред компютъра. Predpochitam da izlyaza na razhodka, otkolkoto da sam pred kompyutara. I’d rather go for a walk than be in front of the computer.
Note:	отколкото and вместо are very close in meaning and can be replaced in this example. The important thing here to remember is that, unlike вместо, отколкото can be placed only in the middle of the sentence and never in the beginning. And now it’s time to practice!

Practice with us!

Exercise 4: Replace отколкото with вместо in this sentence.

• Предпочитам да изляза на разходка, отколкото да съм пред компютъра.

• Предпочитам да изляза на разходка,                  да съм пред компютъра.

Exercise 5: The sentence below is incorrect in Bulgarian. Try to correct it so it looks good. If you find this exercise challenging, refer to the rule for отколкото given in the note.

• Отколкото болен, предпочитам да съм здрав.
  Otkolkoto bolen, predpochitam da sam zdrav.
  I’d rather be healthy than sick.

➜ You can learn some more common Bulgarian adjectives from this list.

6. Even More Conjunctions

Here are three more common Bulgarian conjunctions that cannot be placed under a certain category yet are very helpful in many situations.

Bulgarian Conjunction	Pronunciation	English Conjunction
като че ли	kato che li	it seems as if / it looks like
Example:	Като гледам времето навън като че ли ще вали. Kato gledam vremeto navan kato che li shte vali. Looking at the weather outside, it looks like it’s going to rain.
Note:	This conjunction shows uncertainty about a specific thing or event, a sort of assumption.

докато	dokato	while
Example:	Докато се разхождах, срещнах Иван. Dokato se razhozhdah, sreshtnah Ivan. While I was walking, I met Ivan.
Note:	докато can be placed in the middle of the sentence as well. So, the example will look like this: Срещнах Иван, докато се разхождах. Sreshtnah Ivan, dokato se razhozhdah. I met Ivan while I was walking.

доколкото	dokolkoto	as far as
Example:	Ще направя всичко възможно, доколкото зависи от мен. Shte napravya vsichko vazmozhno, dokolkoto zavisi ot men. I will do my best as far as I can.
Note:	This conjunction is used to express a stipulation when the certainty of the statement is reduced. It can also be placed in the beginning of the sentence: Доколкото зависи от мен, ще направя всичко възможно. Dokolkoto zavisi ot men, shte napravya vsichko vazmozhno. As far as I can, I will do my best.

7. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian?

This Bulgarian conjunctions review gives you an opportunity to learn conjunctions in Bulgarian sentences. As a  bulgarian language learning website, BulgarianPod101 has prepared it to help you connect Bulgarian words and Bulgarian phrases in sentences, so it is perfect for beginner level Bulgarian learners. 

Since there are so many other conjunctions in Bulgarian language which we couldn’t include in this detailed guide, you can study them further with a native Bulgarian teacher from the MyTeacher section. This language expert will not only help you learn the rest of the Bulgarian conjunctions, but will also help you advance quickly and start speaking Bulgarian with more confidence.

We would be happy to hear your feedback about this review and whether you found the exercises challenging or not. 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.

8. Answers to Practical Exercises

Answers to exercises with conjunctions to correlate similar thoughts

1. Сутрин ставам, обличам се, сресвам се и си мия зъбите, след което закусвам, преди да отида на работа.
   (Sutrin stavam, oblicham se, sresvam se i si miya zabite, sled koeto zakusvam, predi da otida na rabota.)
   I get up in the morning, get dressed, comb my hair, brush my teeth, and then I have breakfast before I go to work.

2. Ставам много рано и веднага тръгвам по задачи.
   (Stavam mnogo rano i vednaga tragvam po zadachi.)
   I get up very early and I immediately go on assignments.

3. Моят баща обича да чете книги, също така и аз много обичам да чета книги.
   (Moyat bashta obicha da chete knigi, sashto taka i az mnogo obicham da cheta knigi.)
   My father loves reading books, and so I love reading books.

4. Днес срещнах Иван и Мария.
   (Dnes sreshtnah Ivan i Mariya.)
   Today, I met Ivan and Maria.

5. Ще купя от магазина хляб, картофи и яйца, както и брашно за кекса.
   (Shte kupya ot magazina hlyab, kartofi i yaytsa, kakto i brashno za keksa.)
   I will buy from the store bread, potatoes, and eggs, as well as flour for the cake.

Answers to exercises with conjunctions to express condition

При условие че много пъти досега си лъгал, няма кой да ти повярва.
Pri uslovie che mnogo pati dosega si lagal, nyama koy da ti povyarva.
Provided that you have lied many times so far, no one will believe you.

Никой няма да ти вярва, ако лъжеш.
Nikoy nyama da ti vyarva, ako lazhesh.
No one will believe you if you are lying.

Не можеш да вдигнеш сам този багаж при условие че вчера те болеше кракът.
Ne mozhesh da vdignesh sam tozi bagazh pri uslovie che vchera te boleshe krakat.
You can’t pick up this luggage alone provided that your leg was hurting yesterday.

Answers to exercises with conjunctions to express condition

Exercise 1: Защото не вали, ще отида да работя в градината. This sentence can become correct if you change the word order moving защото in the middle of the sentence. 

Ще отида да работя в градината, защото не вали.
Shte otida da rabotya v gradinata, zashtoto ne vali.
I’m going to work in the garden because it’s not raining.

 ********    ********

Exercise 2:

• (Понеже / Тъй като) искам да кандидатствам в университет, уча много.
  (Ponezhe / Tay kato) iskam da kandidatstvam v universitet, ucha mnogo.
  Since I want to apply to university, I study a lot.

• Не обичам лимоните, (защото / понеже / тъй като) са кисели.
  Ne obicham limonite, (zashtoto / ponezhe / tay kato) sa kiseli.
  I don’t like lemons because they are sour.

• Трябват ми яйца, за да направя баница.
  Tryabvat mi yaytsa za da napravya banitsa.
  I need eggs to make banitsa.

Answers to exercises with conjunctions to express opposition

Exercise 1: Планирах да отида на почивка тази година, обаче няма да ми стигнат парите.

1. Планирах да отида на почивка тази година, но няма да ми стигнат парите.
   Planirah da otida na pochivka tazi godina, no nyama da mi stignat parite.
   I planned to go on vacation this year, but I won’t have enough money.

2. Планирах да отида на почивка тази година, ама няма да ми стигнат парите.
   Planirah da otida na pochivka tazi godina, ama nyama da mi stignat parite.
   I planned to go on vacation this year, but I won’t have enough money.

********    ********

Exercise 2: Ще отида сам, въпреки че ме е страх.

• Ще отида сам, макар че ме е страх.
  Shte otida sam, makar che me e strah.
  I will go alone, although I am afraid.

Ще отида на празненството, макар че не съм поканен.

• Ще отида на празненството, въпреки че не съм поканен.
  Shte otida na praznenstvoto, vapreki che ne sam pokanen.
  I will go to the party, although I am not invited.

********    ********

Exercise 3: Вместо да се прибера вкъщи, реших да се поразходя.

Реших да се поразходя, вместо да се прибера вкъщи.
Reshih da se porazhodya vmesto da se pribera vkashti.
I decided to take a walk instead of going home.

Вместо да командваш, иди свърши малко работа.

Иди свърши малко работа, вместо да командваш.
Idi svarshi malko rabota vmesto da komandvash.
Go and do some work instead of commanding.

 ********    ********

Exercise 4: 

• Предпочитам да изляза на разходка, отколкото да съм пред компютъра.

• Предпочитам да изляза на разходка, вместо да съм пред компютъра.
  Predpochitam da izlyaza na razhodka, vmesto da sam pred kompyutara.
  I’d rather go for a walk than be in front of the computer.

Exercise 5:

• Предпочитам да съм здрав, отколкото болен.
  Predpochitam da sam zdrav, otkolkoto bolen.
  I’d rather be healthy than sick.

Did you know there are many different types of calendars?

As you probably know – a calendar is a system of organizing days in weeks and months for specific purposes, according to Wikipedia.

Worldwide, most countries use the Gregorian calendar. Some just work on the same framework, meaning that time is divided into units based on the earth’s movement around the sun – the “solar calendar”. Other calendars keep time by observing the moon’s movements, a combination of the moon and the sun’s movements, and seasons.

Through BulgarianPod101, you can learn all about this and so much more! Our themed, culturally relevant lessons are skillfully designed so you can do your planning perfectly for a holiday or a date.

Having a good plan for a visit or a trip is like studying well for an exam. You’re just so much better prepared! For that, you could well need specific phrases to plan around appointments and such, especially on business trips. Make sure to use the charts we provide here with the days of the week in Bulgarian, as well as the months in Bulgarian to navigate your way as you plan. Great resources!

Also – always remember to have fun!

Table of Contents

1. Why Will It Help To Know How To Talk About Dates in Bulgarian?
2. Talking About your Plans
3. Can BulgarianPod101 Help You In Other Ways Too?

1. Why Will It Help To Know How To Talk About Dates in Bulgarian?

Well, that’s not a difficult question to answer. No matter why you’re travelling, it would be best to at least know the names of days and months in Bulgarian. You don’t want to miss your flight or an appointment because you confused “петък” (“petak,” Friday) with “събота” (“sabota,” Saturday)! Or maybe you planned a holiday for “юли” (“yuli,” July), but you booked a flight for “юни” (“yuni,” June) by accident!

Avoid this confusion by learning the Bulgarian calendar before you leave.

Now, as promised, the 15 phrases to help you make and discuss plans.

2. Talking About your Plans

Perhaps you’re working in Bulgaria, or maybe you’re enjoying a prolonged holiday. Fabulous! Memorize these phrases so you can be sure to successfully negotiate meetings, appointments, dates, events, the list goes on!

1. Какво ще правиш този уикенд?

Kakvo shtye pravish tozi uikyend?
“What are you doing this weekend?”

This question is usually a preamble to inviting someone somewhere. Given that it’s over the weekend, it probably means a casual get-together or another social event. (But not necessarily! A manager or boss could also ask this for entirely different reasons.)

It’s a handy phrase to know when you’ve made Bulgarian or expat friends in the country. Or, be the one doing the inviting. Then train your ear to learn the following phrases so you can understand the response.

2. Пътувам този уикенд.

Patuvam tozi uikend.
“I am traveling this weekend.”

This could be a reply if you’re not available because you’re doing other fun stuff.

No matter why you are visiting Bulgaria, do take the time to explore the country! It’s beautiful and it has so many wonderful, interesting spots ready to be visited.

3. Планирам да си остана у дома.

Planiram da si ostana u doma.
“I am planning to stay at home.”

Maybe you feel unwell, but don’t want to give too much information? Or maybe you have work to do? Perhaps you just need some quiet gardening time…it doesn’t matter. This response is polite and honest without oversharing.

It could also be a slightly open-ended response, depending on how you deliver it. Because hey, being home could still mean your plans are flexible, right?

That said – depending on your relationship with the inviter, nuances like these will probably not be so apparent in a foreign culture. So, best to use this excuse for declining an invitation only if you are truly set on staying in.

4. Тази седмица съм зает.

Tazi sedmitsa sam zaet.
“This week I am busy.”

Another polite phrase that gives a reason for declining an invitation but without oversharing details.

Don’t decline too many invitations, though! You don’t want people to think that you’re too busy to hang out with them. They will stop inviting you out, and you know how the saying goes – all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…! Being social is good for the soul.

5. Утре съм свободен.

Utre sam svoboden.
“I am free tomorrow.”

Yay! Perhaps you were approached by that person and they asked about your availability for a date. This would be a fine reply. Not too eager, but still indicating that you’re interested.

Or maybe you’re just replying to a colleague or manager’s request for a meeting. Polite, honest and clear.

Alternatively, you’re just busy right now, and plans are not going the way they were…well, planned. Compromise is a lovely thing! And this phrase sounds just like that.

Use it to indicate that you want to accommodate an invitation or the inviter’s plans, despite your current unavailability. Only if you are really free, of course.

6. Можем ли да отменим това?

Mozhem li da otmenim tova?
“Can we reschedule this?”

So, life happened and you are unable to meet obligations or attend a planned meeting. This is a suitable question to ask if you wish to indicate your willingness to still engage with whatever is on the table.

Obviously you should (ideally) not ask to reschedule a party or big meeting! (Unless you’re the boss or it’s your own party, of course.) But if there’s reasonable wiggle room regarding arrangements, then this one’s your question.

7. Ще имам достатъчно време в края на месеца.

