Study in Bulgaria: Common Words and Phrases

by Kristiyan Nachev

Knowing a language different from your native one is a real treasure. Our university offers courses in German, French, Spanish and Bulgarian every semester to those students who are eager to explore other languages and enrich their culture. But even if it’s not in your plans to take a course in Bulgarian, it’s always a good idea to learn a few words in the language of the country you’ll be living in. We’ve prepared a list of some words and phrases that will come in handy in case you want to buy something in the shop, make an order in the restaurant, or simply impress your Bulgarian friends.

Greetings

Knowing the following words and phrases will help you know how to greet your Bulgarian colleagues or approach a local for directions or a piece of advice:

Hello / Hi – Здравей(те) [zdravey(te)] / Здрасти [zdrasti]
Good morning – Добро утро [dobro utro]
Good afternoon – Добър ден [dobar den]
Good evening – Добър вечер [dobar vecher]
Good night – Лека нощ [leka nosht]
Goodbye / Bye – Доовиждане [dovizhdane] / Чао [chao]

One of the most common words in English

Acquaintances

These short sentences can give you the opportunity to get in touch with the language in the way natives speak in their daily life. While some of the phrases might be colloquial, others can be used in official conversations:

How are you? / What`s up? – Как си? [kak si] / Какво става? [kakvo stava]
I`m very well, thank you – Много добре, благодаря [mnogo dobre, blagodarya]
What`s your name? – Как се казвате? [kak se kazvate]
My name is … - Казвам се ... [kazvam se]
Nice to meet you – Приятно ми е да се запознаем [priyatno mi e da se zapoznaem]
I am a student at AUBG. – Аз съм студент в АУБГ. [az sam student v AUBG]

Foreigners can use these phrases while talking with their Bulgarian friends

Requests

In case you ever need help or assistance, we’ve prepared some phrases to help you make a polite request.

Could you help me, please? – Моля Ви, можете ли да ми помогнете? [molya vi, mozhete li da mi pomognete]
Could I ask you …? – Може ли да ви помоля ...? [mozhe li da vi pomolya]
Yes/ No – Да [da]/ Не [ne]
Sure – Разбира се [razbira se]
Sorry – Съжалявам [sazhalyalam]

Knowing how to ask for help in Bulgarian might be very useful

On the street

Blagoevgrad is a small city that’s easy to navigate, but if you ever get lost, it’s good to know how to ask for directions.

Excuse me, please – Извинете, моля [izvinete, molya]
I`ve lost my way – Изгубих се [izgubih se]
Where is …? – Къде е ...? [kade e]
How can I get to …? – Как да стигна до ...? [kak da stigna do]
Is there a … near here? – Има ли ... някъде наблизо? [ima li… nyakade nablizo]
The main building of AUBG – основната сграда на АУБГ [osnovnata sgrada na AUBG]
Pharmacy – аптека [apteka]
Bank – банка [banka]
Cafe – кафе [kafe]
Museum – музей [muzey]
Cinema – кино [kino]
Theater – театър [teatar]
Bus/ railway station – автогара [avtogara] / ж.п. гара [zhe. pe. gara]
Street – улица [ulitsa]
Square – площад [ploshtad]
River – река [reka]
Ticket – билет [bilet]
In/At – в/във [v/vyv]
Near/ Next to – близо до [blizo do]
In front of – пред [pred]
Behind – зад [zad]
Between – между [mezhdu]
Across – срещу [sreshtu]
Turn right – завийте надясно [zaviyte nadyasno]
Turn left – завийте наляво [zaviyte nalyavo]
Go straight away – продължете направо [prodalzhete napravo]

The knowledge of a few basic buildings and directions in Bulgarian is vital

Numbers

It’s always a good idea to know the numbers till ten since the cafes and restaurants in Blagoevgrad are cheap enough to not need more than that in most cases.

