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Grammar · A1

The future: "⁠ще⁠"

Put "⁠ще⁠" before the present-tense verb to talk about the future; "⁠няма да⁠" makes it negative.

Good news: the Bulgarian future is easy. Take the present-tense verb and put "⁠ще⁠" in front of it. "⁠ще⁠" never changes.

  • "⁠Ще ходя на море.⁠" — I'll go to the seaside.
  • "⁠Ще дойдеш ли?⁠" — Will you come?

Negative: "⁠няма да⁠" + verb — it never changes either: "⁠Няма да работя утре.⁠" — I won't work tomorrow. "⁠не ще⁠" exists, but "⁠няма да⁠" is the usual everyday form.

Questions: With "⁠ще⁠", "⁠ли⁠" follows the verb; with "⁠няма да⁠", it follows "⁠няма⁠": "⁠Ще дойдеш ли?⁠", "⁠Няма ли да дойдеш?⁠"

Little words like "⁠ме⁠", "⁠ти⁠", "⁠го⁠", "⁠се⁠" sit between "⁠ще⁠" and the verb: "⁠Ще се видим.⁠" — We'll see each other. "⁠Ще ти се обадя.⁠" — I'll call you.

For "⁠will be⁠" you can say "⁠ще съм⁠" or "⁠ще бъда⁠" — both are fine.

щеняма да
азще ходяняма да ходя
тище ходишняма да ходиш
той / тяще ходиняма да ходи
ниеще ходимняма да ходим
виеще ходитеняма да ходите
теще ходятняма да ходят

Examples

Утре ще ходим на Витоша.

Tomorrow we're going to Vitosha.

Ще ти се обадя довечера.

I'll call you tonight.

Няма да работя в събота.

I won't work on Saturday.

Ще дойдеш ли на рождения ми ден?

Will you come to my birthday?

Ще бъдем в Пловдив до петък.

We'll be in Plovdiv until Friday.

For speakers of your language

Like English "⁠will⁠": one word for everybody. "⁠ще⁠" = will, "⁠няма да⁠" = won't. Unlike German "⁠werden⁠", "⁠ще⁠" never changes.

Quick quiz

Утре ___ купя хляб.

Няма ___ дойда на работа.

How do you say "⁠I won't call⁠"?

Choose the correct word order:

___ видим утре.

"⁠ще⁠" is the same for every person: "⁠аз ще⁠", "⁠ти ще⁠", "⁠те ще⁠".

Grammar

Little words and word order

Short pronouns, "⁠се⁠", "⁠си⁠", "⁠ли⁠" and "⁠съм⁠" never start a sentence and always line up in a fixed order.

A1