Shte imam dostatachno vreme v kraya na mesetsa.
“I will have enough time at the end of the month.”

A go-to phrase when events or activities are likely to take up a lot of your time, such as going away for a weekend, spending the day at a local market, or writing your manager’s quarterly report (with 20 flow-charts in Powerpoint) – anything that won’t only take an hour or two.

8. Кога е най-подходящото време, което те утройва?

Koga e nay-podhodyashtoto vreme, koeto te utroyva?
“When is the best time that suits you?”

Remember phrase #5? That was a possible reply to this question. Asked by your crush, very possibly! Or, it could be asked by any other person for any other reason, doesn’t matter.

If this is addressed to you, it usually means that the person respects your time and schedule, which is a good thing. It probably also means that their own schedule is flexible, another good thing.

This is also a polite question to ask when a manager or senior colleague wants to meet with you. Let them decide on the time, and be as accommodating as possible. This attitude shows respect for seniority – good for career building. (Within reason, of course. You don’t need to postpone your wedding or your paid-up holiday to Australia because your manager wants to see you.)

9. Удобна ли е тази дата с теб?

Udobna li e tazi data s teb?
“Is this date OK with you?”

But – if the other party insists that you choose a time for a meeting, appointment, or date etc., then do so! Respond with this nice, somewhat casual question that leaves space for negotiation, but only needs a simple reply.

Suitable for friends, and casual acquaintances and colleagues.

10. Свободен ли сте в този ден?

Svoboden li ste v tozi den?
“Are you available on that day?”

This is the a-bit-more-formal version of the previous question. Again, it has room for negotiation, but only needs a simple response – nice and neat!

Maybe this is the go-to question when you’re addressing your seniors at work, or a person much older than you.

11. Може ли да го направим възможно най-скоро?

Mozhe li da go napravim vazmozhno nay-skoro?
“Can we do it as soon as possible?”

This question has an urgency to it that should preferably be responded to with the same. A simple reply will be good – yes or no. Less negotiable, this is still polite because it’s a question that gives you a choice.

But stand ready with one of the phrases in this article to help tie down a time and date!

12. Аз съм на разположение всяка вечер.

Az sam na razpolozhenie vsyaka vecher.
“I’m available every evening”

If you’re going to reply with this phrase, context is everything.

– If it’s your manager asking you to put in a bit of overtime, and you are available to – great reply! When deadlines are tight and everybody is stressing, your willingness to go the extra mile can only improve your relationship with your boss.

(Still, no need to be a doormat! If you get asked to work overtime too often, or if everyone else is goofing around while you have to graft, then re-evaluate the situation. And if you feel you’re being exploited a bit, don’t stress! Equip yourself with the diplomatic, yet assertive responses right in this article.)

– If it’s an old friend or longtime significant other asking to hang out – good reply. You know one another and appearances don’t matter any longer.

– If it’s a new crush who just asked when you’d be available for a date – stop. Not such a great reply. Tone down a bit! “Interested but not overly eager” is what you’re going for here.

Refer back to response #5, or use a counter-question, such as #1. Whatever suits you.

But if they – or anyone else – invite you to scale the Himalayas with them, then the next phrase will probably be the only sane response!

13. Трябва да планирам това предварително.

Tryabva da planiram tova predvaritelno.
“I need to plan this well in advance.”

So, as said under #9, perhaps you’re invited to join someone conquer the Himalayas.

Or your company manager wants you to plan the Party that Tops All Year-End Parties Forever.

Simply – if you get asked to do something that you know will need a lot of thorough planning, this is a good phrase to respond with.

It’s an assertive phrase that demonstrates two things regarding your attitude:

a) That you know your own abilities, and respect your own schedule.
b) That your respect other people’s time and schedule too.

Then just be sure to actually do that planning well in advance!

14. Трябва да намерим друга дата

Tryabva da namerim druga data
“We need to find another date.”

So, you’re in negotiations regarding a date.

This is an assertive statement that should probably not be used with a “My way or the highway” attitude.

That stuff only works in the movies – think sharp-tongued Samuel L. Jackson. Or fierce Kristen Stewart. Yea, they can be scary, so tone down that tone.

Also, be mindful that fickle people who change plans all the time don’t keep friends! Taking others’ needs into consideration, while simultaneously having your way is a delicate art that takes proper cultivation. Use this phrase sparingly – we have better ones here to negotiate with.

Of course, if your planned trip to the dentist falls on the same day as the only Billie Eilish concert close by…well, priorities are priorities. Feel free to call the dentist with this phrase. Or even better, use the next one.

15. Не мога да го направя на този ден.

Ne moga da go napravya na tozi den.
“I cannot do it on that day.”

This is the low-key-but-still-firm cousin of the previous phrase. You’re stating a personal fact, and depending on your tone, this can be as non-negotiable as you prefer.

Again, only use this when you really mean it, if you’re visiting Bulgaria or any other foreign country.

So, that’s it, folks! Which phrase did you find the most helpful? Let us know in the comments!

3. Can BulgarianPod101 Help You In Other Ways Too?

Well yes, of course!

We think you will find these phrases easy to use when talking about dates and months in Bulgarian. But knowing how to employ them properly could help you avoid sticky situations!

BulgarianPod101 is uniquely geared to help you with this and so much more.

This InnovativeLanguage.com initiative is one of many online language-learning courses. With us, you’ll find it easy and fun to learn a new language, and here are a few reasons why:

• Immediately upon enrollment, you’ll receive hundreds of well-designed lessons to get you going.
• Watch superb recordings of native Bulgarian speakers in cool slide-shows – the easy way to practice till you sound just like a native speaker yourself!
• Also immediately upon enrollment, you’ll get access to a huge library of free resources! These include extensive, theme-based Vocabulary Lists and a Word of the Day List (For free, hot bargains!) These alone are sure to give your vocab-learning boxing gloves.
• You’ll also immediately be able to use an excellent and free Bulgarian online dictionary. Necessary for quick, handy translations, no matter where you find yourself.
• For the serious learner, there are numerous enrollment upgrades available, one of which offers you a personal, online Bulgarian host. Allow us to hold your hand and support you in your learning!

If you’re serious about mastering Bulgarian easily yet correctly, BulgarianPod101 is definitely one of, if not the best, online language learning platforms available. Talking about your plans or dates in Bulgarian need not ever spoil your stay.

So, hurry up—enroll today!

Did you know that only some reptiles and birds don’t parent their offspring? Except for crocodiles, all reptiles (and one family of bird species called megapodes) hatch from eggs and grow up alone, without any family.

The rest of us need family if we are to survive and thrive – humans and animals alike!

At BulgarianPod101, we know how important family is. Therefore, we take care to teach you all the important vocabulary and phrases pertaining to family.

Table of Contents

1. Why Is It Important to Know Bulgarian Vocabulary about Family?
2. Learn a New Culture? Learn its Family Vocab first
3. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian Family Terms

1. Why Is It Important to Know Bulgarian Vocabulary about Family?

Well, if you’re serious about studying any new language, then learning about the most important social unit in Bulgarian culture would be a crucial part of your education.

What is family, though? Strictly speaking, it’s a group of people who live together and are supposed to take care of one another. Some of them are genetically linked.

Family isn’t just about who we’re related to by blood, of course. It’s also one of the main influences in shaping every child’s life.

Family is Important for Children’s Healthy Development

Family is the single most important influence in a child’s life. Children depend on parents and family to protect them and provide for their needs from the day they were born.

Primary caregivers, which usually comprise parents and family, form a child’s first relationships. They are a child’s first teachers and are role models that show kids how to act and experience the world around them.

By nurturing and teaching children during their early years, families play an important role in making sure children are ready to learn when they enter school.

Families Can Take All Shapes and Sizes

However, the way families are put together is by no means standard.

Single-parent and same-gender households have become a new norm the past few decades, and there’s no shame in this. When there is love, connection and proper care, a child can thrive anywhere.

Everyone also knows that sometimes friends can become like family and remain with us for life, because it’s all about human connection.

After all, we share many commonalities simply because we’re human, and we are programmed to connect with one another and belong to a group. This is very important for our well-being and survival.

It’s All About Feeling Connected

As John Northman, a psychologist from Buffalo, NY, told WebMD – feeling connected to others contributes to mental as well as physical health.

He pointed out that when people feel connected, they feel better physically, and they’re also less likely to feel depressed.

Or, if they do feel depressed, they’d be in a better position to get out of it when they feel they are connecting with others. This is because they would be psychologically supported too, Northman said.

There has even been some links drawn between addiction and feeling disconnected from others. According to an article in Psychology Today, research indicates that addiction is not solely a substance disorder, but also affected by people feeling insecurely attached to others.

It showed that securely attached individuals tend to feel comfortable in and enjoy life, while insecurely attached people typically struggle to fit in and connect.

2. Learn a New Culture? Learn its Family Vocab first

So, it’s clear that for most of us, family is our entry point into connection and belonging. This is true of every culture, so in every country, family takes prominence.

For this reason, BulgarianPod101 offers culturally-relevant lessons that will equip you well to understand families in Bulgaria.

Here are some of the most important Bulgarian vocabulary and quotes about family and parenting!

A) Bulgarian Family Vocabulary

Let’s start with the basic vocabulary. Without this collection of words, you’ll have a hard time describing any member of your family at all.

Family Terms
Family семейство (semeystvo)	Great grandfather прадядо (pradyado)
Mother майка (mayka)	Grandmother баба (baba)
Father баща (bashta)	Grandfather дядо (dyado)
Wife съпруга (sapruga)	Grandchild внук (vnuk)
Husband съпруг (saprug)	Granddaughter внучка (vnuchka)
Parent родител (roditel)	Grandson внук (vnuk)
Child дете (dete)	Aunt леля (lelya)
Daughter дъщеря (dyshterya)	Uncle чичо (chicho)
Sister сестра (sestra)	Niece племенница (plemennica)
Brother брат (brat)	Nephew племенник (plemennik)
Younger sister по-малка сестра (po-malka sestra)	Younger brother по-малък брат (po-malyk brat)
Older brother батко (batko)	Great grandmother прабаба (prababa)
Cousin братовчед (bratovched)	Mother-in-law свекърва, тъща (svekarva, tashta)
Father-in-law свекър, тъст (svekar, tast)	Sister-in-law зълва, балдъза (zalva, baldaza)
Brother-in-law зет, девер (zet, dever)	Partner партньор (partnyor)

B) Quotes About Family

One of the ways to improve your Bulgarian language skills is by memorizing quotes from books, or poems.

Either source some from Bulgarian literature, or make use of ours!

Човек не избира семейството си. То е негов Божи дар, както и той е дар за близките си.

Chovek ne izbira semeystvoto si. To e negov Bozhi dar, kakto i toy e dar za blizkite si.
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” – Desmond Tutu

Семейството не е нещо важно. То е всичко.

Semeystvoto ne e neshto vazhno. To e vsichko.
“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” – Michael J. Fox

Семейство значи, никой да не бъде изоставен или забравен.

Semeystvo znachi, nikoy da ne bade izostaven ili zabraven.
“Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” – David Ogden Stiers

Моето семейство е моята сила и моята слабост.

Moeto semeystvo e moyata sila i moyata slabost.
“My family is my strength and my weakness.” – Aishwarya Rai

Семейството е един от шедьоврите на природата.

Semeystvoto e edin ot shedyovrite na prirodata.
“The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” – George Santayana

Когато настъпи беда, семейството е, което ви подкрепя.

Kogato nastapi beda, semeystvoto e, koeto vi podkrepya.
“When trouble comes, it’s your family that supports you.” – Guy Lafleur

Семейството е първата и жизнено важна клетка на обществото

Semeystvoto e parvata i zhizneno vazhna kletka na obshtestvoto
“The family is the first essential cell of human society.” – Pope John XXIII

Не съществува такова нещо като забавление за цялото семейство.

Ne sashtestvuva takova neshto kato zabavlenie za tsyaloto semeystvo.
“There is no such thing as fun for the whole family.” – Jerry Seinfeld

Трябва да защитаваш честта си. И семейството си.

Tryabva da zashtitavash chestta si. I semeystvoto si.
“You have to defend your honor. And your family.” – Suzanne Vega

Всички щастливи семейства си приличат; всяко нещастно семейство е нещастно по свой начин.

Vsichki shtastlivi semeystva si prilichat; vsyako neshtastno semeystvo e neshtastno po svoy nachin.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Leo Tolstoy

C) Test Your Knowledge!

Do you feel you have learned a lot in this blog? Let’s quickly test that!

