Library · 69
Grammar
Short, clear explanations with examples
A1Survive and connect
Sounds and writing2
A1
Word stress
Едно кафе, моля.
Stress can fall on any syllable and can even move, so learn every word together with its stress.
Nouns4
A1
Noun gender
Един чай и една баница, моля.
Every noun is masculine, feminine or neuter — and its ending usually tells you which.
A1
The definite article
Кафето е много вкусно.
Bulgarian the is glued to the end of the word: "маса → масата"
.
A1
Numbers and the count form
Два билета за Пловдив, моля.
"един"
and "два"
change with gender. Masculine non-person nouns ending in a consonant use a count form after numbers from two upwards: "два билета"
.
Pronouns1
A1
Personal pronouns
Аз съм Мария, а ти?
"Аз, ти, той, тя, то, ние, вие, те"
— and you often drop them, because the verb already shows who.
Modifiers and numbers2
A1
Adjectives
Това е голям апартамент.
An adjective changes its ending to match the noun: "хубав град"
, "хубава стая"
, "хубаво кафе"
, "хубави хора"
.
A1
Prepositions: в, на, от, до…
Живея в София, но съм от Харков.
Bulgarian has no cases: the preposition does all the work and the noun never changes.
Verbs4
A1
The verb "съм"
(to be)
Аз съм Иван.
"Съм, си, е, сме, сте, са"
are never left out and never start a sentence.
A1
Present tense
Говоря малко български.
Bulgarian verbs have no infinitive: you learn the I form and change the ending for each person.
A1
The future: "ще"
Утре ще ходим на Витоша.
Put "ще"
before the present-tense verb to talk about the future; "няма да"
makes it negative.
A1
The past simple (aorist): ку́пих, видя́х
Вчера ходих на кино.
The aorist tells past events: "купих"
, "купи"
, "купихме"
.
Sentences4
A1
Negation
Извинете, не разбирам.
Put "не"
before the verb; for "имам"
(I have) and "има"
(there is) the negative is one word — "нямам"
, "няма"
.
A1
Yes/no questions with "ли"
Говорите ли английски?
For a yes/no question, put "ли"
right after the word you're asking about.
A1
The "да"
construction
Искам да поръчам, моля.
There's no infinitive, so after "искам"
, "мога"
, "трябва"
you use "да"
+ a verb in the right person.
A1
Little words and word order
Познаваш ли Мария? — Да, познавам я.
Short pronouns, "се"
, "си"
, "ли"
and "съм"
never start a sentence and always line up in a fixed order.
A2Live here
Pronouns1
A2
Possessives: мо́ят and ми
Колата ми е стара, но върви добре.
"My" has a long form before the noun ("моята кола"
) and a short everyday form after it ("колата ми"
).
Modifiers and numbers1
A2
Comparing: по- and най-
Пловдив е по-малък от София.
Put "по-" in front for "more …/-er" and "най-" for "the most …/-est"; "than" is "от"
.
Verbs4
A2
Verbs with "се"
and "си"
Сутрин се къпя и пия кафе.
Many verbs come with "се"
or "си"
; these little words never change and follow the word-order rules for short words.
A2
The imperative: вземи́, вземе́те
Вземете една чаша вода.
Orders and advice have a "ти"
form and a "вие"
form: "пиши / пишете"
, "чакай / чакайте"
.
A2
The imperfect: ча́каше, рабо́теше
Като дете живеех на село.
The imperfect paints the background and habits of the past; spot it by "-ше" in the "ти"
and "той"
forms.
A2
Verb aspect: купу́вам / ку́пя
Всеки месец плащам наема по банков път.
Most verbs come in pairs: imperfective for a process or habit, perfective for one complete action.
B1Speak your mind
Verbs3
B1
The past perfect: бях ку́пил
Когато стигнахме, филмът вече беше започнал.
"бях"
+ the -л form shows that something happened before another moment in the past.
B1
The conditional: бих и́скал
Бих искал да запазя маса за двама.
"бих"
+ the -л form expresses a wish or possibility and makes a request polite. "щях да" can express a hypothetical result.
B1
The renarrative: "they say he bought"
Казват, че новият ресторант бил много хубав.
Renarrative forms show that you didn't see something yourself — you heard or read it.
B2Independent user
Nouns1
B2
Verbal nouns and nominal style
Четенето на глас ми помага да запомня новите думи.
Name activities with nouns while keeping it clear who does what.
Pronouns1
B2
Clitic doubling: a noun and a short pronoun
Този закон го знам, но не знам кога е приет.
Recognise when a noun and a short pronoun refer to the same object.
Modifiers and numbers2
B2
Numerals: people, estimates and percentages
В екипа сме трима, но ни трябват четири компютъра.
Distinguish counts of people from counts of objects, and express exact and approximate quantities.
B2
Word formation: prefixes, suffixes and families
Ще допиша писмото след обед.
Recognise a familiar root, but check the meaning and stress of each new word.
Verbs10
B2
The renarrative across all tenses
Според Мария новият колега пишел статии за София.
Retell information from another source while preserving its time relationships.
B2
The conclusive: drawing an inference
Дворът е мокър. Валяло е през нощта.
Use available evidence to infer something you did not observe.
B2
The dubitative: questioning a claim
Уж бил писал доклада сам, а не знае какво пише в него!
Report somebody’s claim while expressing doubt or disagreement.
B2
The passive voice
Анкетата е подготвена от ученици.
Focus on the person or thing affected by an action.
B2
Participles: describing through actions
Пишещото дете не чу звънеца.
Recognise participles in descriptions and compound verb forms.
B2
Future in the past: щях да
В понеделник планът беше ясен: в сряда щях да пътувам за Варна.
