Many foreign language learners give up as soon as they reach the grammar. Learning grammar seems like Mission: Impossible to them!

But guess what? Thanks to BulgarianPod101, you can now learn all of the Bulgarian grammar basics in a fun and easy-to-understand way. We think that the most challenging part of your language learning journey should also be the most fun and intriguing! 

On this page, you’ll find a breakdown of the most important Bulgarian grammar rules. We’ll cover topics ranging from word order to tenses, providing you with insight and examples to make your learning experience as painless as possible. Make sure to complete each of the Bulgarian grammar exercises we’ve included, as they will help you better understand the rules and how to apply them.

Table of Contents

1. General Rules
2. Vocabulary
3. Special Grammar Point 1: Gender
4. Special Grammar Point 2: Number
5. Special Grammar Point 3: Definite Articles
6. Special Grammar Point 4: Case
7. Special Grammar Point 5: Tenses
8. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn More Bulgarian
9. Answers to the Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises

1. General Rules

Before we move on to the heavy stuff, let’s go over a couple of basic Bulgarian grammar points every learner should be familiar with: word order and vocabulary.

Word Order

Let’s start with word order and how to properly build Bulgarian sentences. We have good news for you: Bulgarian word order is flexible, so you have fewer chances to make a mistake! The rather free word order of Bulgarian is possible thanks to subject-verb agreement. Take the following example:

• Той (S) видя (V) момичето (O) в далечината (A).
  Toy vidya momicheto v dalechinata.
  “He saw the girl in the distance.”

So the pattern of this sentence is:

S (Subject) + V (Verb) + O (Object) + A (Adjunct)

Now, let’s try to change the word order of the same sentence and see what the possible options are.

• В далечината той видя момичето.
  V dalechinata toy vidya momicheto.
  “In the distance, he saw the girl.”
  A + S + V + O

• Момичето той видя в далечината.
  Momicheto toy vidya v dalechinata.
  “The girl he saw in the distance.”
  O + S + V + A

• Той видя в далечината момичето.
  Toy vidya v dalechinata momicheto.
  “He saw in the distance the girl.”
  S + V + A + O
  
  You can find more insight on this topic in our Bulgarian word order article!

Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Word Order

Do you like puzzle games? The following word order task is very similar to completing a puzzle, so why not try it? 

We’ll give you a sentence with its pattern explanation. Your task is to change the order of the words in that sentence according to the patterns we list. 

If you can’t wait till the end to check whether your answers are correct, you can scroll directly to the bottom of this page and find the answers under the appropriate heading.

Here’s your exercise:

• Ана (S) занесе (V) цветя (O) на майка си (A).
  Ana zanese tsvetya na mayka si.
  “Anna brought flowers to her mother.”

The pattern of the sentence above is:

S + V + O + A

Now, try to change the order of the sentence to follow each of these patterns:

S + V + A + O
O + V + S + A 
A + S + V + O

Done? Great!

Now, try to translate the following sentence into Bulgarian:

• I study the Bulgarian language from a textbook.

After you’re done, change the word order to match these English equivalents:

1. From a textbook I study the Bulgarian language.
2. The Bulgarian language I study from a textbook.
3. I study from a textbook the Bulgarian language.

When you’re ready, try to make a scheme for each Bulgarian sentence, the same way they’re done above. The answers can be found at the very end of this article.

2. Vocabulary

Another crucial element of Bulgarian grammar for beginners to learn early is the vocabulary. Here, we’ll briefly look at the different parts of speech.

Parts of Speech	Bulgarian	English
Nouns	жена (zhena)	woman
Adjectives	красив (krasiv)	beautiful
Verbs	вървя (varvya)	to go
Adverbs	бавно (bavno)	slowly
Pronouns: Personal	аз, ти, той, тя, то, ние, вие, те (az, ti, toy, tya, to, nie, vie, te)	I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they
Pronouns: Demonstrative	това (tova)	this
Pronouns: Possessive	мой, твой, негов, неин, негов, наш, ваш, техен (moy, tvoy, negov, nein, nash, vash, tehen)	my, yours, his, her, its, our, yours, theirs
Conjunctions	и, но  (i, no)	and, but
Prepositions	в, над, зад, пред, под, между (v, nad, zad, pred, pod, mezhdu)	in, over, behind, before, under, between

Now, let’s try to make Bulgarian sentences using the words from the table above.