In the table below, match the Bulgarian vocabulary on the left with the definition of the relative in the right column.

MY RELATIVES
Relative Name	Definition
1. семейство	a. My male child
2. майка	b. My older male sibling
3. баща	c. My female sibling
4. съпруга	d. My child’s child
5. съпруг	e. My child’s female child
6. родител	f. My female parent
7. дете	g. My grandparent’s mother
8. дъщеря	h. Mother to one of my parents
9. син	i. Relatives
10. сестра	j. My female child
11. брат	k. My younger male sibling
12. по-малка сестра	l. Male spouse
13. по-малък брат	m. The father of one of my parents
14. батко	n. My child’s male child
15. прабаба	o. My children’s father or mother
16. прадядо	p. The sister of one of my parents
17. баба	q. The brother of one of my parents
18. дядо	r. My male parent
19. внук	s. My sibling’s female child
20. внучка	t. My sibling’s male child
21. внук	u. My male sibling
22. леля	v. My parents’ sibling’s child
23. чичо	w. Female spouse
24. племенница	x. The grandfather of one of my parents
25. племенник	y. The person I am a parent to
26. братовчед	z. My younger female sibling

How did it go? Don’t worry if you had trouble with it – you’ll get there! With a bit of practice, and our help at BulgarianPod101, you’ll soon have these family terms under the belt.

3. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn Bulgarian Family Terms

We hope that we helped you expand your family in Bulgarian vocabulary!

BulgarianPod101, with its innovative online learning system, stands out among online learning platforms to help you master Bulgarian easily.

Our lessons are tailored not only to increase your language skills, but to also inform you of Bulgarian culture, including the Bulgarian family structure.

When you sign up, you will get instant access to tools like:

1 – An extensive vocabulary list, regularly updated
2 – A new Bulgarian word to learn every day
3 – Quick access to the Bulgarian Key Phrase List
4 – A free Bulgarian online dictionary
5 – The excellent 100 Core Bulgarian Word List
6 – An almost limitless Lesson Library for learners of all levels

Further speed up your learning with the help of a personal tutor, who will first assess your current Bulgarian language abilities to personalize your training and tailor it to your needs.

Hard work always pays off, and to help you in this, BulgarianPod101 will be there every step of the way toward your Bulgarian mastery!

Traveling to foreign countries is nearly always an exciting, enriching, and beneficial experience. Yet, some things can be real downers, such as boredom on a lengthy flight to Bulgaria. Really, binge-watching onboard movies can only be interesting for so long! And jet lag – another huge downer. Did you know that jet lag is more severe when you travel from the West to the East?

Well, we won’t know how to beat that, but there are fortunately plenty of remedies around to investigate.

To beat flight boredom, though, we may have the answer for you at BulgarianPod101! Why don’t you take the time to study Bulgarian travel phrases? We make this super easy and fun, with great downloadables, like our PDF Cheat Sheets. Quickly memorize these, and impress your Bulgarian friends or travel guide with your flawless Bulgarian!

Table of Contents

1. Importance Of Learning Travel Phrases
2. 13 Must-Have Travel Phrases and Words
3. Good-To-Have Travel Phrases
4. Ways To Improve Communication in a Foreign Country
5. BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Master Travel Phrases Easily and Effortlessly!

1. Importance Of Learning Travel Phrases

Impressing Bulgarian people or your travel partners will be the least of the benefits you reap from learning these helpful phrases. These are greater ones:

1) Eliminate Travel Frustration: First of all, you’ll be able to cut out a good chunk of travel frustration and inconvenience due to language barriers.

Know how to pronounce and use at least the basic Bulgarian phrases, and then just look foreign. This should go a long way to help you get by and win you friends, because locals would be more inclined to help someone who took the trouble to learn a smidgen of their language.

2) Emergency Readiness: In case of an emergency, you will be able to get help a lot quicker if you know how to ask for what in Bulgarian. Imagine miming to a doctor or nurse that you have a sore ear but that you’re allergic to penicillin. Not so easy, right?

Rather, you should know basic emergency travel phrases, especially if you suffer from a serious condition. Also, information about life-threatening allergies you have should always be on your person in the language of the country you’re visiting.

3) Sight-Seeing Readiness: Hopefully, you also travel to learn more about a country’s culture. Visiting the main tourist sites in Bulgaria will be more interesting if you know how to ask pertinent questions in Bulgarian.

In this blog, we’ll also be giving you important travel phrases to consider – from the 13 essential must-have phrases to ones that are just generally useful and good to know.

Let’s get cracking!

2. 13 Must-Have Travel Phrases and Words

Seasoned explorers of multiple countries will tell you that certain words and phrases are absolute must-knows in anyone’s travel vocabulary. Learning from them, we collated some of the most essential ones here for you.

If you know these travel phrases and words by heart in Bulgarian, you will be much better equipped for your visit than most of your movie-binging travel mates.

1) Благодаря / Blagodarya (Thank you)

As a tourist, you will be relying on the kindness of strangers to get by. Repay them with a small acknowledgment of their friendly generosity – know how to say “thank you” in Bulgarian.

2) Говорите ли английски? / Govorite li angliyski? (Do you speak English?)

While it may be a bit of a cop-out, sometimes you just can’t figure out how to communicate. Maybe you’re blanking on one specific word you need, maybe they’re speaking with a heavy accent, or maybe it’s just really late and you really want to get to the hotel. In that case, try asking if they speak English, and hopefully you can make things a little bit simpler for yourself.

Don’t abuse this phrase, though! If you just try to get by without learning any of the local language, not only will you not learn anything – you’ll be out of luck if they can’t speak English!

3) Има ли автобус от летището до града? / Ima li avtobus ot letishteto do grada? (Is there a bus from the airport to the city?)

Public transit is usually cheaper, if slower, than taking a taxi or rideshare. Use this phrase to see if you can get where you’re going when you’re strapped for cash, or just when you’d like to take the scenic route into town!

4) Това дали е правилният автобус за летището? / Tova dali e pravilniyat avtobus za letishteto? (Is this the right bus for the airport?)

Likewise, if you’re the kind of person who can get themselves moving early (or maybe you just have a late flight), maybe you want to take the bus to the airport rather than taking a cab. If that’s the case, you’ll want to be sure you’re actually heading the right way! You wouldn’t want to end up at a lookout point half an hour away, watching your flight take off in the distance, would you?

5) Извинете, каква е цената на билета? / Izvinete, kakva e tsenata na bileta? (Excuse me, what’s the fare?)

If you are paying for a cab, you’ll want to know how much. Most legal taxis will have meters, but when dealing with a currency you’re not familiar with, it can be worth asking just to double check that you’re paying the right amount – especially if the currency has cents.

6) Имам резервация / Imam rezervatsiya (I have a reservation)

This one you can expect to use at least a few times throughout your trip, unless you’re the kind of person who travels by the seat of their pants and just goes to whatever hotel, motel, or hostel has rooms available.

7) Имате ли свободни места за тази вечер? / Imate li svobodni mesta za tazi vecher? (Do you have any vacancies tonight?)

If that’s the case, you’ll definitely be using this phrase instead. Quite possibly a lot, depending on how lucky you are!

8 ) Къде се намира гарата? / Kade se namira garata? (Where is the train station?)

If you’re in a country with an expansive commuter rail system (or maybe just a fan of other types of locomotives), you may want to know where the closest station is. Just don’t go looking for pennies on the rails!

9) Аз съм алергичен към фъстъци / Az sam alergichen kam fastatsi (I am allergic to peanuts)

Replace “peanuts” with whatever the word for your allergen may be. If your allergy is serious, you probably already know the importance of stating this very clearly in Bulgarian.

If the condition is life-threatening, be sure to have a letter or prescription from a medical professional in Bulgarian on your person at all times. Consider getting a medical alert bracelet specially made in Bulgarian if your stay will be longer than a month or so.

10) Предлагате ли някакви вегетариански ястия? / Predlagate li nyakakvi vegetarianski yastiya? (Do you have any vegetarian dishes?)

If you dislike eating certain things, or you have certain dietary restrictions, it would be best if you knew how to convey this clearly in Bulgarian.

Remember, though, that saying “I’m vegan” or “I’m diabetic” may not be enough to get you what you want. The rules for veganism and vegetarianism are not standard everywhere in the world. Also, your patron might not understand what “diabetic” means. If you have a medical condition, it would be best to research some in-depth vocabulary beforehand.

11) Може ли да получа карта? / Mozhe li da polucha karta? (Could I get a map?)

Planning on exploring your destination? Hopelessly lost? Maybe just an amateur cartographer? No matter the reason, this phrase is sure to come in handy. That said, you’re more likely to get use out of it at some sort of tourist or travel center than you are asking a random passerby on the street.

12) Колко струва това? / Kolko struva tova? (How much is this?)

Even if you’re not a big shopper, you’re probably going to need this phrase at some point. Knowing how to count in Bulgarian will, of course, help a lot with purchases too.

13) Приемате ли кредитни карти? / Priemate li kreditni karti? (Do you take credit card?)

This is another travel phrase that will smooth your monetary transactions considerably.

3. Good-To-Have Travel Phrases

Unlike the previous phrases, these are not really essential so much as they are useful. Yet, knowing these will still smooth over some bumps on your journey, more than just knowing the crucial phrases would.

1) Безплатен ли е Wi-Fi интернета? / Bezplaten li e Wi-Fi interneta? (Is the Wi-Fi free?)

If you’re abroad, your normal cellular plans probably won’t have any service, and you’ll be totally reliant on publically available Wi-Fi while you’re out and about. Just ask a server, clerk, or attendant, and they’ll be happy to let you know. Just make sure you’re paying attention when they tell you the password!

2) Извинете, бихте ли ми направили снимка? / Izvinete, bihte li mi napravili snimka? (Could you take a picture of me please?)

What would a trip be with no photos to commemorate the event? Just be sure to ask this of someone who actually looks like they’d be willing to, unless you’re willing to risk being given the cold shoulder or worse. If you’re at a tourist attraction, you’ll find that most people are more than happy to take one for you, so long as you take one of them as well!

3) Бихте ли ми препоръчали нещо? / Bihte li mi preporachali neshto? (Do you have any recommendations?)

Eating alone in a restaurant? Or going out with new Bulgarian friends or business colleagues? Let them help you decide what to have.

4) Бих искал място за непушачи, моля / Bih iskal myasto za nepushachi, molya (I’d like to have a non-smoking seat, please)

Though smoking has gone out of fashion in some places, it’s still popular in others. In the event you’re at a restaurant where smoking is allowed on premises, you can always ask this question to the staff and be seated elsewhere.

5) Вода, моля / Voda, molya (Water, please)

If you’ve emptied your glass, or are cutting yourself off after a few drinks, you can always ask for some water. It can be especially useful if the restaurant is busy to the point you need to call out to someone to get service.

6) Може ли сметката? / Mozhe li smetkata? (Could I have the check?)

To finish off the restaurant related phrases, if you’re eating with friends or really want to impress your colleagues, taking the bill can be a nice treat for them. Of course, this phrase could come in handy as well if you’re eating alone and you’re just impatient to leave.

7) Какво ще препоръчате като сувенир? / Kakvo shte preporachate kato suvenir? (What do you recommend for a souvenir?)

Now that your trip is over, what better way to cap it all off than a memento, or maybe a gift for friends and family at home? It’ll be nicer to have something recommended by the locals than a cheap bauble from the airport store, so go ahead and ask someone you’ve met what they think.

4. Ways To Improve Communication in a Foreign Country

When traveling, it’s possible to keep communication smooth when you don’t share a language.

Do so by keeping these five tips in mind. They are aimed to help you communicate with those who cannot speak English very well, and also to keep your traveling experience pleasant!

1. Keep your English simple and easy to understand.
If the person you are talking to speaks very little English, use basic verbs, adjectives, and nouns, and keep sentences short.

However, don’t patronize them by talking in pidgin or like you would address a child. Keep your speech simple but natural, and use the correct grammar.

For instance, don’t say: “You come when?”. If you say: “When will you come?”, you will very likely be understood, and may even help someone who wants to improve their English.

2. Ask someone to write information down.
Apply Rule 1 first at your hotel, where the staff is very likely to be able to speak some English. Get them to write down, in their native language, things like: “I would like to go to the airport, please,” “Please take me to the beach,” or “Where is the closest bathroom?”

These written questions are something you can then give to taxi drivers or any other people who are willing and able to help you. This simple step could make your life a lot easier when you travel to a foreign country!

