Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

Intro
Jonathan: Hello and welcome to the Absolute Beginner series at BulgarianPod101.com. This is season 1, lesson 6, A Bulgarian Reunion. I’m Jonathan.
Iva: Hello. And I’m Iva!
Jonathan: In this lesson, you'll learn which expressions to use when you’re catching up with an old friend in Bulgaria.
Iva: The conversation takes place at the airport.
Jonathan: It’s between Martin and Peter, who are friends.
Iva: The speakers have known each other for long time and are friends, so the conversation is informal.
Jonathan: Let’s listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUES
[at airport]
Мартин: О, Питър?
Питър: Мартин! Откога не сме се виждали!
Мартин: Наистина отдавна не сме се виждали!
Jonathan: Now let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. (slow speed, broken down by syllable)
[at airport]
Мартин: О, Питър?
Питър: Мартин! Откога не сме се виждали!
Мартин: Наистина отдавна не сме се виждали!
Jonathan: And Now with the English translation. [Only English needs to be read here]
Мартин: О, Питър?
Martin: Oh, Peter? (Is that you?)
Питър: Мартин! Откога не сме се виждали!
Peter: Martin! It's been a while!
Мартин: Наистина отдавна не сме се виждали!
Martin: Really, long time no see!
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Jonathan: Iva, what can you tell us about Bulgarians and friendships?
Iva: Well, when Bulgarians have not seen their friend for a long time, they will hug, hold hands, and even kiss when they first see each other.
Jonathan: Wow! That’s nice. So, be prepared for this to happen, listener!
Iva: If you’re not sure what to do as far as gestures go, take a hint from the person you are greeting.
Jonathan: Yes, and not only that, but you should also pay attention to what kind of language they use, so that you can respond with the appropriate level in return.
Iva: Definitely. Good advice.
Jonathan: Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB
Jonathan: Now let’s take a look at the vocabulary in this lesson. The first word we shall see is...
Iva: Откога не сме се виждали!
Jonathan: It's been a while
Iva: Откога не сме се виждали! (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: Откога не сме се виждали!
Iva: откога
Jonathan: since when
Iva: откога (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: откога
Iva: наистина
Jonathan: really; indeed
Iva: наистина (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: наистина
Iva: отдавна
Jonathan: long ago
Iva: отдавна (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: отдавна
Iva: Отдавна не сме се виждали!
Jonathan: Long time no see!
Iva: Отдавна не сме се виждали! (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: Отдавна не сме се виждали!
Iva: виждам
Jonathan: to see
Iva: виждам (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: виждам
Iva: не
Jonathan: no; not
Iva: не (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: не
Iva: се
Jonathan: myself
Iva: се (slow, broken down by syllable)
Iva: се
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Jonathan: Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
Iva: Yes, expressions to use when you reunite with someone.
Jonathan: That’s right, what expressions do you use in Bulgarian?
Iva: We say "О!"
Jonathan: Which is an interjection that means “Oh!”
Iva: Yes, it is used to express surprise in both pleasant and unpleasant situations.
Jonathan: But in this lesson, we are talking about a pleasant one.
Iva: Bulgarians also use “A!” to express greater surprise, but the most common one for reuniting with friends will be "О!"
Jonathan: Like, “O, Iva, I haven’t seen you in a while!”
Iva: Yes, it is that simple!
Jonathan: What is next?
Iva: “Не”.
Jonathan: It means “No”, right?
Iva: It can mean several things according to its usage as an adverb or an interjection.
Jonathan: So the English equivalents are “not”, “no”, “nope”.
Iva: That’s right. When used with a verb, it creates the negative verb form like “do not + verb”, which in Bulgarian is “не + verb”.
Jonathan: Ok, got it. And the next phrase is?
Iva: “Наистина”.
Jonathan: This one is important, right?
Iva: Yes, indeed it is. “Наистина” has the meaning of “really”, and also other adverbs in English like “truly”, “actually”, “surely” and “indeed”.
Jonathan: So, it’s used to show some assertion about a claim.
Iva: Yes. Actually, it can be used in almost any position in a sentence.
Jonathan: Okay, I’ll remember that. Listeners, repeat after Iva.
Iva: “Наистина”. [pause]
Jonathan: Ok, let’s move on to the grammar.
GRAMMAR POINT
Jonathan: The focus of this lesson is how to say “Long time no see” in Bulgarian.
Iva: Yes, what you say when you reunite with a friend.
Jonathan: Tell us the main phrases.
Iva: “Откога не сме се виждали!”
Jonathan: "It's been a while!”
Iva: And “Отдавна не сме се виждали!”
Jonathan: “Long time no see!"
Iva: You can use both expressions to show you have missed the person.
Jonathan: When would you use them?
Iva: Although “Откога не сме се виждали!” and “Отдавна не сме се виждали!” sound very natural in Bulgarian, they are not used as often as in English and other languages.
Jonathan: Why is that?
Iva: Maybe because if two friends haven’t seen for a while, they will just ask “How are you?” or “How have you been?”
Jonathan: And these are different phrases in Bulgarian.
Iva: Exactly. “Как си?” and “Как я караш?” in the informal context.
Jonathan: Are they not acceptable in formal situations?
Iva: Yes. That’s why in formal ones you should use the two expressions that are the focus of this lesson.
Jonathan: And what about informal situations?
Iva: Well, people will hug or tap on the shoulder and just ask “Where have you been?” or “What’s up with you?”
Jonathan: How would you say these?
Iva: “Къде се губиш!?” and “Какво става с теб?”
Jonathan: And they’re informal?
Iva: Yes, very informal, and can even be considered slang-y.
Jonathan: OK, I think I can see the difference. So what advice can you give to the listeners, Iva?
Iva: Please remember that because of the strong influence of English, more and more people in Bulgaria now are using the expressions “Откога не сме се виждали!” and “Отдавна не сме се виждали!” especially in the formal cases.
Jonathan: So use them as set phrases as in English and you can be sure that by using them you will not make a mistake.
Jonathan: Can you repeat them once more, Iva? Listeners, repeat after Iva.
Iva: “Откога не сме се виждали!” [pause]
“Отдавна не сме се виждали!” [pause]

Outro
Jonathan: OK, please remember that you can see other examples in the lesson notes.
Iva: Don’t forget to check them because they will help you practice what we learned here.
Jonathan: So until next time listeners!
Iva: See you next time!

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