Bulgarian phrasebook

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Bulgarian is a Southern Slavic language, thus closer to Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian than to Russian or Polish. Spoken by over 9.5 million people, Bulgarian is the national language of Republic of Bulgaria. It is also spoken by Bulgarian minorities in Macedonia (or F.Y.R.O.M.), Yugoslavia and Moldova, and language still in use by many immigrants of Bugarian origin in Argentina, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and U.S.A. It is debatable whether the official language of Macedonia is of Bulgarian origin, and generally Macedonians would disagree. However they share common roots and average Macedonian can understand Bulgarian.

Bulgarian might be difficult to English-speakers because of the inflection suffixes. Most verbs carry inflection suffixes while some modal verbs use different words (typical example, the verb "???" / "to be"). Verb tenses are not so many as in English with Present, Past, Past Continuous, and Future being the most commonly used. Nouns have three genders, and pronouns have genders with some remnants of cases. Adjectives have to be synchronized with the noun.

There are separate pronouns in place of "you": singular "??" (pronounced like "tip" without the "p"), and the plural "???" (pronounced as vee-eh). In a formal conversation/correspondence the plural form has to be used with first letter capitalized ("???") while for informal communication singular form is used.

Pronunciation guide

Bulgarian uses cyrillic alphabet. In general the language is phonetical though there are few sounds denoted by digraphs and few combinations denoted by a single letter.

Alphabet:
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Voiced consonants at the end of a word are pronounced as voiceless.

Vowels

Unstressed "?", "?", "?", "?" tend to be shorter and weaker compared to their stressed counterparts, approaching each other, though without merging completely.

a ah: like in father or manifacture
e eh: like in pen or attend
? i: like in sin or to be
?? long i: like in sea or keyboard
o oh: like in more or nothing
? uh: like in tuna or full
? ?: like in about or bulk

Semivowels

? y (i-kratko/i-short): like in yes or play

Before a vowel (after another vowel or at the beginning of a word) denotes a diphthong like in "crayon" or "yes". After a vowel at the end of the word denotes very short 'i' like in "play" or "fly". Can be used only next to vowels and not before or after a consonant.

Consonants

? b?: like in boy or rubbish, on the end of a word becomes "?"
? v?: like in ever or vineyard, on the end of a word becomes "?"
? g?: like in gull or legacy, on the end of a word becomes "?"
? d?: like in deal or madness, on the end of a word becomes "?"
? zh?: like in pleasure or conclusion, on the end of a word becomes "?"
? z?: like in zoo or freezing, on the end of a word becomes "?"
? k?: like in kite or rock
? l?: like in leak or look
? m?: like in mine or ham
? n?: like in note or monkey
? p?: like in pork or comply
? r?: like in ride or cry
? s?: like in spit or cast
? t?: like in time or lightning
? f?: like in feed or left
? kh?: like in hotel or coherent
? ts?: like in tsunami
? ch?: like in cheap or kitchen
? sh?: like in sheep or mishap
? sht?: denote two consonants (?t) under single sign, like in fish type
? ': not a sound itself, denotes softening (palatization) of preceding consonant
?? dzh?: like in join or edge

Common diphthongs

? yah: like in yacht or yankee
?? yeh: like in yes or yellow
?? yoh: like in yogurt or coyote
? yuh: like in you or cute

Note that '?' and '?' denote diphthongs yuh and yah after a vowel and at the beginning of a word, and denote softening (palatization) after a consonant.