Adjective + Noun
красива жена
krasiva zhena
“beautiful woman”

Noun + Verb + Adjective
Жената е красива.
Zhenata e krasiva.
“The woman is beautiful.”

Noun + Verb + Adverb 
Жената върви бавно.
Zhenata varvi bavno.
“The woman walks slowly.”

Adjective + Noun + Verb + Adverb 
Красивата жена върви бавно.
Krasivata zhena varvi bavno.
“The beautiful woman walks slowly.”

Demonstrative Pronoun + Verb + Possessive Pronoun + Noun
Това е моята жена.
Tova e moyata zhena.
“This is my wife.”

Personal Pronoun + Verb + Adjective + Noun
Аз съм красива жена.
Az sam krasiva zhena.
“I am a beautiful woman.”

Adjective + Noun + Verb + Adverb + Preposition + Noun
Красивата жена върви бавно в парка.
Krasivata zhena varvi bavno v parka.
“The beautiful woman walks slowly in the park.”

→ Are you struggling to memorize vocabulary? See BulgarianPod101’s lesson How Do You Remember Bulgarian Words? for some great suggestions on how to improve your memorization!

Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Vocabulary

Now, it’s your turn to practice. First, study this table.

Parts of Speech	Bulgarian	English
Nouns	мъж (mazh)	man
Adjectives	умен (umen)	smart
Verbs	работя (rabotya)	to work
Adverbs	бързо (barzo)	quickly
Pronouns: Personal	аз, ти, той, тя, то, ние, вие, те (az, ti, toy, tya, to, nie, vie, te)	I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they
Pronouns: Demonstrative	този [for masculine] (tozi)	this
Pronouns: Possessive	мой, твой, негов, неин, негов, наш, ваш, техен (moy, tvoy, negov, nein, nash, vash, tehen)	mine, yours, his, her, its, ours, yours, theirs
Conjunctions	и, но (i, no)	and, but
Prepositions	в, над, зад, пред, под, между (v, nad, zad, pred, pod, mezhdu)	in, over, behind, before, under, between

Now, write the following phrases and sentences in Bulgarian:

Adjective + Noun  
smart man

Noun + Verb + Adjective
The man is smart.

Noun + Verb + Adverb 
The man works quickly.

Adjective + Noun + Verb + Adverb 
The smart man works quickly.

Demonstrative Pronoun + Noun + Verb + Possessive Pronoun
This man is mine.

Personal Pronouns + Verb + Adjective + Noun
You are a smart man.

3. Special Grammar Point 1: Gender

Like many languages, Bulgarian has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. A word’s gender can often be determined by its ending. 

1. Nouns of masculine gender typically end in a consonant

Examples:

➢ мъж (mаzh) – man
➢ син (sin) – son
➢ стол (stol) – chair
➢ кон (kon) – horse

2. Nouns of feminine gender typically have the endings -а/-я

Examples:

➢ жена (zhena) – woman
➢ ябълка (yabalka) – apple
➢ кола (kola) – car
➢ чиния (chiniya) – plate

3. Nouns of neuter gender typically have the endings -е/-о

Examples:

➢ море (more) – sea
➢ поле (pole) – field
➢ месо (meso) – meat
➢ село (selo) – village

There are some exceptions for each grammatical gender that you should take into account. These are:

Exceptions for the masculine gender

Some common nouns of masculine gender may have the endings -а or -я.

➢ баща (bashta) – father
➢ старшина (starshina) – sergeant-major
➢ съдия (sadiya) – judge

Other nouns of masculine gender may have the ending -о (when they refer to close relatives) or -и (when they refer to months of the year).

➢ чичо (chicho) – uncle
➢ дядо (dyado) – grandpa
➢ януари (yanuari) – January
➢ февруари (fevruari) – February

You can learn more of these words in our article on How To Talk About Family in Bulgarian and our vocabulary list for Talking About Months in Bulgarian!

Exceptions for the feminine gender

Some common nouns of feminine gender may have the endings -ст or -есен.

➢ младост (mladost) – youth
➢ радост (radost) – joy
➢ песен (pesen) – song
➢ есен (esen) – autumn

Some common nouns of feminine gender may end in a consonant.

