Bulgarian people are helpful and friendly. Foreigners who visit or live in Bulgaria will find that the local people are more than willing to enter into contact with them and offer their assistance. As long as you know the basic Bulgarian phrases and questions, you’ll be able to start conversations and make friends.

This comprehensive review will acquaint you with the most common conversation starters in the form of easy questions and answers in Bulgarian. Knowing these will make your communication with native speakers much smoother, and being able to ask basic questions in Bulgarian will also help you learn specific information about your interlocutor or surroundings. 

This will give you a great advantage over other foreigners who live in Bulgaria, as you’ll gain many more opportunities to communicate with natives and fit in with the local culture.

BulgarianPod101 is your guide in this learning journey, and we recommend that you study this detailed review before you travel to Bulgaria!

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Top 10 Bulgarian Questions and Answers
2. What’s your name?
3. Where are you from?
4. Where do you live?
5. How long have you been studying Bulgarian?
6. Have you been to Bulgaria before?
7. What do you do?
8. Do you like Bulgarian food?
9. How are you?
10. What’s wrong?
11. How much is it?
12. Make Conversation with What You’ve Learned
13. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You

1. Introduction to the Top 10 Bulgarian Questions and Answers

Before you learn how to build questions in Bulgarian, you need to know the Bulgarian question words. These are words that usually come at the beginning of the question, and are used to form a variety of questions. In the following table is a Bulgarian question words list, and each word is accompanied by a sample question that uses it:

What Example: What are you doing?	Какво…? (Kakvo) Какво правиш? (Kakvo pravish?)
How Example: How are you?	Как…? (Kak) Как си? (Kak si?)
Who Example: Who are you?	Кой…? (Koy) Кой си ти? (Koy si ti?)
Where Example: Where are you from?	Къде…? (Kade) От къде си? (Ot kаde si?)
When Example: When did you arrive?	Кога…? (Koga) Кога пристигна? (Koga pristigna?)
Why Example: Whу are you in Bulgaria?	Защо…? (Zashto) Защо си в България? (Zashto si v Bаlgariya?)

This guide will also acquaint you with some of the most popular traditional Bulgarian meals, and teach you many Bulgarian words and phrases you’ll need to introduce and describe yourself.

→ If you can’t wait, you can start right away with our list of twenty common Bulgarian words for occupations. Find out how to say your occupation in Bulgarian and study this guide so you can talk about it in conversations.

Now we think you’re ready to learn the most common Bulgarian questions and answers! 

2. What’s your name?

This is usually the first question you’ll get when meeting new people. So let’s learn how to ask it in Bulgarian, and how to give a proper answer.

• Как се казваш?
  Kak se kazvash?
  “What’s your name?”

In case you would like to ask this question in a formal style, or ask several people at once, you can say:

• Как се казвате?
  Kak se kazvate?

Here’s how to respond to it:

• Казвам се Джон.
  Kazvam se Dzhon.
  “My name is John.”

• Казвам се Кейт.
  Kazvam se Keit.
  “My name is Kate.”

3. Where are you from?

Bulgarians easily notice if the person they’re speaking with is a foreigner, usually due to the person’s accent or appearance. So the next question you’ll probably get is:

• От къде си?
  Ot kade si?
  “Where are you from?”

The formal or plural style will sound like this:

• От къде сте?
  Ot kade ste?
  “Where are you from?”

And here’s how to answer:

• Аз съм от Испания.
  Az sаm ot Ispaniya.
  “I am from Spain.”

• Ние сме от Англия.
  Nie sme ot Angliya.
  “We are from England.”

➢ BulgarianPod101 has a vocabulary list for countries! Check it out to hear how the names of different countries sound in Bulgarian.

4. Where do you live?

Many people will be curious to learn where you live now, so the next question in Bulgarian you should expect is:

• Къде живееш?
  Kade zhiveesh?
  “Where do you live?”

If you’re just in Bulgaria for a short vacation, you can answer:

• Живея в Лондон.
  Zhiveya v London.
  “I live in London.”

Or: 

• Живея в Сао Пауло.
  Zhiveya v Sao Paulo.
  “I live in Sao Paulo.”

But maybe you’ve already made the move to live in Bulgaria. In that case, your answer could be:

• Живея в София.
  Zhiveya v Sofia.
  “I live in Sofia.”

➢ Learn some of the major Bulgarian cities here, so you can reply to this question more easily.

5. How long have you been studying Bulgarian?

Your new Bulgarian friend might be amazed with your level of language proficiency, so he or she might ask you:

• Колко време си учил български?
  Kolko vreme si uchil balgarski?
  “How long have you been studying Bulgarian?”

