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- Where
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- Bulgarian needed?
- 100 phrases to start
You can live in Bulgaria without fluent Bulgarian, but a few words change everything: people are friendlier, offices are easier and shopping is faster. Here are 100 phrases for everyday life, with an easy way to say each one. Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, so learning to read it, which takes a few days, is the best first step.
Greetings and basics
Start every conversation politely. “Здравейте” is the safe greeting for anyone you don’t know.
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (polite) | Здравейте | zdraveyte |
| Hi | Здрасти | zdrasti |
| Good morning | Добро утро | dobro utro |
| Good day | Добър ден | dobar den |
| Good evening | Добър вечер | dobar vecher |
| Goodbye | Довиждане | dovizhdane |
| Bye | Чао | chao |
| Yes | Да | da |
| No | Не | ne |
| Please | Моля | molya |
Being polite
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Благодаря | blagodarya |
| Thanks | Мерси | mersi |
| You’re welcome | Няма защо | nyama zashto |
| Excuse me | Извинете | izvinete |
| I’m sorry | Съжалявам | sazhalyavam |
| No problem | Няма проблем | nyama problem |
| OK, fine | Добре | dobre |
| Of course | Разбира се | razbira se |
| Cheers! | Наздраве! | nazdrave |
| Enjoy your meal | Добър апетит | dobar apetit |
Getting to know people
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| What’s your name? | Как се казвате? | kak se kazvate |
| My name is… | Казвам се… | kazvam se |
| Nice to meet you | Приятно ми е | priyatno mi e |
| How are you? | Как сте? | kak ste |
| Fine, thanks | Добре, благодаря | dobre, blagodarya |
| Where are you from? | Откъде сте? | otkade ste |
| I’m from… | Аз съм от… | az sam ot |
| I live in Sofia | Живея в София | zhiveya v Sofia |
| Do you speak English? | Говорите ли английски? | govorite li angliyski |
| I speak a little Bulgarian | Говоря малко български | govorya malko balgarski |
When you don’t understand
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| I don’t understand | Не разбирам | ne razbiram |
| I understand | Разбирам | razbiram |
| More slowly, please | По-бавно, моля | po-bavno, molya |
| Can you repeat that? | Можете ли да повторите? | mozhete li da povtorite |
| What does … mean? | Какво значи…? | kakvo znachi |
| How do you say … in Bulgarian? | Как се казва … на български? | kak se kazva … na balgarski |
| Can you write it down? | Можете ли да го напишете? | mozhete li da go napishete |
| I don’t know | Не знам | ne znam |
| Just a moment | Момент | moment |
| Exactly | Точно така | tochno taka |
Shopping
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | Колко струва? | kolko struva |
| Do you have…? | Имате ли…? | imate li |
| I’d like… | Искам… | iskam |
| This one | Това | tova |
| That one | Онова | onova |
| A bag, please | Торбичка, моля | torbichka, molya |
| Can I pay by card? | Мога ли да платя с карта? | moga li da platya s karta |
| In cash | В брой | v broy |
| Receipt | Касова бележка | kasova belezhka |
| Open / closed | Отворено / затворено | otvoreno / zatvoreno |
Cafés and restaurants
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two | Маса за двама | masa za dvama |
| The menu, please | Менюто, моля | menyuto, molya |
| Water | Вода | voda |
| Coffee | Кафе | kafe |
| Beer | Бира | bira |
| Wine | Вино | vino |
| The bill, please | Сметката, моля | smetkata, molya |
| I’m vegetarian | Аз съм вегетарианец (man) / вегетарианка (woman) | az sam vegetarianets / vegetarianka |
| It’s delicious | Много е вкусно | mnogo e vkusno |
| Keep the change | Задръжте рестото | zadrazhte restoto |
Getting around
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is…? | Къде е…? | kade e |
| Left | Наляво | nalyavo |
| Right | Надясно | nadyasno |
| Straight on | Направо | napravo |
| Bus stop | Спирка | spirka |
| Metro | Метро | metro |
| Train station | Гара | gara |
| Ticket | Билет | bilet |
| Taxi | Такси | taksi |
| Stop here, please | Спрете тук, моля | sprete tuk, molya |
At home
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Flat | Апартамент | apartament |
| Rent | Наем | naem |
| Deposit | Депозит | depozit |
| Contract | Договор | dogovor |
| Building entrance | Вход | vhod |
| Floor | Етаж | etazh |
| Key | Ключ | klyuch |
| It doesn’t work | Не работи | ne raboti |
| Heating | Отопление | otoplenie |
| Hot water | Топла вода | topla voda |
At the office
Useful at Migration, the bank or the municipality.
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Паспорт | pasport |
| Personal number (LNCH) | Личен номер (ЛНЧ) | lichen nomer (LNCH) |
| Application | Заявление | zayavlenie |
| Queue | Опашка | opashka |
| Who is last in the queue? | Кой е последен? | koy e posleden |
| Counter, window | Гише | gishe |
| Stamp | Печат | pechat |
| Signature | Подпис | podpis |
| Copy | Копие | kopie |
| I have an appointment | Имам час | imam chas |
Health and emergencies
In an emergency, call 112. See our emergencies guide.
| English | Bulgarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Помощ! | pomosht |
| Call an ambulance! | Повикайте линейка! | povikayte lineyka |
| Doctor | Лекар | lekar |
| Hospital | Болница | bolnitsa |
| Pharmacy | Аптека | apteka |
| It hurts here | Боли ме тук | boli me tuk |
| I’m ill | Болен (man) / Болна (woman) съм | bolen / bolna sam |
| Police | Полиция | politsiya |
| Fire! | Пожар! | pozhar |
| I’ve lost my… | Изгубих… | izgubih |
Tips
- Yes and no: Bulgarians traditionally shake their head for yes and nod for no. Listen for “да” and “не”. See our customs guide.
- “Ъ” sounds like the “u” in “but”. In the “Say it” column we write it as “a”.
- Polite or casual: these phrases use the polite form, which is right for strangers, shops and offices.
- Practise: find a language exchange or a Bulgarian course.
The “Say it” spellings are a simple guide, not an exact pronunciation. Ask a Bulgarian speaker to say them for you.