Bulgarian grammar lets you show how you know something. If you saw it yourself, use the normal tenses. For something heard or read, you can use renarrative (retold) forms:
"Иван купи кола."
— Ivan bought a car. (I know; I saw it.)"Иван купил кола."
— Ivan bought a car, apparently. (That's what people say.)
The trick: take the -л form and, in the third person, drop "е / са": "купил"
, "била болна"
, "работели"
.
For something going on now or regularly, the -л form comes from the imperfect: "работех → работел"
, "имах → имал"
.
You'll hear it in gossip, news retold by friends, jokes — fairy tales often start with "Имало едно време…"
— Once upon a time…
It can also show surprise: "Ти си бил много добър готвач!"
— Wow, you're a really good cook!
| видях го сам | казват, че… |
|---|---|
| Той купи кола. | Той купил кола. |
| Тя е болна. | Тя била болна. |
| Те работят в Лондон. | Те работели в Лондон. |
| Ще дойде утре. | Щял да дойде утре. |
| Имаше един цар. | Имало едно време един цар. |
Examples
Казват, че новият ресторант бил много хубав.
They say the new restaurant is really good.
Мария се омъжила миналия месец.
Maria got married last month, apparently.
Иван щял да се мести във Варна.
Apparently Ivan is going to move to Varna.
Имало едно време един беден рибар.
Once upon a time there was a poor fisherman.
Според новините утре щяло да вали сняг.
According to the news, it's going to snow tomorrow.
Ти си бил много добър готвач!
Wow, you're a really good cook!
For speakers of your language
English says "apparently" or "they say"; German uses "soll … haben" or Konjunktiv I ("er habe gekauft"). Bulgarian builds it right into the verb: "Той купил"
.
Quick quiz
Choose a renarrative form to show that a friend told you this:
Иван купил нова кола.
Heard from someone else → renarrative:"купил"without
"е".
Retell: "Тя е болна."
(She is ill.)
Тя била болна.
"е"drops out, and
"бил"agrees with
"тя":
"била".
Retell: "Те работят в Лондон."
(They work in London.)
Те работели в Лондон.
Something ongoing → the -л form from the imperfect:"работели".
Choose the renarrative form:
___ едно време един цар…
Имало
Fairy tales start in the renarrative:"Имало едно време".
In the third person, the renarrative drops "е"
and "са"
: "Той купил…"
.
True
Yes."Той е купил"is a different tense — "he has bought".