Unit 1 introduces the basic greetings and general phrases needed for getting around in Bulgaria. The Basic Sentences are divided into four sections: Greetings and General Phrases, Directions, Asking for Things, and Time/Numbers. The Notes cover the introduction to Bulgarian, hints on pronunciation, vowels, consonants, pitch and stress, styles of speech, negation of the verb, and the Cyrillic alphabet.

Basic Sentences

Greetings and General Phrases

English	Bulgarian (Cyrillic)	Transliteration
Good morning.	Добрутро. / Добро утро.	Dobrútro. / Dobro útro.
Good day.	Добър ден.	Dóbar dén.
Good evening.	Добър вечер.	Dóbar vécher.
Mr.	Господин.	Gospodín.
Mrs.	Госпожа.	Gospozhá.
Miss	Госпожица.	Gospózhitsa.
Please	Моля Ви се.	Mólya vi se.
(or)	Моля.	Mólya.
You’re welcome. (‘nothing to it’)	Няма защо. / Нема защо.	Nyáma zashtó. / Néma zashtó.
(or, ‘Please’) don’t mention it.	Моля.	Mólya.
I’m sorry, or excuse me.	Извинявам се.	Izvinyávam se.
(or)	Извинете.	Izvinéte.
(I) thank [you].	Благодаря.	Blagodarya.
(or)	Мерси.	Mersí.
Yes, sir.	Да, господине.	Dá, gospodíne.
No, ma’am.	Не, госпожо.	Né, gospózho.
How are you, Miss?	Как сте госпожице?	Kák ste gospózhitse?
I’m fine, thank you.	Добре съм, благодаря.	Dobré sam, blagodarya.
Do you understand English?	Разбирате ли английски?	Razbírate li anglíyski?
Yes, I understand.	Да, разбирам.	Dá, razbíram.
Did you understand?	Разбрахте ли?	Razbráhte li?
Beg pardon?	Моля?	Mólya?
I didn’t understand.	Не разбрах.	Né razbráh.
What did you say?	Какво казахте?	Kakvó kázahte?
Could you speak more slowly?	Бихте ли говорили по-бавно?	Bíhte li govórili pó-bávno?

Directions

English	Bulgarian (Cyrillic)	Transliteration
Is there a restaurant nearby?	Има ли ресторант наблизо?	Íma li restoránt nablízo?
No, there isn’t a good hotel here.	Не, тук няма добър хотел.	Né, túk nyáma dóbar hotél.
Where is the railroad station?	Къде е гарата?	Kadé e gárata?
Here it (f.) is!	Ето я!	Éto ya.
There on the right.	Там, надясно.	Tám, nadyásno.
The hotel is here on the left.	Хотелът е тук наляво.	Hotélat e túk nalyávo.
There it (m. or n.) is!	Ето го!	Éto go.

Asking for Things

English	Bulgarian (Cyrillic)	Transliteration
How is this said in Bulgarian?	Как се казва това по български?	Kák se kázva tová po balgarski?
What do you want?	Какво искате?	Kakvó ískate?
I’m hungry. (m.)	Аз съм гладен.	Áz sam gláden.
I’m hungry. (f.)	Аз съм гладна.	Áz sam gládna.
I like (bread, water, meat, potatoes, milk, beer, wine, coffee).	Обичам (хляб/хлеб, вода, месо, картофи, мляко/млеко, бира, вино, кафе).	Obícham (hlyáp/hléb, vodá, mesó, kartófi, mlyáko/mléko, bíra, vinó, kafé).
I like coffee.	Обичам кафе.	Obícham kafé.
Do you want something to drink?	Искате ли да пиете нещо?	Ískate li da píete neshto?
What do they have?	Какво имат?	Kakvó ímat?
A glass of water, please.	Чаша вода моля.	Chásha vodá mólya.

Price

English	Bulgarian (Cyrillic)	Transliteration
How much does it cost?	Колко струва?	Kólko strúva?
What does it all come to?	Колко е всичко?	Kólko i fsíchko?
A hundred leva.	Сто лева.	Stó léva.

Time

English	Bulgarian (Cyrillic)	Transliteration
What time is it? (‘How much is it o’clock?’)	Колко е часа?	Kólko i chasa?
Two o’clock.	Два часа.	Dvá chasa.
Two ten (ten minutes after two).	Два и десет.	Dvá i déset.
Two and two are four.	Две и две са четири.	Dvé i dvé sa chétiri.
It’s ten of two. (‘ten without two’)	Два без десет.	Dvá bez déset.
(At) what time does the movie begin?	В колко часа започва киното?	Fkólko chasa zapóchva kínoto?
When does this train leave?	Кога заминава този влак?	Kogá zamináva tózi vlák?
The train leaves at five past seven.	Влакът заминава в седем и пет.	Vlákat zamináva fsédem i pét.