➢ любов (lyubov) – love
➢ нощ (nosht) – night
➢ смрад (smrad) – stink

Exceptions for the neuter gender

Some common nouns of neuter gender may end in -и, -у, or -ю. Usually, these words have a foreign origin.

➢ такси (taksi) – taxi
➢ жури (zhuri) – jury
➢ бижу (bizhu) – jewel

Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Genders

Now, try to categorize the following words into the table below based on their gender:

крак, младост, воля, корен, море, селище, колело, кожа, кино, мрак, мравка, такси, март, нощ, чичо, корона, слънце, януари, бижу, корен, майка, баща, обица, бюро

Masculine gender	Feminine gender	Neuter gender
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.

4. Special Grammar Point 2: Number

Bulgarian language grammar recognizes nouns as being either singular or plural. 

It’s interesting to note that Old Bulgarian also had the so-called dual number, which ended in -a. It was used for referring to a pair of things. Today, it’s still used for countable nouns of masculine gender, but only for inanimate objects. Animated objects end in -и when in their countable forms. Here are a few examples:

Singular	Countable Noun Form	Plural
стол  stol “a chair”	пет стола  pet stola “five chairs”	много столове  mnogo stolove “many chairs”
домат  domat “a tomato”	два домата  dva domata “two tomatoes”	много домати  mnogo domati “many tomatoes”

Let’s now look at the endings for plural and singular nouns for each gender:

	Singular	Plural
Masculine gender Samples:	-consonant студент (student) – student кон (kon) – horse стол (stol) – chair	-и, -е, ове студенти (studenti) – student sконе (kone) – horses столове (stolove) – chairs
Feminine gender Samples:	-а, -я, -ст, -есен вода (voda) – water чиния (chiniya) – plate радост (radost) – joy песен (pesen) – song	-и води (vodi) – waters чинии (chiniyi) – plates радости (radosti) – joys песни (pesni) – songs
Neuter gender Samples:	-о, -е, -и, -у, -ю село (selo) – village море (more) – sea такси (taxi) – taxi бижу (bizhu) – jewel	-а, -та села (sela) – villages морета (moreta) – seas таксита (taxita) – taxies бижута (bizhuta) – jewelry

Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Number

Try to make the plural form of the following nouns:

майка –
баща –
кино –
такси –
мравка –
обица –
слънце –
корен –
кожа –
море –

*Tip: If you find it difficult, you can refer to the previous exercise to see the gender of these nouns first. You can also check the correct answers at the end of this page.

5. Special Grammar Point 3: Definite Articles

In contrast to English and other languages where the definite article is written in front of the word, the definite article in Bulgarian is postfixed and looks like this:

	Indefinite	Definite
Masculine gender Samples:	студент (student) – student кон (kon) – horse	Definite article: –ът, -ят студентът (studentat) – the student конят (konyat) – the horse
Feminine gender Samples:	вода (voda) – water чиния (chiniya) – plate радост (radost) – joy	Definite article: –та водата (vodata) – the water чинията (chiniyata) – the plate радостта (radostta) – the joy
Neuter gender Samples:	село (selo) – village море (more) – sea такси (taxi) – taxi	-тo селото (sela) – the village морето (moreta) – the sea таксито (taxita) – the taxi

Note that the definite article for plural nouns is -те for masculine and feminine, and -та for neuter gender.

Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Definite Articles

Let’s return to our list from the previous section and try to add a definite article to each word. Please note that although баща (bashta), or “father,” is masculine, we add the feminine definite article to it because of its -a ending.

майка –
баща –
кино –
такси –
мравка –
обица –
слънце –
корен –
кожа –
море –

Once you complete the task above, make a summary of what you’ve learned so far by filling in the following table. The first row is filled out for you as an example.

*Tip: Determine the correct definite articles by looking at your answers from Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Number where you made the list of singular words plural.