3. Avoid asking leading questions!
If you want the correct information from a non-native English speaker, that is.

When you need directions, for instance, don’t ask: “To get to the bus stop, do I need to turn left here?” If the person didn’t really understand you, you will probably just get a smile and a “Yes,” which could possibly make you miss your bus.

Rather, you should ask: “Where is the bus stop?” If they understand you, you will get the correct directions.

4. Pick the right person to ask for help.
Time to look at people and think a bit about their appearance! A younger person who looks like they might be a student is more likely to have English skills than the friendly but ancient lady smiling at you from a fruit stall.

If you don’t see anyone like that, head into town to the nearest bank, hospital, pharmacy, or hotel. The staff at those places usually speak a bit of English.

5. Know when to quit.
If you stuck to the above rules, but the person you are talking to only stares at you blankly, say thank you and leave. Hanging around hoping someone will suddenly understand and respond is just wasting your time, and may irritate them as well. Go find someone else.

5. BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Master Travel Phrases Easily and Effortlessly!

So, reader, have you found this article helpful?

Do you feel comfortable enough to use some essential travel phrases in Bulgarian? We’d also love to hear if you think we left out important travel phrases. Leave your suggestions and opinions in the comments!

BulgarianPod101 takes the lead with many free learning tools to help you master Bulgarian reading and speaking easily, and in fun ways.

These tools include:

– An extensive vocabulary list, regularly updated
– A new Bulgarian word to learn every day
– Quick access to the Bulgarian Key Phrase List
– A free Bulgarian online dictionary
– The excellent 100 Core Bulgarian Word List
– An almost limitless Lesson Library for learners of all levels

You will also have access to topic-specific recordings like our Before You Travel: Survival Phrases lesson.

Learn even more efficiently with the help of a personal tutor, after taking an assessment test to personalize and tailor your training.

Getting a tutor is also a good option if you meet challenges in your learning, or need to fast-track correct pronunciation and diction. Your very own friendly, Bulgarian-speaking teacher will be only a text away on a special app, anywhere, anytime – an excellent option for business persons!

Using a guided learning system that was developed by experts in language and online education, you’ll receive personal feedback and constant support to improve in no time. You’ll also be tasked with weekly assignments in reading, writing, and speaking to hone your Bulgarian speaking skills.

Imagine how impressed your Bulgarian friends or colleagues will be when you display your excellent conversational skills! With BulgarianPod101, getting there will be easy and fun.

You’re learning to speak Bulgarian, and it’s going well. Your confidence is growing! So much so that you feel ready to share your experiences on social media—in Bulgarian.

At Learn Bulgarian, we make this easy for you to get it right the first time. Post like a boss with these phrases and guidelines, and get to practice your Bulgarian in the process.

1. Talking about Your Restaurant Visit in Bulgarian

Eating out is fun, and often an experience you’d like to share. Take a pic, and start a conversation on social media in Bulgarian. Your friend will be amazed by your language skills…and perhaps your taste in restaurants!

Kamen eats at a restaurant with his friends, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Хайде да пробваме новия удон ресторант. (Hayde da probvame noviya udon restorant.)
“Let’s try out the new udon restaurant.”

1- хайде да пробваме (hayde da probvame)

First is an expression meaning – “let’s try out”.
This is a common phrase you can use to issue a general invitation for people to try out a new place, such as a club, a restaurant, or a cafe.

2- новия удон ресторант (noviya udon restorant)

Then comes the phrase – “the new udon restaurant.”
Going out with friends, especially on a week day, often involves dining out. When you are meeting the same group of friends regularly, you might want to look for different places to meet at. An invitation to try out a new place is also an easy conversation starter.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Какъв е адресът? (Kakav e adresat?)

His girlfriend, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “What is the address?”
Use this expression to show your interest in the poster’s suggestion.

2- Дано ви хареса, аз няма да успея. (Dano vi haresa, az nyama da uspeya.)

His neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “I hope you like it, I won’t be able to make it.”
Use this expression if you cannot join the party, and want to offer an explanation, plus wish the partygoers well.

3- Сайтът им е добър. (Saytat im e dobar.)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Their website is good.”
Use this expression to show you are interested in the topic, and has done some research.

4- Всичко изглежда толкова вкусно. (Vsichko izglezhda tolkova vkusno.)

His high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “Everything looks so delicious.”
Use this expression to show your appreciation of the food.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

пробвам (probvam): “try out”

ресторант (restorant): “restaurant”

адрес (adres): “address”

успявам (uspyavam): “succeed”

сайт (sayt): “website”

толкова (tolkova): “so”

вкусен (vkusen): “delicious”

So, let’s practice a bit. If a friend posted something about having dinner with friends, which phrase would you use?

Now go visit a Bulgarian restaurant, and wow the staff with your language skills!

2. Post about Your Mall Visit in Bulgarian

Another super topic for social media is shopping—everybody does it, most everybody loves it, and your friends on social media are probably curious about your shopping sprees! Share these Bulgarian phrases in posts when you visit a shopping mall.

Yana shop with her sister at the mall, posts an image of the two of them, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Този уикенд ще има разпродажба в мола (Tozi uikend shte ima razprodazhba v mola)
“There’s a sale at the mall this weekend.”

1- този уикенд ще има (tozi uikend shte ima)

First is an expression meaning “this weekend there will be”.
It is usually over the weekend when ladies have enough time to go shopping with their friends. The day of a sale is a good occasion to meet, talk, look around and shop for clothes or shoes with your friends.

2- разпродажба в мола (razprodazhba v mola)

Then comes the phrase – “a sale in the mall”.
Shopping malls are convenient as they allow people to shop for different items in one place. There was a sharp rise in the number of new malls that opened in the cities, which created more fierce competition to attract shoppers. Therefore, malls regularly organize sales weekends throughout the entire year.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Може ли да взема децата? (Mozhe li da vzema detsata?)

Her neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “Can I take the kids?”
Use this question if you are interested to visit the mall yourself, and need more specific information.

2- Тъкмо взех заплата. (Takmo vzeh zaplata.)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “I just got my paycheck”.
Use this expression to imply that you might go shopping yourself, and to make conversation.

3- Ще съм извън града. (Shte sam izvan grada.)

Her boyfriend’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “I’ll be out of town”.
Use this expression to offer an explanation as to why you cannot join the shopping duo.

4- Аз ще пасувам. (Az shte pasuvam.)

Her boyfriend, Kamen, uses an expression meaning – “I’ll pass (up)”.
Use this expression to show you are not interested to join the shopping spree.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

разпродажба (razprodazhba): “sale”

дете (dete): “kid”

тъкмо (takmo): “just”

вземам (vzemam): “take”

заплата (zaplata): “salary”

извън (izvan): “outside”

град (grad): “city”

So, if a friend posted something about going shopping, which phrase would you use?

3. Talking about a Sport Day in Bulgarian

Sporting events, whether you’re the spectator or the sports person, offer fantastic opportunity for great social media posts. Learn some handy phrases and vocabulary to start a sport-on-the-beach conversation in Bulgarian.

Kamen plays with his friends at the beach, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Да поритаме ли малко? (Da poritame li malko?)
“Shall we play some soccer?”

1- да поритаме ли (da poritame li)

First is an expression meaning “shall we play some soccer”.
By changing the prefix of a main verb in Bulgarian, you can often slightly alter the meaning of the verb. In front of some verbs, you can put the prefix “по”, which implies that you will perform the specific action only for a short time. Depending on the situation, it might also mean that you are not taking the action seriously.

2- малко (malko)

Then comes the phrase – “a bit”.
Although the short action is implied in the verb, we sometimes add “a bit” in the sentence to indicate our intention. You can also say “поспя – pospya”, which means “to take a nap”, “почета – pocheta”, which means “to read for a while”, or “поработя – porabotya”, which means “to work for some time”.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Още изглеждаш в добра форма. (Oshte izglezhdash v dobra forma.)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “You’re still in good shape”.
Use this expression to compliment the poster on his appearance.

2- Къде е това място? (Kade e tova myasto?)

His supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “Where is this place?”
Use this expression to show you are interested in the topic, and would like more information about the location of the poster.

3- Още те бива. (Oshte te biva.)

His girlfriend’s nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “You’re still good.”
Another expression with which to compliment the poster.

4- Мъжете си остават момчета завинаги. (Mazhete si ostavat momcheta zavinagi.)

His girlfriend, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “Men will always remain boys.”
Use this common saying to tease the poster, if you’re his girlfriend or very good platonic friend.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

ритам (ritam): “to play soccer”

поритам (poritam): “to play soccer for fun”

малко (malko): “a little, some”

изглеждам (izglezhdam): “look like”

форма (forma): “shape”

бива ме (biva me): “be good at”

завинаги (zavinagi): “forever”

Which phrase would you use if a friend posted something about sports?

But sport is not the only thing you can play! Play some music, and share it on social media.

4. Share a Song on Social Media in Bulgarian

Music is the language of the soul, they say. So, don’t hold back—share what touches your soul with your friends!

Yana shares a song she just heard at a party, posts an image of the artist, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Всички подивяхме на това ретро. (Vsichki podivyahme na tova retro.)
“We all went crazy to this retro song.”

1- всички подивяхме (vsichki podivyahme)

First is an expression meaning “we all got crazy.”
As you remember, in Bulgarian we can often skip the personal pronoun in a sentence, as the verb conjugation gives clear indication about the person and number. The only exception is third-person singular, where we need the personal pronoun to explicitly indicate the gender form. Be mindful here with the verb “подивяхме” ( “crazy” ), which could have a negative connotation, depending on the context.

2- на това ресто (na tova resto)

Then comes the phrase – “at this retro song”.
When it comes to music, “да подивея” indicates that people totally loved the performance. Do not be surprised if you get invited to a retro party and end up listening to music from your own school years. The definition of retro music has changed in recent years as it now represents the style and songs that were performed nearly 10 years ago.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Страхотен клип. (Strahoten klip.)

Her boyfriend’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “Great video.”
Use this expression to indicate your appreciation of the posted music video.

2- Защо ме няма там? (Zashto me nyama tam?)

Her nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “Why am I not there?”
Use this expression as a way to indicate your appreciation of the music, or to indicate that you’re feeling excluded, depending on the situation.

3- Оглеждай се за някой готин пич. (Oglezhday se za nyakoy gotin pich.)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “Look out for some cool guy.”
Use this expression if you are feeling humorous and want your friend to find you a boyfriend.

4- Пусни малко лайф! (Pusni malko layf!)

Her college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Share some live!”
Use this expression if you are interested to watch a streamed, real-time video from the poster.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

всички (vsichki): “all, everyone”

подивявам (podivyavam): “go crazy”

ретро (retro): “retro”

страхотен (strahoten): “great”

нямам (nyamam): “have no”

готин (gotin): “cool”

пич (pich): “dude, guy”

Which song would you share? And what would you say to a friend who posted something about sharing music or videos?

Now you know how to start a conversation about a song or a video on social media!

5. Bulgarian Social Media Comments about a Concert

Still on the theme of music—visiting live concerts and shows just have to be shared with your friends. Here are some handy phrases and vocab to wow your followers in Bulgarian!

Kamen goes to a classical concert, posts an image of the orchestra, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

На бароков концерт през седмицата (Na barokov kontsert prez sedmitsata)
“To a baroque concert on a work day.”

1- на бароков концерт (na barokov kontsert)

First is an expression meaning “to a baroque concert.”
Listening to classical music is not too popular in Bulgaria, but it is always considered to be of classy taste. Classical music concerts, as well as theatre performances, traditionally start between 6 to 7 pm. Therefore, they often take place on week days and are a possible pastime at the end of the working day.

2- през седмицата (prez sedmitsata)

Then comes the phrase – “during the (work) week.”
Friday and Saturday nights are usually the days when people in Bulgaria go clubbing, since they can sleep late during the weekend. Sunday evenings and week days are the times when people like to go to social events – the theater, meetups, professional gatherings, dinner with friends.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Има останали билети, нали? (Ima ostanali bileti, nali?)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “There are tickets left, aren’t there?”
Use this expression if you’re interested to join the poster, or if you’re being sarcastic about the popularity of classical music concert tickets.

2- Добър избор! (Dobar izbor!)

His supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “Good choice!”
Use this expression if you feel positive about the poster’s activity.

3- Убийствена скука. (Ubiystvena skuka.)

His girlfriend’s nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “Deadly boring.”
Use this expression if you disagree from the previous comment, and think the poster’s activity boring.