Present an action as future from a past viewpoint.
B2
The future perfect: completion by a future point
До петък ще съм предала доклада.
Show that a result will be complete before a specified future point.
B2
Commands and requests: aspect, negation and pronouns
Прочетете въпроса докрай, моля.
Choose between a specific task, a general instruction and a prohibition.
B2
From verb to adjective: understandable, treating, treated
Текстът е разбираем, но в него липсва дата.
Distinguish a property, an active participant and a result, and make the forms agree with the noun.
B2
Aspect: secondary imperfectives
Всяка вечер прочитам по един разказ преди сън.
Distinguish writing, making a complete copy and copying repeatedly, without confusing aspect with tense.
Sentences3
B2
Unreal conditions: now and in the past
Ако имах повече опит, щях да кандидатствам за ръководител.
Discuss imaginary situations and past opportunities that did not happen.
B2
Complex conjunctions: cause, condition and concession
Тъй като е горещо, ще тръгнем по-рано.
Show why something happens, under what condition, and despite what obstacle.
B2
Relative clauses: who, what kind, where
Историкът, когото поканихме, разказа за стария град.
Identify a person, object, place or time with the right relative form.
Style and text1
B2
Linking arguments: from a claim to a conclusion
На първо място ни трябват надеждни данни.
Choose a connector to match the relationship between ideas and the strength of the evidence.
C1Effective proficiency
Nouns1
C1
From an action to a noun
Сравняването на двата метода отне цял ден.
A noun can condense a text, but keep clear who does what.
Verbs2
C1
Probability: from "possible" to "unlikely"
Според прогнозата вероятно ще завали следобед.
Distinguish possibility, inference and necessity, and state your grounds.
C1
The admirative: "Ти си бил тук!"
Я, ти си бил тук през цялото време!
Forms familiar from reporting can express sudden discovery and surprise.
Sentences4
C1
Impersonal constructions: "смята се, че…"
Смята се, че пробата е достатъчна.
Foreground an observation while distinguishing impersonal and passive patterns.
C1
Modal particles: attitude in small words
Изпратихме файла вчера, нали?
Use "нали"
, "ами"
, "пък"
, "все пак"
and "дано"
to guide conversation and express attitude.
C1
"Дори да"
and "макар че"
: an obstacle does not change the result
Дори да завали, ще проведем срещата под навеса.
Distinguish a conceded possibility from an acknowledged fact.
C1
Word order and focus: what you highlight
Само Мария изпрати доклада навреме.
Order, intonation and particles such as "само"
determine what is new or contrasted.
Style and text7
C1
One message, different styles
Хайде да се видим в три пред библиотеката.
Choose words and sentence structure to suit your purpose, reader and setting.
C1
Idioms: meaning belongs to the whole expression
Стискам ти палци за интервюто!
Recognise fixed expressions and choose settings where they fit.
C1
Official correspondence without unnecessary weight
Уважаема госпожо Петрова, изпращам Ви отчета за октомври.
State the reason, request a specific action and make replying easy.
C1
Narrative tenses: event, background and perspective
Навън валеше, а Мария чакаше пред гарата.
Track the main time frame and distinguish plot movement from background.
C1
Politeness in negotiation: clear requests, room to respond
Бихте ли изпратили офертата до петък?
Soften the tone while keeping the request, deadline and possibility of refusal clear.
C1
Colloquial speech: listen for chunks, not every letter
Ами… не знам дали ще успея днес.
Recognise hesitation, reductions and tone without turning them into models for official writing.
C1
Rhetoric: a position, a reason and a connection with the audience
Предлагам библиотеката да работи и в събота.
Build a clear speech with checkable reasons and fairly presented objections.
C2Mastery
Sounds and writing3
C2
Language history: traces in modern texts
Езикът се променя постепенно, а правописът се урежда с правила.
Distinguish historical writing systems, grammatical change and the modern standard.
C2
Punctuation: boundaries and meaning relationships
Книгата, която ми даде, е тук.
Place punctuation according to sentence structure rather than every pause in speech.
C2
Advanced orthography: compounds and article traps
Подписан е докладът, който чакахме.
Relate spelling to structure and meaning, and article choice to syntactic function.
Sentences1
C2
Complex syntax: relationships, scope and clarity
Твърдението, че методът, който използваме, е надежден, изисква проверка.
Unpack embedded clauses and edit ambiguity without losing the logic.
Style and text7
C2
Poetic language: image, rhythm and voice
Градът заспа под шал от дим.
Connect imagery, sound and word order with a poem’s effect without reducing it to one hidden message.
C2
Dialects: recognition without stereotypes
В западен говор може да чуеш «бел» вместо книжовното «бял».
Recognise combinations of regional features and compare them with standard speech.
C2
Legal syntax: scope, conditions and exceptions
Заявлението се подава от заявителя или от негов пълномощник.
Identify who has a right or obligation, under which conditions and with which exceptions.
C2
Rhetorical devices: persuasion and implicit messages
Искаме светлина. Искаме пространство. Искаме място за всички.
Explain how repetition, questions and irony guide readers without mistaking them for evidence.
C2
Wordplay: two meanings, one expression
Имам ключ за вратата, но не и към задачата.
Identify the double meaning and explain why a joke works or gets lost in translation.
C2
Allusion: a cultural reference in a new context
В тази сатира всеки се прави на Бай Ганьо, но никой не разпознава себе си.
Recognise the reference, verify its source and explain what it adds to the text.
C2
Mediation: make meaning accessible to another reader
За теб входът е безплатен, но за посещение след 17 ч. трябва предварителна заявка.
Convey what a particular person needs while preserving conditions, attribution and certainty.