Singular	Singular- Definite	Plural	Plural – Definite
майка	майката	майки	майките
баща
кино
такси
мравка
обица
слънце
корен
кожа
море

6. Special Grammar Point 4: Case

In Bulgarian grammar, cases are used only for personal nouns. There are three cases:

• Nominative – аз, ти, той, тя, то, ние, вие, те
• Accusative – ме, те, го, я, го, ни, ми, ги
• Dative – ми, ти, му, й, му, ни, ви, им

Here’s a table with translations to make things clearer:

Nominative	Accusative	Dative
аз – I	ме – me	ми – to me
ти – you	тe – you	ти – to you
той – he	го – him	му – to him
тя – she	я – her	й – to her
то – it	го – it	му – to it
ние – we	ни – us	ни – to us
вие – you	ви – you	ви – to you
те – they	ги – them	им – to them

Examples:

• Аз го попитах как се чувства. (го – Accusative)
  Az go popitah kak se chuvstva.
  “I asked him how he was feeling.”

• Аз му дадох моята книга. (му – Dative)
  Az mu dadoh moyata kniga.
  “I gave my book to him.”

Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Case

Use the table and examples above to translate the following sentences into Bulgarian:

• He asked her how he was feeling. (Accusative)
• She gave my book to me. (Dative)
• We asked them how they were feeling. (Accusative)
• They gave the book to us. (Dative)

7. Special Grammar Point 5: Tenses

The toughest part of Bulgarian grammar is related to the tenses. There are nine main tenses, but the most used ones are present tense, future tense, past aorist tense, and past imperfect tense. 

Let’s see all nine tenses in a table:

Bulgarian Tenses	Example	Translation
Present tense	Аз уча български. Az ucha balgarski.	“I study Bulgarian.”
Future tense	Аз ще уча български. Az shte ucha balgarski.	“I will study Bulgarian.”
Past aorist tense	Аз учих български. Az uchih balgarski.	“I studied Bulgarian.”
Past imperfect tense	Аз учех български. Az ucheh balgarski.	“I was studying Bulgarian.”
Past future tense	Аз щях да уча български. Az shtyah da ucha balgarski.	“I was going to study Bulgarian.”
Present perfect tense	Аз съм учил български. Az sam uchil balgarski.	“I have studied Bulgarian.”
Past perfect tense	Аз бях учил български. Az byah uchil balgarski.	“I had studied Bulgarian.”
Future perfect tense	Аз ще съм учил български. Az shte sam uchil balgarski.	“I will have studied Bulgarian.”
Past future perfect tense	Аз щях да съм учил български. Az shtyah da sam uchil balgarski.	“I would have studied Bulgarian.”

Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Tenses

Now, let’s practice tenses! Think of it as a game. Just take the table above and change the verb уча (ucha), or “study,” with ходя (hodya), meaning “go.” 

Bulgarian Tenses	Example	Translation
Present tense	Аз ходя в парка. Az hodya в parka.	“I walk in the park.”
Future tense		“I will walk in the park.”
Past aorist tense		“I walked in the park.”
Past imperfect tense		“I was walking in the park.”
Past future tense		“I was going to walk in the park.”
Present perfect tense		“I have walked in the park.”
Past perfect tense		“I had walked in the park.”
Future perfect tense		“I will have walked in the park.”
Past future perfect tense		“I would have walked in the park.”

8. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn More Bulgarian

BulgarianPod101 prepared this extensive guide to the basic Bulgarian grammar rules to help you more easily get used to this foreign language. We hope that you found our overview helpful and have successfully completed all of the practical exercises. However, if you still have any questions or concerns about a topic we covered, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible! 

Do you feel ready to learn Bulgarian grammar in more detail? 

We provide a range of learning tools and materials for learners at every level. From free vocabulary lists to audio and video lessons, there’s something for everyone on BulgarianPod101.com. 

You can also choose your own Bulgarian teacher from MyTeacher when you sign up for a Premium PLUS account. Your teacher will help you successfully overcome all the grammar challenges you might encounter. 

And now, let’s check your answers!

9. Answers to the Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises

Answers to: Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Word Order

• Ана занесе цветя на майка си.
  Ana zanese tsvetya na mayka si.
  “Anna brought flowers to her mother.”
  S + V + O + A

Answers

S + V + A + O
Ана занесе на майка си цветя.
Ana zanese na mayka si tsvetya.
“Anna brought to her mother flowers.”

O + V + S + A 
Цветя занесе Ана на майка си.
Tsvetya zanese Ana na mayka si.
“Flowers brought Anna to her mother.”

