Personal Pronouns and the Verb „to be“ in Bulgarian

Learning a new language can be both exciting and challenging. One of the first things you need to learn in Bulgarian is the personal pronouns and the verb „to be“ in the present tense. In this article, we will explore these topics and provide examples, as well as conjugation and sentence structure.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are words used to refer to people or things without using their names. In Bulgarian, there are eight personal pronouns:

The Verb „to be“ in the Present Tense

The verb „to be“ in Bulgarian is „съм“ (sam). It is an irregular verb and does not follow the regular conjugation patterns of other verbs. Here are the conjugations of „съм“ in the present tense:

 Positive Sentences with „to be“

To form positive sentences with „to be“ in Bulgarian, you need to combine the personal pronouns with the corresponding form of the verb „съм“ (sam). Here are some examples:

Аз съм учител. (Az sam uchitel) – I am a teacher.

Ти си моят приятел. (Ti si moyat priyatel) – You are my friend.

Той е голям музикант. (Toy e golyam muzikant) – He is a great musician.

Тя е красива жена. (Tya e krasiva zhena) – She is a beautiful woman.

То е малко кученце. (To e malko kuchentse) – It is a small puppy.

Ние сме в класната стая. (Nye sme v klasnata staya) – We are in the classroom.

Вие сте много умни ученици. (Vye ste mnogo umni uchenitsi) – You are very smart students.

Те са моите родители. (Te sa moite roditeli) – They are my parents.

Negative Sentences with „to be“

To form negative sentences with „to be“ in Bulgarian, you need to add „не“ (ne) before the verb „съм“ (sam). Here are some examples:

Аз не съм лекар. (Az ne sam lekar) – I am not a doctor.

Ти не си тук. (Ti ne si tuk) – You are not here.

Той не е забавен. (Toy ne e zabaven) – He is not funny.

Тя не е тук. (Tya ne e tuk) – She is not here.

То не е опасно. (To ne e opasno) – It is not dangerous.

Ние не сме гладни. (Nye ne sme gladni) – We are not hungry.

Вие не сте лоши ученици. (Vye ne ste loshi uchenitsi) – You are not bad students.

Те не са братя. (Te ne sa bratya) – They are not brothers.

Questions with „to be“

We have different ways to form a question in bulgarian.

• The most used is when inverting the positions of the personal pronoun and the verb „to be“ and adding the question particle „ли“ (li) at the end of the sentence and before the verb „to be“. Here are some examples:

Аз съм учител. (Az sam uchitel) – I am a teacher. Question: Аз учител ли съм? (Az uchitel li sam?) – Am I a teacher?

Ти си моят приятел. (Ti si moyat priyatel) – You are my friend. Question: Ти моят приятел ли си? (Ti moyat priyatel li si?) – Are you my friend?

Той е голям музикант. (Toy e golyam muzikant) – He is a great musician. Question: Той голям музикант ли е? (Toy golyam muzikant li e?) – Is he a great musician?

Тя е красива жена. (Tya e krasiva zhena) – She is a beautiful woman. Question: Тя красива жена ли е? (Tya krasiva zhena li e?) – Is she a beautiful woman?

То е малко кученце. (To e malko kuchentse) – It is a small puppy. Question: То малко кученце ли е? (To malko kuchentse li e?) – Is it a small puppy?

Ние сме в класната стая. (Nye sme v klasnata staya) – We are in the classroom. Question: Ние в класната стая ли сме? (Nye v klasnata staya li sme?) – Are we in the classroom?

Вие сте много умни ученици. (Vye ste mnogo umni uchenitsi) – You are very smart students. Question: Вие много умни ученици листе? (Vye mnogo umni uchenitsi li ste?) – Are you very smart students?

Те са моите родители. (Te sa moite roditeli) – They are my parents. Question: Те моите родители ли са? (Te moite roditeli li sa?) – Are they my parents?

• In Bulgarian, you can also ask a question by simply raising the pitch of your voice at the end of a statement. This is commonly used for informal questions or when seeking clarification. Here is an example:

Ти говориш български? (Ti govorish balgarski?) – You speak Bulgarian? (with rising intonation)

• Tag questions are another way to ask a question in Bulgarian. A tag question is a short phrase added to the end of a statement that turns it into a question. The tag is usually the opposite of the statement. Here are some examples:

Ти говориш български, нали? (Ti govoriш bъlgarski, nali?) – You speak Bulgarian, right? Той е голям музикант, нали? (Toy e golyam muzikant, nali?) – He’s a great musician, isn’t he? Тя живее в София, нали? (Tya zhivee v Sofia, nali?) – She lives in Sofia, doesn’t she?

In conclusion, there are multiple ways to ask questions in Bulgarian, including using question words, rising intonation, and tag questions. It’s important to choose the appropriate method based on the context and level of formality.

You can find more lessons and exercises in our Bulgarian language courses for foreigners. Contact us if you need help!