Numbers

English	Bulgarian (Cyrillic)	Transliteration
One	Едно	Ednó
Two	Две	Dvé
Three	Три	Trí
Four	Четири	Chétiri
Five	Пет	Pét
Six	Шест	Shést / Shés
Seven	Седем	Sédem / Sédam
Eight	Осем	Ósem / Ósam
Nine	Девет	Dévet
Ten	Десет	Déset

Grammar Notes

Note 1.1 — Introduction

Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria, which has around 8,000,000 inhabitants. There are also Bulgarian speakers in the neighboring countries — Rumania, Turkey, Greece, and Yugoslavia. Bulgarian belongs to the Slavic branch of the Indo-European family of languages. The main languages of this branch, aside from Bulgarian, are Czech, Macedonian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Slovak and Ukrainian. The one closest to Bulgarian is Macedonian.

There are two main dialects: East Bulgarian and West Bulgarian. Since East Bulgarian has been adopted as the standard literary language, it is the one used in this course. The main difference is the use of /ya/ in East Bulgarian where West Bulgarian has /e/. For example: East B. /mlyáko/, West B. /mléko/ (or /mlekó/) ‘milk’.

Note 1.2 — Hints on Pronunciation

Bulgarian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. The first few units are provided with a transcription (explanatory spelling) to assist in mastering the sounds. This transcription must be used even by students who know Cyrillic from the study of another Slavic language, as it represents the sounds more accurately than normal spelling.

Note 1.3 — Vowels

Bulgarian has six stressed (accented) vowels: /i/, /e/, /a/, /o/, /u/, and /ə/. The /e/ of /dén/ and the /a/ of /dá/ are quite like English. The others differ from English: /í/ is tenser than English “ee”; /ú/ is tense without the “w” glide; /ó/ is like the “o” of “horse” with no glide; /ə́/ is not found in English — closest to the “u” of “but” but higher and farther back.

In ordinary spoken informal style there are only three unstressed vowels: /ɪ/, /ə/, and /ʊ/.

Note 1.4 — Pitch and Stress

Bulgarian pitch patterns are often different from English. Statements often have high pitch at the beginning with lower pitch toward the end. Questions have high pitch initially and a lilt at the end. There are three degrees of stress: primary /ˊ/, secondary /ˋ/, and weak (unmarked).

Note 1.5 — Styles of Speech

Two levels of normal Bulgarian speech: 1) the slightly formal form of address with preservation of certain consonant clusters, and 2) rapid colloquial speech with reduction of many consonant clusters.

Note 1.6 — Negative of the Verb

One verb in Bulgarian has a special negative form — the verb ‘have’, which is used in the third person for ‘there is’: /íma/, negative /nyáma/. Other verbs have /ne/ before the verb in the negative.

Transliteration	English
Razbráhte li?	Did you understand?
Ne razbráh.	I didn’t understand.
Íma li restoránt nablízo?	Is there a restaurant nearby?
Né, túk nyáma dobár hotél.	No, there isn’t a good hotel here.

Note 1.7 — The Alphabet

Cyrillic (Upper)	Cyrillic (Lower)	Transcription	Variants
А	а	a	(ə)
Б	б	b	(p)
В	в	v	(f)
Г	г	g	(k)
Д	д	d	(t)
Е	е	e	[ɪ]
Ж	ж	ž	(š)
З	з	z	(s)
И	и	i	[ɪ]
Й	й	y
К	к	k	(g)
Л	л	l
М	м	m
Н	н	n
О	о	o	[ʊ]
П	п	p	(b)
Р	р	r
С	с	s	(z)
Т	т	t	(d)
У	у	u	[ʊ]
Ф	ф	f	(v)
Х	х	h
Ц	ц	c
Ч	ч	č
Ш	ш	š
Щ	щ	št
Ъ	ъ	ə
ь		y
Ю	ю	yu	[yʊ]
Я	я	ya	(yə)

Drills

Grammatical Drill 1.3 — Vowels

These words are for pronunciation practice only.

Stressed /i/:

Transcription	Cyrillic	English
ískam	искам	I want
ímam	имам	I have
ídvam	идвам	I’m coming
ístina	истина	truth
íme	име	name
gradína	градина	garden
dobítak	добитък	cattle
zíma	зима	winter
razbíram	разбирам	I understand
otída	отида	I go

Variation Drill

The Basic Sentences are extensive enough for considerable variation drill. This should consist of simple substitution (Is there a restaurant nearby? Is there a good restaurant nearby? Is there a hotel nearby? Is there a good hotel nearby?, etc.). These sentences should be made up in Bulgarian by the tutor and repeated by the student.

Getting Around; Greetings and General Phrases

Grammar Focus

Course Material