4- Ще те пренесе в друга реалност… (Shte te prenese v druga realnost…)

His high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “It’ll transfer you to another reality…”
Use this expression if you truly appreciate classical music, and think that attending a live classical concert will a transcending experience for the poster. Or use it to be sarcastic.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

концерт (kontsert): “concert”

седмица (sedmitsa): “week”

билет (bilet): “ticket”

избор (izbor): “choice”

друг (drug): “another”

убийствен (ubiystven): “killing”

пренасям (prenasyam): “carry over, transfer”

If a friend posted something about a concert , which phrase would you use?

6. Talking about an Unfortunate Accident in Bulgarian

Oh dear. You broke something by accident. Use these Bulgarian phrases to start a thread on social media. Or maybe just to let your friends know why you are not contacting them!

Yana accidentally breaks her mobile phone, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Ужас, счупи се дисплеят на телефона ми! (Uzhas, schupi se displeyat na telefona mi!)
“Crap, my phone display is broken!”

1- Ужас (Uzhas)

First is an expression meaning “horror, crap”.
When used at the beginning of a sentence, this word indicates that we want to say something that would grab people’s attention and that we are going to announce something disturbing and negative in nature.

2- счупи се дисплея на телефона ми (schupi se displeya na telefona mi)

Then comes the phrase – “my phone display got broken”.
Possessive pronouns in Bulgarian have two forms – normal and short. The normal form comes in front of the noun, while the short form goes after the noun – “моя телефон, телефона ми”. During an informal conversation, Bulgarians tend to use the shorter form, unless they want to explicitly highlight whose possession they are talking about.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Нали помниш за срещата ни? (Nali pomnish za sreshtata ni?)

Her supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “You remember about our meeting, don’t you?”
Use this expression if you want to make sure that the poster knows of or remember your arrangements – presumably because notice of the meeting was sent via text.

2- Спокойно, ще го оправим. (Spokoyno, shte go opravim.)

Her boyfriend, Kamen, uses an expression meaning – “Calm down, we’ll fix it.”
Use this expression if you want to reassure your girlfriend that the situation is under control.

3- Тъкмо повод да си вземеш нов. (Takmo povod da si vzemesh nov.)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “It’s a good excuse to buy a new one.”
Make this suggestion if you wish to be supportive.

4- Голяма работа. (Golyama rabota.)

Her college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “No big deal.”
Use this expression to share your personal opinion about the situation, trivializing the incident the poster is upset about.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

да счупя (da schupya): “break”

помня (pomnya): “remember”

среща (sreshta): “meeting”

спокойно (spokoyno): “quietly”

оправям (opravyam): “fix”

повод (povod): “occasion”

работа (rabota): “work, job”

If a friend posted something about having broken something by accident, which phrase would you use?

So, now you know how to describe an accident in Bulgarian. Well done!

7. Chat about Your Boredom on Social Media in Bulgarian

Sometimes, we’re just bored with how life goes. And to alleviate the boredom, we write about it on social media. Add some excitement to your posts by addressing your friends and followers in Bulgarian!

Kamen gets bored at home, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Тази вечер само някакви сериали по телевизията. (Tazi vecher samo nyakakvi seriali po televiziyata.)
“There are only (some) series on TV this evening.”

1- тази вечер само (tazi vecher samo)

First is an expression meaning – “tonight only”.
People in Bulgaria often use social media to express feelings, memories, political views, and so on. When they express feelings, they tend to be concise. This is probably the only occasion when they are able to express their meaning even if they skip the verb.

2- някакви сериали по телевизията (nyakakvi seriali po televiziyata)

Then comes the phrase – “some series on TV.”
Although online video is getting more and more popular, TV is still considered the traditional media for news and entertainment in the evening. TV series, reality shows and talk shows tend to be the most popular content during primetime. During the weekend, you will more often find magazine shows, documentaries and movies.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Прочети една книга. (Procheti edna kniga.)

His girlfriend’s nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “Read a book.”
Use this expression to offer an alternative to watching TV.

2- Да намина към теб? (Da namina kam teb?)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Shall I come by?”
Use this expression to show you want to be helpful to the poster.

3- Съжалявам, срещата няма край. (Sazhalyavam, sreshtata nyama kray.)

His girlfriend, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “Sorry, the meeting was endless.”
Use this expression to offer a reason as to why you were not there to amuse the poster and alleviate his boredom. It also expresses regret.

4- Радвай се на тишината. (Radvay se na tishinata.)

His high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “Enjoy the silence.”
Use this expression to make a suggestion to indicate that being alone and bored need not be a bad experience.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

някакъв (nyakakav): “some, any”

сериал (serial): “series”

да прочета (da procheta): “read through”

съжалявам (sazhalyavam): “sorry”

среща (sreshta): “meeting”

край (kray): “end”

тишина (tishina): “silence”

If a friend posted something about being bored, which phrase would you use?

Still bored? Share another feeling and see if you can start a conversation!

8. Exhausted? Share It on Social Media in Bulgarian

Sitting in public transport after work, feeling like chatting online? Well, converse in Bulgarian about how you feel, and let your friends join in!

Yana feels exhausted after a long day at work, posts an image of herself looking tired, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Толкова съм изтощена, не мога даже и да мисля. (Tolkova sam iztoshtena, ne moga dazhe i da mislya.)
“I’m so exhausted that I can’t even think.”

1- толкова съм изтощена (tolkova sam iztoshtena)

First is an expression meaning – “I’m so exhausted”.
There are three gender forms in Bulgarian, and they apply to different parts of speech, among which are adjectives. In this particular case, we can easily guess that we have a female speaker, as the feminine form of the adjective “изтощена” is used.

2- не мога даже и да мисля (ne moga dazhe i da mislya)

Then comes the phrase – “I cannot even think”.
It is very easy to create the negative form of a verb – you simply put “не – ne” in front of it and voila, you have it. The only exception is the verb “имам” to have, the negative form of which is “нямам”. Never use “не имам”.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Обещавам ти един масаж. (Obeshtavam ti edin masazh.)

Her boyfriend, Kamen, uses an expression meaning – “I promise to give you a massage.”
Use this expression to show you wish to be supportive and helpful to your girlfriend.

2- Срещата беше наистина дълга. (Sreshtata beshe naistina dalga.)

Her supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “The meeting was really long.”
Use this expression to be empathetic by offering an explanation.

3- Един фреш винаги помага. (Edin fresh vinagi pomaga.)

Her boyfriend’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “A fresh juice always helps.”
Use this expression to make a useful suggestion that could be helpful to the poster.

4- Утре е петък – време за почивка. (Utre e petak – vreme za pochivka.)

Her neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “It’s Friday tomorrow – time to (have a) rest.”
This is another comment that offers a helpful suggestion in order to help the poster.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

толкова (tolkova): “so”

изтощен (iztoshten): “tired”

мисля (mislya): “think”

обещавам (obeshtavam): “promise”

масаж (masazh): “massage”

дълъг (dalag): “long”

винаги (vinagi): “always”

If a friend posted something about being exhausted, which phrase would you use?

Now you know how to say you’re exhausted in Bulgarian! Well done.

9. Talking about an Injury in Bulgarian

So life happens, and you manage to hurt yourself during a soccer game. Very Tweet-worthy! Here’s how to do it in Bulgarian.

Kamen suffers a painful injury, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Тази сутрин – посещение до Бърза помощ. (Tazi sutrin – poseshtenie do Barza pomosht.)
“This morning – a visit to the Emergency room.”

1- Тази сутрин (Tazi sutrin)

First is an expression meaning “This morning.”
Because you can often skip the personal pronoun in a sentence when talking in Bulgarian, there is some flexibility when it comes to the sentence structure. You can start the sentence with the verb – “отидох до Бърза помощ”- I went to the Emergency room. Or you can also start the sentence with an indication about the time – “тази сутрин” which means “this morning”, “утре вечер” which means “tomorrow evening”, and so on.

2- посещение до Бърза помощ (poseshtenie do Barza pomosht)

Then comes the phrase – “a visit to the Emergency room.”
A visit to the Emergency room is always associated with a negative personal experience or some kind of accident. The Emergency room is also where you look for medical help during the night. “Бърза” actually means “fast” and not “urgent”, such as in the case of an emergency.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Какви ги вършиш? (Kakvi gi varshish?)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “What have you been doing?”
Use this expression to show you are feeling concerned for the poster’s wellbeing, and would like to know more.

2- Оправяй се бързо! (Opravyay se barzo!)

His supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “Get better soon!”
Use this expression to be compassionate and wish the poster a speedy recovery.

3- Можеше и по-зле да е. (Mozheshe i po-zle da e.)

His girlfriend’s nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “It could have been worse.”
Use this expression if you think that reminding the poster of worse could be helpful.

4- Горкият, сигурно боли. (Gorkiyat, sigurno boli.)

His neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “Poor you. It surely is painful.”
Use this expression to show you are feeling compassionate and caring.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

посещение (poseshtenie): “visit”

Бърза помощ (Barza pomosht): “Emergency”

върша (varsha): “do, make”

оправям се (opravyam se): “get better”

зле (zle): “badly”

боля (bolya): “hurt”

сигурно (sigurno): “certainly, surely”

If a friend posted something about being injured, which phrase would you use?

We love to share our fortunes and misfortunes; somehow that makes us feel connected to others.

10. Starting a Conversation Feeling Disappointed in Bulgarian

Sometimes things don’t go the way we planned. Share your disappointment about this with your friends!

Yana feels disappointed about today’s weather, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Днес обещаваха слънце, а то – потискаща мъгла. (Dnes obeshtavaha slantse, a to – potiskashta magla.)
“They promised a sunny day today, but what we have is an oppressive fog.”

1- Днес обещаваха слънце, (Dnes obeshtavaha slantse,)

First is an expression meaning – “They have promised a sunny day today”.
Verbs in Bulgarian mostly come in pairs. One verb in the pair implies continuity of the action (обещавам), whereas the second one implies completion (обещая). However, both verbs share the same translation in English, which might create confusion at the beginning.

2- а то – потискаща мъгла (a to – potiskashta magla)

Then comes the phrase – “but it is an oppressive fog”.
In Bulgaria, the fog is generally associated with negative feelings of blurred vision, tangled thoughts or feeling lost. The word is often used in phrases to express similar conditions: “в главата ми е пълна мъгла” literally translates as “It is an absolute fog in my head” and is used to express that the person’s thoughts are tangled and that they do not see a clear direction.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Ще отмине. (Shte otmine.)

Her supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “It’ll pass.”
Use this expression if you are feeling confident that the situation is not serious.

2- Тъкмо време за в офиса. (Takmo vreme za v ofisa.)

Her boyfriend, Kamen, uses an expression meaning – “Just the right time to be at the office.”
Use this comment if you want to be humorous with some sarcasm.

3- Поне не вали. (Pone ne vali.)

Her boyfriend’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “At least it’s not raining.”
Use this expression to remind the poster that things could have been worse.

4- А на мен ми e тайнствено. (A na men mi е taynstveno.)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “It feels so mysterious to me.”
Use this expression to share a personal opinion about the fog.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

обещавам (obeshtavam): “promise”

потискащ (potiskasht): “oppressive”

мъгла (magla): “fog”

време (vreme): “weather”

да отмина (da otmina): “pass by”

офис (ofis): “office”

тайнствен (taynstven): “mysterious”

How would you comment in Bulgarian when a friend is disappointed?

Not all posts need to be about a negative feeling, though!

11. Talking about Your Relationship Status in Bulgarian

Don’t just change your relationship status in Settings, talk about it!

Kamen changes his status to “In a relationship”, posts an image of him and Yana, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Какво повече да кажа – обвързан (Kakvo poveche da kazha – obvarzan)
“What more shall I say – in a relationship.”

1- какво повече да кажа (kakvo poveche da kazha)

First is an expression meaning “What more shall I say”.
It might sound stereotypical, but men in Bulgaria do not express extreme positive feelings such as enthusiasm or excitement over or in relationships. This transfers to the web as well, where they tend to express opinions rather than feelings.

2- обвързан (obvarzan)

Then comes the phrase – “in a relationship”.
When it comes to relationships in particular, it is easy to see why men would prefer not to mention the event by only changing their status. The word “обвързан” also means “bound/tied up”, and is somewhat associated with the state of helplessness.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Много любов! (Mnogo lyubov!)

His neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “Lots of love!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling warmhearted and enthusiastic about the announcement.