Or:

• От колко време учиш български?
  Ot kolko vreme uchish balgarski?
  “How long have you been studying Bulgarian?”

You can answer by simply stating the amount of time, or by giving a complete sentence:

• Един месец.
  Edin mesets.
  “One month.”

• Уча български от един месец.
  Ucha balgarski ot edin mesets.
  “I have been studying Bulgarian for one month.”

Or:

• Половин година.
  Polovin godina.
  “Half a year.”

• Уча български от половин година.
  Ucha balgarski ot polovin godina.
  “I have been studying Bulgarian for half a year.”

Do you want to give a more specific answer? Try something like this: 

• Уча български от месец май тази година.
  Ucha bаlgarski ot mesets may tazi godina.
  “I have been studying Bulgarian since May this year.”

BulgarianPod101 has a lesson all about the names of months in Bulgarian. Check it out! 

6. Have you been to Bulgaria before?

Your interlocutor might be curious to find out whether you’ve been to Bulgaria before, or if this is your first time. So he or she might ask:

• Бил ли си в България преди?
  Bil li si v Balgariya predi?
  “Have you been to Bulgaria before?”

Or:

• За първи път ли си в България?
  Za parvi pat li si v Balgariya?
  “Are you in Bulgaria for the first time?”

Here are some possible answers:

• Аз съм за първи път в България.
  Az sam za parvi pat v Balgariya.
  “I am in Bulgaria for the first time.”

• Преди две години също бях в България.
  Predi dve godini sŭshto byah v Bŭlgariya.
  “Two years ago, I was also in Bulgaria.”

• Бил съм в България и преди.
  Bil sam v Balgariya i predi.
  “I’ve been to Bulgaria before.”

7. What do you do?

If you’re living in Bulgaria, or visiting for an extended period of time, your interlocutor might want to know why. Bulgarians won’t ask this directly, though, as it might be considered offensive to ask “Why are you here?” or Защо си тук? (Zashto si tuk?). Instead, they may ask about your occupation:

• Какво работиш?
  Kakvo rabotish?
  “What do you do?”

Another way to ask this Bulgarian question is:

• С какво се занимаваш?
  S kakvo se zanimavash?
  “What do you do?”

You can answer with both your occupation and your reason for being in Bulgaria.

• Аз съм писател и дойдох да пиша книга за България.
  Az sam pisatel i doydoh da pisha kniga za Balgariya.
  “I am a writer and I came to write a book about Bulgaria.”

• Аз съм бизнесмен и искам да отворя бизнес в България.
  Az sam biznesmen i iskam da otvorya biznes v Balgariya.
  “I am a businessman and I want to open a business in Bulgaria.”

• Аз съм пенсионер и не работя.
  Az sam pensioner i ne rabotya.
  “I’m a retiree and I don’t work.”

You can learn more words for jobs and occupations in Bulgarian here, and listen to their proper Bulgarian pronunciation.

8. Do you like Bulgarian food?

As you develop closer relationships with your Bulgarian friends, they might invite you to their home for dinner. Of course, you wouldn’t want to miss that chance! But first, they might ask you the following question:

• Харесваш ли българска храна?
  Haresvash li balgarska hrana?
  “Do you like Bulgarian food?”

This is your opportunity to tell them what you like the most, and hopefully, they’ll prepare your favorite Bulgarian meal for you. So you can answer this way:

• Да, особено харесвам баница.
  Da, osobeno haresvam banitsa.
  “Yes, I particularly like banitsa.”

• Да, особено харесвам пататник.
  Da, osobeno haresvam patatnik.
  “Yes, I particularly like patatnik.”

➢ BulgarianPod101 has a list of some of the most popular Bulgarian dishes, so do be sure to study up. 😉

9. How are you?

Once you’ve gotten close with someone, this is probably the first question they’ll ask whenever you meet up:

• Как си?
  Kak si?
  “How are you?”

There are different ways to answer this question in Bulgarian. Let’s see some of them:

• Добре съм, благодаря!
  Dobre sam, blagodarya!
  “I’m fine, thanks!”

• Отлично, благодаря!
  Otlichno, blagodarya!
  “Perfect, thanks!”

• Не се чувствам добре. 
  Ne se chuvstvam dobre.
  “I’m not feeling well.”

• Уморен съм и ми се спи.
  Umoren sam i mi se spi.
  “I’m tired and sleepy.”

If you would like to learn some more answers to this question, we have you covered!

10. What’s wrong?

If you’re speaking with a friend who tells you that he or she doesn’t feel good, then you should ask:

• Какво има?
  Kakvo ima?
  “What’s wrong?”