Phrase list

Basics

Hello.: ?????????. (zdrah-VEY-teh)
Hello. (informal): ???????. (zdrah-VEY)
Hello. (informal, to close friend): ???????. (ZDRAHS-ti)
How are you?: ??? ???? (KAK steh?)
How are you? (informal): ??? ??? (KAK see?)
Fine, thank you.: ?????, ?????????. (dob-REH, bla-go-da-RYAH)
What is your name?: ?????? ??? ?? (VA-she-toh e-meh e?)
How do they call you? (informal): ??? ?? ??????? (KAK seh KAZ-vash?)
My name is ______ .: ????? ??? ? ______ . (MO-eh-toh e-meh eh _____ .)
Nice to meet you.: ??????? ?? ? ?? ?? ?????????. (pree-YAT-noh me eh dah seh zah-poz-NAH-em)
Please.: ????. (MO-lya)
Thank you.: ?????????. (bla-go-da-RYAH)
You're welcome.: ????. (MO-lya)
Yes.: ??. (dah)
No.: ??. (Neh)
Excuse me. (getting attention): ????????. (iz-vi-NEH-teh)
Excuse me. (begging pardon or formal): ???? ?? ?? ????????. (mo-lya dah meh iz-vi-NI-teh)
I'm sorry.: ?????????. (su-zhah-LYAH-vahm)
Goodbye: ?????????. (doh-VIZH-dah-neh)
Goodbye (informal): ??? / Ciao (Italian). (CHAH-oh)
I can't speak Bulgarian well.: ?? ?????? ????????? ?????. (neh goh-VOH-ryah BUL-gar-ski DOB-reh)
Do you speak English? (polite): ???????? ?? ?????????? (goh-VOH-ri-teh le ahn-GLIY-ski?)
Do you speak English? (informal): ??????? ?? ?????????? (goh-VOH-rish le ahn-GLIY-ski?)
Is there someone here who speaks English?: ??? ?? ?????, ????? ?? ?????? ?????????? (e-mah le NYAH-coy COY-toh dah goh-VOH-ri ahn-GLIY-ski?)
Help!: ?????! (POH-mosht!)
Look out!: ????????! (vni-MAH-vay!)
Watch out!: ???? ??! (pah-ZEE seh!)
Good morning.: ????? ????. (doh-BROH UH-troh)
Good evening.: ????? ?????. (doh-BUR WEH-cher)
Good night.: cannot be used as a greeting.
Good night (to sleep): ???? ???. (LEH-kah nosht)
I don't understand.: ?? ????????. (neh raz-BEE-ram)
Where is the toilet?: ???? ? ??????????? (KU-deh eh to-ah-LET-na-ta?)

Problems

Go away!: ??????? ??! (MAH-khigh-teh seh)
I'll call the police.: ?? ??????? ???????. (shteh eez-VEE-kahm poh-LEE-tsee-yah)
Stop! Thief!: ??????! ??????! (SPREH-teh krah-DEHTS)
It's an emergency!: ??? ?????? ??????! (EE-mah SPREH-shehn SLOO-chigh)
I'm lost.: ??????? ??. (zah-GOO-beekh)
I lost my bag.: ??????? ?? ???????. (eez-GOO-beekh see CHAH-tee-teh)
I'm sick.: ??? ???. (zleh ?some?)
Can I use your phone, please?: ????????, ???? ?? ?? ??????? ????????? (eez-vee-NEH-teh, MOH-gah lee dah POHL-zvahm teh-leh-FOH-nah)

Numbers

0: ???? (NOO-lah)
1: ???? (eh-DEEN)
2: ??? (dvah)
3: ??? (?tree?) (but remember to roll the "r"!)
4: ?????? (CHEH-tee-ree)
5: ??? (?pet?)
6: ???? (shess) (barely audible "t")
7: ????? (SEH-dem)
8: ???? (OH-sem)
9: ????? (DEH-vet)
10: ????? (DEH-set)
20: ??????? (DVIGH-set)
30: ??????? (TR??-set)
40: ?????????? (cheh-TEE-r??-set)
50: ???????? (pet-deh-SET)
60: ????????? (shess-deh-SET)
70: ?????????? (seh-dem-deh-SET)
80: ????????? (oh-sem-deh-SET)
90: ?????????? (deh-vet-deh-SET)
100: ??? (stoh)
1000: ?????? (kheel-YAH-dah)
1,000,000: ???? ?????? (eh-DEEN mee-lee-OHN)
number _____ (of train, bus, etc.): ????? _____ (?? ??????, ?????????, ? ?.?.) (NOH-mair) (almost sounds like ?nowhere?)
the number _____: ??????? _____ (NOH-mair-uht)
half: ????? (FTOH-rah)
less: ??????? (POH-mahl-koh)
more: ?????? (POH-veh-cheh)

Time

Clock time

Duration

Days

Months

Writing time and date

Colors

Transportation

Bus and train

Directions

Taxi

Lodging

Money

Eating

Bars

Shopping

Driving

Authority

Learning more

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Ooaj Travel Guide, tourism, hotel reservation, residence, plane, cheap pension for you

Free Travel guide Ooaj.com A free travel guide for holidays. Easy phrasebook to learn bulgarian Bed and Breakfast!