2- Предаде се, братле. (Predade se, bratle.)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “You gave up, bro.”
Use this expression to joke with the poster.

3- И какво – край на ергенските купони? (I kakvo – kray na ergenskite kuponi?)

His girlfriend’s nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “Now what – no more bachelor parties?”
This is another comment in the vein of the previous one, which is to use negative humour.

4- Не е страшно, спокойно. (Ne e strashno, spokoyno.)

His girlfriend’s high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “It’s not scary, relax.”
Use this expression to be funny.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

повече (poveche): “more”

да кажа (da kazha): “to say”

обвързан (obvarzan): “bound, in a relationship”

предавам се (predavam se): “give up, surrender”

братле (bratle): “bro, brother”

ергенски (ergenski): “bachelor”

спокойно (spokoyno): “quietly, patiently”

What would you say in Bulgarian when a friend changes their relationship status?

Being in a good relationship with someone special is good news – don’t be shy to spread it!

12. Post about Getting Married in Bulgarian

Wow, so things got serious, and you’re getting married. Congratulations! Or, your friend is getting married, so talk about this in Bulgarian.

Yana is getting married today, so she eaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Най-хубавият ден с мъжа мечта до мен. (Nay-hubaviyat den s mazha mechta do men.)
“The best day ever, with my dream man by my side.”

1- Най-хубавият ден с (Nay-hubaviyat den s)

First is an expression meaning “The best day with”.
While men do not easily express positive feelings openly, especially about relationships, women rarely hold back. They frequently use superlative forms such as “the best” or “the most beautiful” and talk easily about personal events such as their wedding day.

2- мъжа мечта до мен (mazha mechta do men)

Then comes the phrase – “my dream man by my side.”
Women dream about getting married to their “dream man”, whereas marriage for men feels as if they get shackled. This is a common stereotype. In Bulgarian, you can easily turn the word marriage into the verb “to discard, to throw for scrap”. Therefore, it is a common joke among close friends to say “they’ve been scrapped” instead of “they’ve got married”.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Толкова се радвам за вас! (Tolkova se radvam za vas!)

Her neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “I’m so happy for you!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling positive and enthusiastic about the poster’s announcement.

2- Бра-ку-ва-ни! (Bra-ku-va-ni!)

Her college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Just married!”
Use this expression to make conversation that’s neutral.

3- Честито! (Chestito!)

Her supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “Congratulations!”
This is the traditional way of congratulating someone.

4- Да остареете заедно! (Da ostareete zaedno!)

Her nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “May you both grow old together!”
This is a warmhearted, positive wish for the couple’s future.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

хубав (hubav): “beautiful”

мечта (mechta): “dream”

толкова (tolkova): “so”

радвам се (radvam se): “be glad”

брак (brak): “marriage, scrap”

бракувам (brakuvam): “discard, scrap”

остарявам (ostaryavam): “grow old”

How would you respond in Bulgarian to a friend’s post about getting married?

For the next topic, fast forward about a year into the future after the marriage…

13. Announcing Big News in Bulgarian

Wow, huge stuff is happening in your life! Announce it in Bulgarian.

Kamen finds out he and his wife are going to have a baby, posts an image of the two of them, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Догодина по това време ще сме трима! (Dogodina po tova vreme shte sme trima!)
“This time next year, there will be three of us!”

1- Догодина по това време (Dogodina po tova vreme)

First is an expression meaning – “This time next year”.
This phrase can be used to express that what you are talking about will happen exactly one year from now.

2- ще сме трима (shte sme trima)

Then comes the phrase – “there will be three of us”.
While a pregnant woman might announce this happy event in a straightforward manner by saying: “We’ll have a baby”, men might not feel comfortable talking so directly about it. They would prefer to use a more roundabout way of doing it, if they mention it at all, before the birth.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Да сте благословени! (Da ste blagosloveni!)

His neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “May you be blessed!”
Use this as a warmhearted blessing for the expecting couple.

2- Браво на вас. (Bravo na vas.)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Good for you.”
Use this expression to show you are feeling positive about the news.

3- Време e за малко шопинг. (Vreme e za malko shopping.)

His wife’s high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “It’s time for some shopping.”
Use this expression to be humorous.

4- Да сте живи и здрави. (Da ste zhivi i zdravi.)

His high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “Health and prosperity.”
Use this expression to wish the couple positive things for the future with their baby.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

догодина (dogodina): “next year”

време (vreme): “time”

благословен (blagosloven): “blessed”

браво (bravo): “well done”

малко (malko): “some”

жив (zhiv): “alive”

здрав (zdrav): “healthy”

Which phrase would you choose when a friend announces their pregnancy on social media?

So, talking about a pregnancy will get you a lot of traction on social media. But wait till you see the responses to babies!

14. Posting Bulgarian Comments about Your Baby

Your bundle of joy is here, and you cannot keep quiet about it! Share your thoughts in Bulgarian.

Yana plays with her baby, posts an image of the angel, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Малкото ми съкровище днес е в прекрасно настроение (Malkoto mi sakrovishte dnes e v prekrasno nastroenie.)
“My little treasure is in a great mood today.”

1- Малкото ми съкровище (Malkoto mi sakrovishte)

First is an expression meaning “my little treasure .”
Quite often parents and adults refer to small children by some phrase that describes their attitude or relationship to them rather than by their name. For example, the would say “my small treasure”, “gold”, “My Princess”, “beauty”, “young gentleman” and the like.

2- днес е в прекрасно настроение (dnes e v prekrasno nastroenie)

Then comes the phrase – “it is in a great mood today.”
Bulgarians in general tend to describe their feelings and moods with moderate words – nice, good, gloomy, sad. When you hear them using superlative words such as splendid, fantastic, or spectacular, it indicates that they are either in a particularly good mood, or they are using it sarcastically.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Толкова чаровна усмивка. (Tolkova charovna usmivka.)

Her neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “Such a charming smile.”
Use this expression to give a compliment.

2- Страхотни сте. (Strahotni ste.)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “You are awesome.”
Use this expression to be supportive and appreciative of the poster.

3- Кога ще ви видим? (Koga shte vi vidim?)

Her husband’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “When will we see you?”
Ask this question if you wish to make arrangements with the poster, presumably to meet the little one.

4- Гъди-гъди (Gadi-gadi)

Her college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Tickle-tickle.”
Use this expression to make conversation that pertains to the way one would play with a baby – ticking it.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

съкровище (sakrovishte): “treasure”

днес (dnes): “today”

прекрасен (prekrasen): “splendid”

настроение (nastroenie): “mood”

чаровен (charoven): “charming”

страхотен (strahoten): “great”

да се видим (da se vidim): “see each other”

If your friend is the mother or father, which phrase would you use on social media?

Congratulations, you know the basics of chatting about a baby in Bulgarian! But we’re not done with families yet…

15. Bulgarian Comments about a Family Reunion

Family reunions – some you love, some you hate. Share about it on your feed.

Kamen goes to a family gathering, posts an image of the group, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Събра се рода̀та на пълна софра (Sabra se rodàta na palna sofra)
“The family gathered around a rich table.”

1- Събра се рода̀та (Sabra se rodàta)

First is an expression meaning “The family gathered .”
When you use this phrase, it implies that there is a special occasion and that the extended family has gotten together – this usually includes even 2nd or 3rd cousins.

2- на пълна софра (na palna sofra)

Then comes the phrase – “around a rich table.”
“Sofra” is a word which remained in Bulgarian from the Turkish language. It is used rarely, and in this particular expression, it indicates that the table is rich and full of a variety of foods.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Наздраве! (Nazdrave!)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Cheers!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling frivolous and want to make conversation by saluting the family.

2- Догодина пак. (Dogodina pak.)

His nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “Next year again.”
Use this expression to comment as a family member on the meeting.

3- Много хубава енергия. (Mnogo hubava energiya.)

His wife, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “Very positive energy.”
Use this expression if you feel positive about meeting with your husband’s family.

4- Къде бяхте? (Kade byahte?)

His wife’s high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “Where were you?”
Ask this question to show you are feeling curious regarding the party’s location.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

рода̀ (rodà): “kin, family”

събирам се (sabiram se): “get together”

пълен (palen): “full”

софра (sofra): “sofra, a table set for eating a meal”

енергия (energiya): “power, energy”

хубав (hubav): “nice”

къде (kade): “where”

Which phrase is your favorite to comment on a friend’s photo about a family reunion?

16. Post about Your Travel Plans in Bulgarian

So, the family are going on holiday. Do you know to post and leave comments in Bulgarian about being at the airport, waiting for a flight?

Yana waits at the airport for her flight, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Yana’s post.

Заложници на бурния вятър вече два часа (Zalozhnitsi na burniya vyatar veche dva chasa)
“Hostages of the stormy winds for two hours now.”

1- Заложници на бурния вятър (Zalozhnitsi na burniya vyatar)

First is an expression meaning “Hostages of the stormy winds .”
“Hostage” is a common word to use in Bulgaria whenever extreme weather conditions make people feel helpless, constrained and bound to a specific place – a hut in a mountain, the station or, in this case, the airport.

2- вече два часа (veche dva chasa)

Then comes the phrase – “for two hours now.”
Numbers one and two are specific in Bulgarian as they change according to gender. When it comes to “two”, you can see it as “две/dve” for feminine and neuter, “два/dva” for nouns in masculine, and “двама/dvama” when you talk about “two males” in particular.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Търпение. (Tarpenie.)

Her neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “Be patient.”
Use this expression to offer simple, supportive advice.

2- Поне полетът е кратък. (Pone poletat e kratak.)

Her husband, Kamen, uses an expression meaning – “At least it’s a short flight.”
Use this expression to offer a supportive way to look at the situation.

3- За къде летиш? (Za kade letish?)

Her husband’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “Where are you flying to?”
Use this expression to show you are feeling curious about the poster’s destination. Questions are a great way to make conversation.

4- Късмет. (Kasmet.)

Her nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “Best of luck.”
Use this expression if you mean to wish the poster well.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

заложник (zalozhnik): “hostage”

бурен (buren): “stormy”

вятър (vyatar): “wind”

търпение (tarpenie): “patience”

полет (polet): “flight”

кратък (kratak): “short”

летя (letya): “fly”

Choose and memorize your best airport phrase in Bulgarian!

Hopefully the rest of the trip is better!

17. Posting about an Interesting Find in Bulgarian

So maybe you’re strolling around at a local market, and find something interesting. Here are some handy Bulgarian phrases!

Kamen finds an unusual item at a local market, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Упоритостта се отплаща с истинска находка на пазара. (Uporitostta se otplashta s istinska nahodka na pazara.)
“Persistence pays off with a genuine find at the local market.”

1- Упоритостта се отплаща с (Uporitostta se otplashta s)

First is an expression meaning “Persistence pays off with”.
Although Bulgarians are often sceptical people, they do want to believe that good qualities and efforts pay off, therefore this expression is quite common. It can start with words as persistence, hard work, politeness, kindness, and so on.

2- истинска находка на пазара (istinska nahodka na pazara)

Then comes the phrase – “a genuine find at the local market”.
In a few cities, apart from the farmers market, some other smaller marketplaces or specialized sections of a larger one can be found, where people would sell small collectables, antiques, books or knitting decorations.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Винаги! (Vinagi!)

His supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “Always does!”
Use this expression if you’re in agreement with the poster’s comment.

2- Какво е това? (Kakvo e tova?)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “What is this?”
Use this expression to show you are feeling curious about the poster’s find.

3- Идеално ще ти пасне в хола. (Idealno shte ti pasne v hola.)

His high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “It will fit so nicely in your living room.”
This is a personal opinion, one probably best suited if you know the poster’s home.

4- Изглежда интересно. (Izglezhda interesno.)

His neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “Looks interesting.”
Use this expression to make positive conversation.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

упоритост (uporitost): “persistence”

отплащам се (otplashtam se): “pay back”

истински (istinski): “genuine”

находка (nahodka): “finding”

пазар (pazar): “market”

идеален (idealen): “perfect”

пасвам (pasvam): “fit”

Which phrase would you use to comment on a friend’s interesting find?

Perhaps you will even learn the identity of your find! Or perhaps you’re on holiday, and visiting interesting places…

18. Post about a Sightseeing Trip in Bulgarian

Let your friends know what you’re up to in Bulgarian, especially when visiting a remarkable place! Don’t forget the photo.

Yana visits a famous landmark, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Yana’s post.

На Айфеловата кула – една сбъдната мечта (Na Ayfelovata kula – edna sbadnata mechta)
“At the Eiffel Tower – a dream come true.”

