I can see it now, but I did not expect it. You open the door and discover a friend: "Я, ти си бил тук!". You are not retelling someone’s words; you express a change in your own knowledge. This is admirative use.
Forms often resemble the renarrative: "бил съм / бил си / бил"
, "били сме / били сте / били"
. The common third-person pattern in the table lacks "е/са". However, do not identify the function solely by the missing auxiliary: perfect forms can also express surprise.
Gender and number agree: "Ти си била тук!"
, "Те били тук!"
. For a completed action: "Я, те вече пристигнали!"
. "Бил"
need not mean the state has ended: "Колко била близо гарата!"
can be a discovery about the present.
Context and intonation decide. "Казаха ми, че тя била тук"
points to another source. "Я, тя била тук!"
points to a discovery. Surprise is not necessarily admiration: it can convey disappointment, self-irony or simply an unexpected fact.
| лице | обичаен модел за изненада |
|---|---|
| аз | Аз съм бил / била тук! |
| ти | Ти си бил / била тук! |
| той / тя / то | Той бил / тя била / то било тук! |
| ние | Ние сме били тук! |
| вие | Вие сте били тук! |
| те | Те били тук! |
Examples
Я, ти си бил тук през цялото време!
Oh, you’ve been here the whole time!
Колко била близо гарата!
The station is so close — I had no idea!
А аз съм била с грешен билет през цялото време!
And I’ve had the wrong ticket all this time!
Ти си знаел отговора през цялото време!
You knew the answer all along!
Я, те вече пристигнали!
Oh, they’ve arrived already!
Ама че съм забравил ключа!
Oh no, I’ve forgotten the key!
For speakers of your language
English often uses an exclamation and an ordinary tense for surprise. In Bulgarian, do not interpret every "бил"
as a past state that has ended.
Quick quiz
You open the door and unexpectedly see a friend. Which line expresses the discovery?
Я, ти си бил тук!
"Я"and the situation make the form an expression of sudden discovery.
Я, ти си ___ тук през цялото време, Мария!
била
With"ти"referring to a woman, the participle is feminine:
"била".
Which line most clearly names another source rather than a personal discovery?
Казаха ми, че тя била тук.
"Казаха ми"explicitly identifies reported information; the other lines frame a discovery.
Admirative use always expresses admiration and praise.
False
The key is an unexpected discovery; it can also be unwelcome.You have just seen on the map that the station is close. What does "Колко била близо гарата!"
mean?
Сега откриваш неочаквано колко е близо.
Here"била"conveys newly acquired knowledge about the present, not a state that has ended.