Or: 

• Какво не е наред?
  Kakvo ne e nared?
  “What’s wrong?”

Then, you might receive one of the following answers:

• Болен съм.
  Bolen sam.
  “I’m sick.”

• Разтревожен съм.
  Raztrevozhen sam.
  “I’m worried.”

• Гладен съм.
  Gladen sam.
  “I’m hungry.”

11. How much is it?

Now, let’s see what you need to ask when you’re in the market. Even if you don’t know the name of every product in Bulgarian, knowing how to ask for the price is always going to be helpful. 

• Колко струва това?
  Kolko struva tova?
  “How much is it?”

Or:

• Каква е цената на това?
  Kakva e tsenata na tova?
  “What is the price of this?”

And to understand the answer, you’ll have to learn the Bulgarian numbers first. The answer could be something like:

• Два лева.
  Dva leva.
  “Two leva.”

• Един и петдесет.
  Edin i petdeset.
  “One fifty.”

• Пет лева за килограм.
  Pet leva za kilogram.
  “Five leva per kilogram.”

12. Make Conversation with What You’ve Learned

Here’s a quick exercise to test your knowledge. Imagine that you meet a Bulgarian man for the first time and need to introduce yourself. Try filling in the blanks with your responses, and scroll to the end to check your answers! 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

– Здравей, как се казваш?
– ____________________

(Your answer here. Reply and ask about his name as well.)

– Аз съм Петър. От къде си?
– ____________________

(Your answer here)

– А къде живееш?
– ___________________

(To answer this question, read Peter’s next words.)

– В Пловдив!? И аз живея в Пловдив, но съм от Варна. А какво работиш.
– ___________________

(Your answer here. Ask Peter about his occupation, too.)

– Аз съм брокер. Работя за една пловдивска фирма за недвижими имоти. Търсиш ли да закупиш имот в България?
– ___________________

(Your answer here. Politely decline his offer.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

If you don’t understand everything or are struggling to write your answers, don’t worry. You can check the answers at the end of the article.

13. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You

BulgarianPod101 has prepared this detailed review of the top ten Bulgarian questions and answers to help you start your face-to-face communication with Bulgarian people. We believe that by studying this guide, you’ll become much more confident in making friends in Bulgaria. Since practice is the best possible teacher, try to start practicing what you’ve learned right away.

If you still need personal guidance, BulgarianPod101 can help you by offering you a private Bulgarian language teacher with our MyTeacher service. This language expert will uncover all the secrets of Bulgarian grammar and lead you to language-learning success.

Now, it’s time to check your answers. Please let us know in the comments whether the exercise was easy or difficult for you, and whether you were able to understand the Bulgarian sentences or not. Also let us know how you feel about this review. Did you find it helpful? We look forward to hearing from you and will help out the best we can! 

Answers to Section 12 Exercise – Make a Conversation

– Здравей, как се казваш?
Zdravey, kak se kazvash?
“Hello, what is your name?”

– Здравей, аз съм Джон. А ти как се казваш?  (Place your name in place of Джон.)
Zdravey, az sam Dzhon. A ti kak se kazvash?
“Hi, I’m John. And what is your name?”

(Your answer here. Reply and ask his name as well.)

– Аз съм Петър. От къде си?
Az sam Petar. Ot kade si?
“I’m Peter. Where are you from?”

– Аз съм от Англия. (Place your country in place of Англия.)
Az sam ot Angliya.
“I’m from England.”

(Your answer here)

– А къде живееш?
A kade zhiveesh?
“And where do you live?”

– Аз живея в Пловдив. 
Az zhiveya v Plovdiv.
“I live in Plovdiv.”

(To answer this question, read Peter’s next words.)

– В Пловдив!? И аз живея в Пловдив, но съм от Варна. А какво работиш?
V Plovdiv!? I az zhiveya v Plovdiv, no sam ot Varna. A kakvo rabotish?
“In Plovdiv!? I live in Plovdiv too, but I’m from Varna. And what do you do?”

– Аз съм бизнесмен. А ти? (Place your occupation in place of бизнесмен.)
Az sam biznesmen. A ti?
“I’m a businessman. And you?”

(Your answer here. Ask Peter about his occupation, too.)

– Аз съм брокер. Работя за една пловдивска фирма за недвижими имоти. Търсиш ли да закупиш имот в България?
Az sam broker. Rabotya za edna plovdivska firma za nedvizhimi imoti. Tarsish li da zakupish imot v Balgariya?
“I’m a broker. I work for a Plovdiv real estate company. Are you looking to buy a property in Bulgaria?”

– Не, благодаря.
Ne, blagodarya.
“No, thanks.”

(Your answer here. Politely decline his offer.)