1- На Айфеловата кула (Na Ayfelovata kula)

First is an expression meaning “At the Eiffel Tower”.
Even when Bulgarians were not able to travel a lot in Europe, French language and movies have always been popular. The Eiffel Tower is still the symbol for something distant, desired and romantic.

2- една сбъдната мечта (edna sbadnata mechta)

Then comes the phrase – “a dream come true”.
Visiting the Eiffel Tower is still a fervent dream for some. Even if they happen to visit Paris, but do not manage to get on the Eiffel Tower, they will feel disappointed and dissatisfied with their trip.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Грееш от радост… (Greesh ot radost…)

Her neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “You are shining with joy…”
Use this expression to comment on the poster’s radiant appearance.

2- Кой те снима? (Koy te snima?)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “Who took the shot for you?”
Use this expression to make fun of the poster by being unbelieving and questioning the authenticity of the picture. Or, if you’re really curious and want more detail.

3- Време е за нови планове (Vreme e za novi planove)

Her husband’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “It’s time for new plans now”.
This expression means that the poster has fulfilled one goal, and now it’s time to find new ones. A positive, optimistic comment.

4- Доживя значи. (Dozhivya znachi.)

Her college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “You lived to see it then.”
Use this expression to show you are feeling pleased together with the poster for fulfilling this life-long dream.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

сбъднат (sbadnat): “come true, accomplished”

мечта (mechta): “dream”

грея (greya): “glow”

радост (radost): “joy”

снимам (snimam): “take a photo, shoot”

нов (nov): “new”

да доживея (da dozhiveya): “to live long enough to see”

Which phrase would you prefer when a friend posts about a famous landmark?

Share your special places with the world. Or simply post about your relaxing experiences.

19. Post about Relaxing Somewhere in Bulgarian

So you’re doing nothing yet you enjoy that too? Tell your social media friends about it in Bulgarian!

Kamen relaxes at a beautiful place, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Почивка след няколко часа гмуркане. (Pochivka sled nyakolko chasa gmurkane.)
“Some relaxation after a few hours of scuba diving.”

1- Почивка (Pochivka)

First is an expression meaning “break, holiday, relax time”.
This is a general word used to describe the time spent relaxing or off work, whether it’s a few minutes break or a dreamed of holiday trip.

2- след няколко часа гмуркане (sled nyakolko chasa gmurkane)

Then comes the phrase – “after a few hours of scuba diving”.
Diving in the Black Sea is possible but is not considered such an exciting pastime. The sea has little vegetation and quickly goes very deep. Therefore, if a person says they scuba dived, it is implied that they took a holiday somewhere abroad in a warmer and more exotic destination.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Завиждам ви. (Zavizhdam vi.)

His neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “I envy you.”
Use this expression to show you wish you were engaged in the same activity as the poster.

2- Вече е поизтъркано, брат. (Veche e poiztarkano, brat.)

His nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “It’s already clichéd, bro.”
This is a personal opinion that could be construed as cynical criticism, so best reserved this for friends and family whom you know well, and vice versa.

3- Добре изглежда. (Dobre izglezhda.)

His supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “It looks quite nice.”
Use this pleasant comment just to make conversation.

4- Ех, райско е. (Eh, raysko e.)

His wife, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “Ah, it seems like paradise.”
This fulfills the same function as the previous one, but it is put more originally.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

почивка (pochivka): “break, relaxation”

гмуркане (gmurkane): “scuba diving”

завиждам (zavizhdam): “envy”

изглеждам (izglezhdam): “look like, seem”

райски (rayski): “heavenly, from the paradise”

добре (dobre): “well”

поизтъркан (poiztarkan): “worn out”

Which phrase would you use to comment on a friend’s feed?

The break was great, but now it’s time to return home.

20. What to Say in Bulgarian When You’re Home Again

And you’re back! What will you share with friends and followers?

Yana returns home after a vacation, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Yana’s post.

У дома след незабравимо плаване из островите. (U doma sled nezabravimo plavane iz ostrovite.)
“Finally home after a memorable sailing trip around the islands.”

1- У дома след (U doma sled)

First is an expression meaning “at home after.”
There are a few expressions to say “at home” in Bulgarian. This particular one implies the sense of longing, homecoming, and belonging. “У дома/ u doma” refers to the place where you feel like your real self, not just the place where you currently reside.

2- незабравимо плаване из островите (nezabravimo plavane iz ostrovite)

Then comes the phrase – “a memorable sailing trip around the islands…”
There are seven Bulgarian islands in the Black Sea. Sailing to them is not very popular because most of them used to be military areas with restricted access, making sailing to or around them not possible. Therefore, the Greek islands are the closest place Bulgarians can go sailing.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Иска ми се да беше продължило. (Iska mi se da beshe prodalzhilo.)

Her husband, Kamen, uses an expression meaning – “I wish it could have lasted longer.”
Use this expression to share an opinion.

2- Чакам подаръци. (Chakam podaratsi.)

Her nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “I am awaiting for the gifts.”
Use this expression if you expect gifts from the poster.

3- Нова чанта ли виждам? (Nova chanta li vizhdam?)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “Do I see a new handbag?”
Use this expression if you’re playful and curious about what you see in the photo.

4- Свежарка си. (Svezharka si.)

Her college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “You look so fresh.”
Use this expression to compliment the poster’s appearance.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

у дома (u doma): “at home”

незабравим (nezabravim): “unforgettable”

плаване (plavane): “sailing”

остров (ostrov): “island”

продължавам (prodalzhavam): “continue”

иска ми се (iska mi se): “I wish”

подарък (podarak): “gift, present”

How would you welcome a friend back from a trip?

What do you post on social media during a public commemoration day such as Liberation Day?

21. It’s Time to Celebrate in Bulgarian

It’s an historic day and you wish to post something about it on social media. What would you say?

Kamen observes Liberation Day, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Незаменима енергия в Деня на Освобождението (Nezamenima energiya v Denya na Osvobozhdenieto)
“Unique energy on Liberation Day.”

1- Незаменима енергия (Nezamenima energiya)

First is an expression meaning “Unique energy .”
As you remember, adjectives in Bulgarian change according to gender and number. In the vocabulary section, we only mention their masculine form, but it is a good practice to repeat all the gender forms when trying to memorize adjectives.

2- в Деня на Освобождението (v Denya na Osvobozhdenieto)

Then comes the phrase – “on the Liberation Day.”
It is interesting to know that 30 years passed between the Day of Liberation and the Day of Bulgarian Independence. However, Liberation Day is much more festive for a lot of Bulgarians, as it is related to a very dramatic battle that happened on March 3, in the Bulgarian Mountain range, which includes the Shipka-Sheinovo mountain. This day marked the beginning of Bulgaria becoming a free, democratic country when it was liberated from Ottoman dominion.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Толкова е ветровито на Шипка. (Tolkova e vetrovito na Shipka.)

His nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “It’s so windy on Shipka.”
Use this expression to show you are feeling cynical.

2- Защо не се обади да дойда и аз? (Zashto ne se obadi da doyda i az?)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Why didn’t you call so that I could have joined?”
Use this expression if you feel excluded.

3- Страхотно е тук! (Strahotno e tuk!)

His wife, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “It’s amazing here!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling in awe of your location.

4- Догодина пак. (Dogodina pak.)

His high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “(Let’s go) again next year.”
Use this expression to show you enjoyed the experience and wish to repeat it next year.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

незаменим (nezamenim): “irreplaceable”

енергия (energiya): “power, energy”

ветровит (vetrovit): “windy”

да се обадя (da se obadya): “to give a call”

да дойда (da doyda): “come”

страхотен (strahoten): “great”

тук (tuk): “here”

If a friend posted something about a holiday, which phrase would you use?

Liberation Day and other public commemoration days are not the only special ones to remember!

22. Posting about a Birthday on Social Media in Bulgarian

Your friend or you are celebrating your birthday in an unexpected way. Be sure to share this on social media!

Yana goes to her birthday party, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Yana’s post.

За първи път гост на собственото си парти (Za parvi pat gost na sobstvenoto si parti)
“A guest to my own party for the first time.”

1- За първи път (Za parvi pat)

First is an expression meaning “for the first time..”
Social media is a convenient means of sharing first-time experiences with many friends simultaneously.

2- гост на собственото си парти (gost na sobstvenoto si parti)

Then comes the phrase – “a guest to my own party .”
In Bulgaria, it is usually the birthday person who organizes the party and invites friends, rather than the other way around. Surprise parties are not a common event, so when they do happen, they’re quite unexpected for the birthday person.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Успяхме, нали? (Uspyahme, nali?)

Her nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “We made it, didn’t we?”
Use this expression to make conversation about the surprise party.

2- Наздраве! (Nazdrave!)

Her college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “Cheers!”
Use this expression to congratulate the birthday person in a casual manner.

3- Какво си пожела? (Kakvo si pozhela?)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “What wish did you make?”
Ask this question to demonstrate your interest in the topic and to keep the conversation going.

4- Честит рожден ден! (Chestit rozhden den!)

Her supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “Happy Birthday!”
This is a traditional birthday wish.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

гост (gost): “guest”

първи (parvi): “first”

собствен (sobstven): “own”

парти (parti): “party”

успявам (uspyavam): “manage to”

какво (kakvo): “what”

пожелавам си (pozhelavam si): “I wish for myself”

If a friend posted something about birthday greetings, which phrase would you use?

23. Talking about New Year on Social Media in Bulgarian

Impress your friends with your Bulgarian New Year’s wishes this year. Learn the phrases easily!

Kamen celebrates the New Year, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Нова година с още повече късмет! (Nova godina s oshte poveche kasmet!)
“A new year with even more luck!”

1- Нова година (Nova godina)

First is an expression meaning “A New Year”.
New Year’s Eve is an occasion to go party with friends, organize a noisy house party, or celebrate somewhere in the mountains with company. The new year is associated with new beginnings. Different rituals for prosperity used to be performed around it.

2- с още повече късмет (s oshte poveche kasmet)

Then comes the phrase – “with even more luck.”
New Year’s wishes usually include words for health, prosperity, good luck, money and success.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- За много години! (Za mnogo godini!)

His wife, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “For many years on!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling festive and agree with the poster.

2- Шампанско да се лее. (Shampansko da se lee.)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “May the champagne flow freely.”
Use this phrase as an unconventional prosperity-wish for New Year.

3- Здрава и благополучна! (Zdrava i blagopoluchna!)

His neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “Health and prosperity!”
This is a common exclamation when you want to wish someone good health and a prosperous future.

4- ЧНГ! (CHNG!)

His wife’s high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “HNY! (abbreviation for Happy New Year!)”
Use this expression as a modern, casual New Year’s wish.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

късмет (kasmet): “luck”

година (godina): “year”

повече (poveche): “more”

още (oshte): “(some) more”

лея се (leya se): “flow freely, run fast (for liquid)”

благополучен (blagopoluchen): “prosperous”

Ч.Н.Г. (Ch.N.G.): “Ch. n. g. (abbreviation for Happy New Year)”

Which is your favorite phrase to post on social media during New Year?

But before New Year’s Day comes another important day…

24. What to Post on Christmas Day in Bulgarian

What will you say in Bulgarian about Christmas?

Yana celebrates Christmas with her family, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Yana’s post.

А преди години са седeли на пода върху слама… (A predi godini sa sedeli na poda varhu slama…)
“Years ago they used to sit on the floor (on) straw…”

1- А преди години са седeли (A predi godini sa sedeli)

First is an expression meaning “Years ago they used to sit”.
Christmas Eve and Christmas days are strictly family events in Bulgaria. When the majority of the population used to live in rural areas, there were rituals related to the richness and prosperity of the house performed on these days.

2- на пода върху слама. (na poda varhu slama.)

Then comes the phrase – “on the floor (on) straw”.
Sitting on straw was part of the ritual for abundant cereal crops and the health of family members.

COMMENTS

In response, Yana’s friends leave some comments.

1- Истински семеен празник (Istinski semeen praznik)

Her neighbor, Gergana, uses an expression meaning – “That’s a real family celebration.”
This is a general comment and positive personal observation.

2- Харесвам прогреса. (Haresvam progresa.)

Her high school friend, Veneta, uses an expression meaning – “I love progress.”
Use this expression to be humorous, but it might be offensive to Christians who are serious and conservative about their faith. Therefore, it would be best to be sensitive who you say this to.

3- Взе ли пара̀та? (Vze li parata?)