A + S + V + O
На майка си Ана занесе цветя.
Na mayka si Ana zanese tsvetya.
“To her mother Anna brought flowers.”

I study the Bulgarian language from a textbook.
Аз уча български език от учебник.
Az ucha balgarski ezik ot uchebnik.
S + V + O + A

From a textbook study I the Bulgarian language.
От учебник аз уча български език.
Ot uchebnik az ucha balgarski ezik.
A + S + V + O

The Bulgarian language I study from a textbook.
Български език аз уча от учебник.
Balgarski ezik az ucha ot uchebnik.
O + S + V + A

I study from a textbook the Bulgarian language.
Аз уча от учебник български език.
Az ucha ot uchebnik balgarski ezik.
S + V + A + O

Answers to: Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Vocabulary

Adjective + Noun  
smart man
умен мъж
umen mazh

Noun + Verb + Adjective
The man is smart.
Мъжът е умен.
Mazhat e umen.

Noun + Verb + Adverb 
The man works quickly.
Мъжът работи бързо.
Mazhat raboti barzo.

Adjective + Noun + Verb + Adverb 
The smart man works quickly.
Умният мъж работи бързо.
Umniyat mаzh raboti barzo.

Demonstrative Pronoun + Noun + Verb + Possessive Pronoun
This man is mine.
Този мъж е мой.
Tozi mazh e moy.

Personal Pronouns + Verb + Adjective + Noun 
You are a smart man.
Ти си умен мъж.
Ti si umen mazh.

Answers to: Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Genders

Masculine gender	Feminine gender	Neuter gender
крак	младост	кино
корен	воля	море
мрак	кожа	селище
март	мравка	колело
чичо	нощ	такси
януари	корона	бижу
корен	майка	бюро
баща	обица	слънце

Answers to: Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Number

майка – майки 
баща – бащи
кино – кина
такси – таксита
мравка – мравки
обица – обици
слънце – слънца
корен – корени
кожа – кожи море – морета

Answers to: Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Definite Articles

майка – майката 
баща – бащата
кино – кинотo
такси – такситo
мравка – мравката 
обица – обицата 
воля – волята 
слънце – слънцетo
корен – коренът
кожа – кожата
море – моретo

Singular	Singular- Definite	Plural	Plural – Definite
майка	майката	майки	майките
баща	бащата	бащи	бащите
кино	киното	кина	кината
такси	таксито	таксита	такситата
мравка	мравката	мравки	мравките
обица	обицата	обици	обиците
слънце	слънцето	слънца	слънцата
корен	коренът	корени	корените
кожа	кожата	кожаи	кожите
море	морето	морета	моретата

Answers to: Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Cases

• He asked her how he was feeling. (Accusative)
  Той я попита как се чувства. (я – Accusative)
  (Toy ya popita kak se chuvstva)

• She gave my book to me. (Dative)
  Тя ми даде моята книга. (ми – Dative)
  Tya mi dade moyata kniga.

• We asked them how they were feeling. (Accusative)
  Ние ги попитахме как се чувстват. (ги – Accusative)
  Nie gi popitahme kak se chuvstvat.

• They gave the book to us. (Dative)
  Тe ни дадоха книгата. (ни – Dative)
  Te ni dadoha knigata.

Answers to: Practical Bulgarian Grammar Exercises: Tenses

Bulgarian Tenses	Example	Translation
Present tense	Аз ходя в парка. Az hodya v parka.	“I walk in the park.”
Future tense	Аз ще ходя в парка. Az she hodya v parka.	“I will walk in the park.”
Past aorist tense	Аз ходих в парка. Az hodih v parka.	“I walked in the park.”
Past imperfect tense	Аз ходех в парка. Az hodeh v parka.	“I was walking in the park.”
Past future tense	Аз щях да ходя в парка. Az shtyah da hodya v parka.	“I was going to walk in the park.”
Present perfect tense	Аз съм ходил в парка. Az sam hodil v parka.	“I have walked in the park.”
Past perfect tense	Аз бях ходил в парка. Az byah hodil в parka.	“I had walked in the park.”
Future perfect tense	Аз ще съм ходил в парка. Az she sam hodil в parka.	“I will have walked in the park.”
Past future perfect tense	Аз щях да съм ходил в парка Az shtyah da sam hodil в parka.	“I would have walked in the park.”