Zero – нула [nula]
One – едно [edno]
Two – две [dve]
Three – три [tri]
Four – четири [chetiri]
Five – пет [pet]
Six – шест [shest]
Seven – седем [sedem]
Eight – осем [osem]
Nine – девет [devet]
Ten – десет [deset]

Numbers from zero to ten

Breakfast time

At AUBG, you can have a snack at the café or eat at the Hungry Griffin canteen, but if you want to grab a bite in a local restaurant, or be able to read the labels in the grocery stores, here are the most popular words you need:

Water – вода [voda]
Tea – чай [chay]
Coffee – кафе [kafe]
Juice – сок [sok]
Milk – мляко [mlyako]
Yoghurt – кисело мляко [kiselo mlyako]
White cheese – сирене [sirene]
Yellow cheese – кашкавал [kashkaval]
Butter – масло [maslo]
Bread – хляб [hlyab]
Egg – яйце [yaitse]
Sugar – захар [zahar]
Honey – мед [med]

Eggs and bread used as a way of taking your morning nutrition

Shopping

Being able to have a short conversation in Bulgarian when you want to buy something will be highly appreciated by the local sellers.

How much does it cost? – Колко струва това? [kolko struva tova]
Would you please write down the price? – Бихте ли написали цената? [bihte li napisali tsenata]
Can I see this? – Може ли да видя това? [moje li da vidya tova]
I`ll take/ buy it/ them. – Ще го/ ги купя. [shte go/ gi kupya]
Can I pay with my credit card? – Мога ли да платя с кредитна карта? [moga li da platya s kreditna karta]
Thank you / Thanks – Благодаря [blagodarya]/ Мерси [mersi]

Paying with credit card

Clothes

There are some nice clothing stores in Blagoevgrad and you can always travel to the capital Sofia (1 hour drive) and visit one of the many shopping malls there. Here are a few words to get you by in a clothing store:

Can I try it on? – Мога ли да го/ я пробвам? [moga li da go/ya probvam]
Costume/ suit – костюм [kostyum]
T-shirt – тениска [teniska]
Trousers – панталони [pantaloni]
Jeans – дънки [danki]
Dress – рокля [roklya]
Skirt – пола [pola]
Jacket – яке [yake]
Coat – палто [palto]
Shoes – обувки [obuvki]
Scarf – шал [shal]
Gloves – ръкавици [rakavici]
Socks – чорапи [chorapi]
Do you have something in …? – Имате ли нещо в...? [imate li neshto v...]
Pink – розово [rozovo]
Red – червено [cherveno]
Yellow – жълто [zhalto]
Orange – оранжево [oranzhevo]
Blue – синьо [sinio]
Green – зелено [zeleno]
Brown – кафяво [kafyavo]
Black – черено [cherno]
Grey – сиво [sivo]
White – бяло [byalo]

Buying clothes in Bulgaria may be easier if you know the natives' language

At the supermarket/ market

Bulgaria’s fruits and vegetables are fresh and tasty, especially in the summer months. It’s always better to buy them from street markets and local sellers rather than big supermarkets. Here are the most popular ones:

Apple – ябълка [yabalka]
Strawberry – ягода [yagoda]
Peach – праскова [praskova]
Grape – грозде [grozde]
Watermelon – диня [dinya]
Melon – пъпеш [papesh]
Banana – банан [banan]
Lemon – лимон [limon]
Orange – портокал [portokal]

A typical Bulgarian food stand

The clock

Studying the clock is always the most difficult, but also essential part of starting to learn a new language.

What’s the time? / What time is it? – Колко е часът? [kolko e chasat]
It`s five/ ten/ twenty/ twenty-five to … - пет/ десет/ двадесет/ двадесет и пет минути до ... [pet/deset/dvadeset/dvadeset i pet minuti do]
It`s … o`clock. – Часът е ... [chasat e]
It`s half past … - ... и половина [i polovina]
It`s quarter to/past … - … без/ и петнадесет [bez/i petnadeset]
It`s five/ ten/ twenty/ twenty-five past … - пет/ десет/ двадесет/ двадесет и пет минути след ... [pet/dest/dvadeset/dvadeset i pet minuti sled]

Different types of clocks

Learning Bulgarian might seem difficult to you, especially if you don’t speak another Slavic language or don’t know how to read the Cyrillic alphabet. But worry not – these few phrases we’ve prepared for you are enough to help you feel confident in almost any everyday situation. And if you are enthusiastic to become an expert in the language, you can do that by taking courses in Bulgarian and – as it always is with learning a new language – with some hard work and perseverance.