Her husband’s high school friend, Silviya, uses an expression meaning – “Did you get the coin?”
It is the custom to eat Bulgarian Christmas bread called “koledna pitka” on Christmas Eve, which traditionally has a silver coin tucked in. It’s the belief that the person who finds the coin would have good fortune. Obviously, ask this question if you’re curious about who found the lucky coin.

4- А не, благодаря. Не е за мен. (A ne, blagodarya. Ne e za men.)

Her nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “No, thanks. That’s not for me.”
Use this phrase to express your personal opinion.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

преди (predi): “ago, before”

седя (sedya): “sit down”

под (pod): “floor”

слама (slama): “straw”

истински (istinski): “real”

семеен (semeen): “family”

пара̀ (parà): “old coin”

If a friend posted something about Christmas greetings, which phrase would you use?

So, the festive season is over! Yet, there will always be other days, besides a birthday, to wish someone well.

25. Post about Your Anniversary in Bulgarian

Some things deserve to be celebrated, like wedding anniversaries. Learn which Bulgarian phrases are meaningful and best suited for this purpose!

Kamen celebrates his wedding anniversary with his wife, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Kamen’s post.

Преди година тя каза “ДА” пред всички (Predi godina tya kaza “DA” pred vsichki)
“A year ago she said “Yes” in front of everyone.”

1- Преди година тя каза “ДА” (Predi godina tya kaza “DA” )

First is an expression meaning “A year ago she said “Yes”.
In order for a marriage to be legal in Bulgaria, the couple must sign an official document in front of witnesses. This document is a free and explicit declaration of their mutual desire to get married.

2- пред всички (pred vsichki)

Then comes the phrase – “in front of everyone”.
Apart from the civic ritual, the couple can also decide to have a church wedding. As the church ceremony is not so much focused on the couple themselves but on their relationship with God, there is actually not a single moment when the bride and groom are asked to exchange vows.

COMMENTS

In response, Kamen’s friends leave some comments.

1- Кога мина година? (Koga mina godina?)

His college friend, Kosyo, uses an expression meaning – “When did a whole year pass by?”
Use this phrase to express your amazement at how fast time went.

2- Бъдете щастливи заедно още безброй години. (Badete shtastlivi zaedno oshte bezbroy godini.)

His wife, Yana, uses an expression meaning – “Be happy together for countless years ahead.”
Use this expression if you want to wish your marriage well on your anniversary.

3- Честита годишнина! (Chestita godishnina!)

His supervisor, Plamen, uses an expression meaning – “Happy anniversary!”
This is the traditional anniversary well-wish.

4- Живи и здрави! (Zhivi i zdravi!)

His nephew, Vasil, uses an expression meaning – “Be alive and happy!”
This is another good wish that’s appropriate for the occasion, but not traditional.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

всички (vsichki): “all, everyone”

пред (pred): “in front of”

преди (predi): “ago, before”

минавам (minavam): “go by, pass by”

щастлив (shtastliv): “happy”

заедно (zaedno): “together”

безброй (bezbroy): “countless”

If a friend posted something about Anniversary greetings, which phrase would you use?

Conclusion

Learning to speak a new language will always be easier once you know key phrases that everybody uses. These would include commonly used expressions for congratulations and best wishes, etc.

Master these in fun ways with Learn Bulgarian! We offer a variety of tools to individualize your learning experience, including using cell phone apps, audiobooks, iBooks and many more. Never wonder again what to say on social media!

Learn how to apologize in Bulgarian – fast and accurately! BulgarianPod101 makes it easy for you to make amends. Start with a bonus, and download your FREE cheat sheet – How to Improve Your Bulgarian Skills! (Logged-In Member Only)

Table of Contents

1. Common Ways to Say Sorry in Bulgarian
2. How To Refuse Something Politely in Bulgarian
3. Audio Lesson – Survival Phrases “How to Say Sorry”
4. Why You Will NOT Be Sorry For Learning Bulgarian through BulgarianPod101

1. Common Ways to Say Sorry in Bulgarian

Nobody’s perfect, not anywhere in the world. Everybody makes mistakes, and does and says regrettable things. Then it’s time to apologize, as saying ‘I’m sorry’ is not in vain. It can be very healing! Did you know that hearing a sincerely-meant apology can have a noticeable effect on a person’s body? Research has shown that it slows down breathing and heart rate, and even causes a drop in blood pressure.

Sometimes we cannot fix what’s broken, but we can make the experience a bit easier for anyone who suffered on account of our thoughtless actions or words.

Here are a number of ways to say sorry in Bulgarian. In any language, just make sure you really mean it! An insincere apology will not go down well with anyone.

Съжалявам (Sazhalyavam)
I’m Sorry

These words should precede anything else you have to say. Use them sincerely and whenever you are clearly in the wrong. Acknowledging your guilt and apologizing for any wrongdoing will lift your spirits too! Often, remorse can eat away at us, and a simple ‘I’m sorry’, in Bulgarian or any other language, can open the door for forgiveness and resolution of a bad situation. It can be a true gift!

Бих искал да се извиня (Bih iskal da se izvinya).
I would like to apologize.

This is a slightly more formal way to say ‘I’m sorry’ in Bulgarian. Use this phrase if you’re addressing your superiors and/or elders.

Искрено се извинявам (Iskreno se izvinyavam).
I sincerely apologize.

If you feel strongly about your apology, this is another slightly more formal phrase to use. Keep it handy for graver errors, or you might come across as insincere!

Няма да се повтори (Nyama da se povtori).
I won’t do it again.

A promise you can only make if you intend to keep it! Few things feel as bad as having to hear repeated apologies from someone for the same behavior – it means the ‘sorry’ is not sincere. Don’t be that person!

Ще се постарая да не правя същата грешка отново (Shte se postaraya da ne pravya sashtata greshka otnovo).
I’ll make sure not to make this mistake again.

A beautifully strong phrase! Again, say this only if you mean it – not just in the moment, but always! A bit more formal, this is an especially good phrase to use when apologizing to superiors and/or elders. It will make an especially good impression at the workplace, where accountability is an excellent quality to display!

Не исках да се получи така (Ne iskah da se poluchi taka).
I didn’t mean that.

This is a tricky one… What did you mean, then?! Clear up any confusion with sincerity. Also, use this phrase only if the harm done or mistake made was due to an accident, and then admit to thoughtlessness on your part, if appropriate.

Вината е моя (Vinata e moya).
It’s my fault.

If the fault is really yours, own up to it. You will gain respect in the eyes of others! However, don’t take the blame when it’s not truly yours. It won’t be good for you, and ultimately you will not be respected much for it.

Съжалявам за това, че съм такъв егоист (Sazhalyavam za tova, che sam takav egoist).
I’m sorry for being selfish.

This is a good phrase to keep handy, especially for your close relationships. It is difficult to admit you’re selfish, isn’t it?! However, it’s good to know when to be honest. We get used to our loved ones, which often means we forget that they need our good manners and unselfish behavior just as much as strangers do.

Надявам се, че ми прощаваш (Nadyavam se, che mi proshtavash).
I hope you will forgive me.

This is a polite and gentle wish that can smooth over many harsh feelings. It also shows that the other person’s opinion and forgiveness are important to you.

Аз поемем пълната отговорност (Az poemem palnata otgovornost).
I take full responsibility.

This strong statement is similar to admitting that an error or transgression was your fault. It speaks of courage and the willingness to take remedial action. Good one to use…if you mean it!

Не трябваше да постъпвам така (Ne tryabvashe da postapvam taka).
I shouldn’t have done it.

This phrase is fine to use if you did or said something wrong. It shows, to an extent, your regret for having done or said what you did, and demonstrates that you understand your role in the mistake.

Съжалявам, че ти връщам късно парите (Sazhalyavam, che ti vrashtam kasno parite).
Sorry for giving your money back late.

It’s rotten to have to loan money! Yet, it’s equally rotten to have to ask for the repayment of a loan. So, do your best not to pay late in the first place, but if it can’t be helped, this would be a good phrase to use!

Моля те, не ми се сърди (Molya te, ne mi se sardi).
Please don’t be mad at me.

Well, this is not a very advisable phrase to use if you are clearly in the wrong. If someone is justifiably angry with you, asking them not to be mad at you would be an unfair expectation. However, if you did something wrong by accident, and if the consequences were not too serious, this request would be OK.

Извинявам се за закъснението (Izvinyavam se za zakasnenieto).
Sorry I’m late.

Punctuality is valued in most situations, but if you really cannot help being late, then apologize! This way you show respect for your host, and win their approval.

Извинявам се, че се държах така лошо с теб (Izvinyavam se, che se darzhah taka losho s teb.
).
I apologize for being mean to you.

Acknowledging your own meanness towards someone is no small thing, so good for you! Use this apology only if your intention is to seriously address your mean tendencies, or these words could become meaningless over time.

2. How To Refuse Something Politely in Bulgarian

Congratulations! Now you know how to apologize in Bulgarian! After you have apologized for a mistake, focus on fixing whatever you can, and don’t punish yourself over something that cannot be taken back or reversed. That’s healthy for you! Regret can eat away at the soul, and even destroy it. It is ultimately a useless emotion if it consumes you.

However, in language, we use apologies not only when we’ve transgressed or made mistakes. They come in handy in other situations too, when there has been no wrongdoing. Sometimes we need to express regret for having to refuse a gift, an offer, or an invitation. This can be somewhat tricky. Learn from specialists at BulgarianPod101 about how to use the correct Bulgarian words for this kind of ‘sorry’!

3. Survival Phrases “How to Say Sorry”

On the run and need a quick lesson on how to say sorry in Bulgarian? Don’t fret, just listen and repeat! Click here for a recorded short lesson and learn how to give the perfect apology, with perfect pronunciation in Bulgarian. A little can go a long way, and you will sound like a native!

4. Why You Will NOT Be Sorry For Learning Bulgarian through BulgarianPod101

Online learning is here to stay, that’s a fact. In 2015, the Digital Learning Compass Partnership released a report based on surveys to determine online enrollment trends in US institutions for higher education. Thirty percent of all their students learned online! And the number is growing! However, how can you be sure you will not regret your choice of an online language learning school? First, look at the school’s credentials and what it has to offer…

• Fun and Easy Learning: It’s a commonly-known fact that when learning is made easy and fun, student motivation rises. And as motivation rises, so does the effort to learn – what a beautiful cycle! BulgarianPod101’s language learning system is designed to get you speaking from the onset. Learn at your own convenience and pace with our short, effective and fun audio podcast lessons. Our Learning Center is comprehensive and state-of-the-art, with a vibrant user community to connect to! Our lessons are recorded with native hosts and voice actors, providing a diverse range of dialects in your lessons. You can be confident that native speakers will understand you when speaking Bulgarian!
• Innovative Learning Tools and Apps: We make it our priority to offer you the best learning tools! These include apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac OSX; eBooks for Kindle, Nook, and iPad; audiobooks; Roku TV and so many more. This means that we took diverse lifestyles into account when we developed our courses, so you can learn anywhere, anytime on a device of your choice. How innovative!
• Free Resources: Sharing is caring, and for this reason, we share many free resources with our students. For instance, start learning Bulgarian with our basic online course by creating a lifetime account – for free! Also get free daily and iTunes lessons, free eBooks, free mobile apps, and free access to our blog and online community. Or how about free Vocabulary Lists? The Bulgarian dictionary is for exclusive use by our students, also for free. There’s so much to love about BulgarianPod101…!
• Live Hosts and One-on-One Learning: Knowledgeable, energetic hosts present recorded video lessons, and are available for live teaching experiences if you upgrade. This means that in the videos, you get to watch them pronounce those tongue-twisters, as if you’re learning live! Add octane to your learning by upgrading to Premium Plus, and learn two times faster. Your can have your very own Bulgarian teacher always with you, ensuring that you learn what you need, when you need to – what a wonderful opportunity to master a new language in record time!
• Start Where You Are: You don’t know a single Bulgarian word? Not to worry, we’ve absolutely got this. Simply enroll in our Absolute Beginner Pathway and start speaking from Lesson 1! As your learning progresses, you can enroll in other pathways to match your Bulgarian level, at your own pace, in your own time, in your own place!

After this lesson, you will know almost every ‘sorry for’ in Bulgarian, but don’t let it be that you’re sorry for missing a great opportunity. Learning a new language can only enrich your life, and could even open doors towards great opportunities! So don’t wonder if you’ll regret enrolling in BulgarianPod101. It’s the most fun, easy way to learn Bulgarian!