Can you imagine the world today without smartphones? 

Thanks to these useful devices, people can speak to each other regardless of existing distance or time barriers. 

In recent years, texting and instant messaging have surpassed phone calls in popularity—but knowing how to communicate over the phone is still an essential skill! 

As a language learner, you should familiarize yourself with the most common Bulgarian telephone phrases for effective communication. To give you a headstart, BulgarianPod101 has prepared this in-depth overview of key phrases and dialogue examples.

After studying this extensive list of Bulgarian phone call words and phrases, you’ll no longer have to be afraid of the language barrier when picking up the phone. Knowing these phrases will give you the confidence you need to have a fulfilling conversation with any native Bulgarian speaker who may call: a friend, a neighbor, a landlord, or even an employer!

Table of Contents

1. Useful Words and Phrases for Your Phone Call
2. Beginning the Phone Conversation
3. Phone Conversation Parts
4. Ending a Phone Call
5. Sample Phone Conversations
6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

1. Useful Words and Phrases for Your Phone Call

You might find it helpful to start by learning the basic words, phrases, and terminology related to phone calls. Take a look: 

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
телефон	telefon	phone
мобилен телефон	mobilen telefon	mobile phone
смартфон	smartfon	smartphone
батерия	bateria	battery
зарядно	zaryadno	charger
телефонът звъни	telefonat zvani	the phone is ringing
вдигам телефона	vdigam telefona	to pick up the phone
говоря по телефона	govorya po telefona	to talk on the phone
свързвам се по телефона	svarzvam se po telefona	to connect by phone
обаждам се по телефона	obazhdam se po telefona	to call on the phone
приключвам разговора	priklyuchvam razgovora	to end the conversation
затварям телефона	zatvaryam telefona	to ring off / to hang up
зареждам телефона	zarezhdam telefona	to charge the phone
оставям съобщение	zatvaryam telefona	to leave a message

2. Beginning the Phone Conversation

Do you know what to say after picking up the phone to a Bulgarian speaker? Let’s start with the very first phrases you could say and what you should expect in reply.

The first phrase after picking up the phone

Informal Bulgarian phone phrases

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Ало!	Alo!	Hello!
Моля!	Molya!	Hello!
Да, моля!	Da molya!	Hello!
Ало, кой е?	Alo koy e?	Hello, who is this?
Ало, кой се обажда?	Alo, koy se obazhda?	Hello, who’s calling?

Formal Bulgarian phone phrases

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Добър ден, слушам!	Dobar den, slusham!	Good afternoon, I’m listening!
Компания Графити, добър ден!	Kompaniya Grafiti, dobar den!	Graffiti Company, good afternoon!
Компания Графити, с какво мога да Ви бъда полезен/полезна?	Kompaniya Grafiti, s kakvo moga da Vi bada polezen/polezna?	Graffiti Company, what can I do for you?

Please note that the masculine and feminine forms are different in that last question. Here are the individual phrases, for your convenience: 

• Компания Графити, с какво мога да Ви бъда полезен?
  Kompaniya Grafiti, s kakvo moga da Vi bada polezen?
  Graffiti Company, what can I do for you?
  
  – when the speaker is male

• Компания Графити, с какво мога да Ви бъда полезна?
  Kompaniya Grafiti, s kakvo moga da Vi bada polezna?
  Graffiti Company, what can I do for you?
  
   – when the speaker is female

Introducing yourself

After the initial greeting, the next thing to do is introduce yourself. Let’s see the informal and formal ways to do this, respectively. 

Presenting yourself (informal)

When you call your friend or someone else you’re closely acquainted with, here’s how to introduce yourself:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Здравей! Обажда се Петър.	Zdravey! Obazhda se Petar.	Hello! Peter is calling.
Здрасти! Петър е.	Zdrasti! Petar e.	Hi! It’s Peter.

→ Learn 10 Bulgarian lines you need for introducing yourself or our dedicated lesson on self-introductions on BulgarianPod101.com! 

Presenting you and your company (formal)

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Добър ден! Казвам се Петър Петров и съм представител на компания Графити.	Dobar den! Kazvam se Petar Petrov i sam predstavitel na kompaniya Grafiti.	Good afternoon! My name is Petеr Petrov and I am a representative of Graffiti Company.

Asking if it’s convenient to speak

Regardless of whether the conversation is formal or informal, it’s polite to ask whether the person you’re calling is available to speak or not. Here are some Bulgarian phone phrases to help you do this:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Удобно ли е?	Udobno li e?	Is it convenient?
Удобно ли е да се чуем?	Udobno li e da se chuem?	Is it convenient to talk?
Имаш ли малко свободно време?	Imash li malko svobodno vreme?	Do you have some free time?
Можеш ли да ми отделиш пет минути?	Mozhesh li da mi otdelish pet minuti?	Can you give me five minutes?
Можеш ли да говориш сега или да се обадя по-късно?	Mozhesh li da govorish sega ili da se obadya po-kasno?	Can you talk now or shall I call you later?

Now, let’s add some of these phrases to the greetings and introduction phrases we saw earlier:

(informal)

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Здравей! Обажда се Петър. Удобно ли е?	Zdravey! Obazhda se Petar. Udobno li e?	Hello! Peter is calling. Is it convenient?
Здравей, Петър! Да, удобно е.	Zdravey Petar! Da udobno e.	Hello Peter! Yes, it is convenient.
Здрасти! Петър е. Удобно ли е да се чуем?	Zdrasti! Petar e. Udobno li e da se chuem?	Hi! It’s Peter. Is it convenient to talk?
Здравей, Петър! Разбира се.	Zdravey Petar! Razbira se.	Hello Peter! Of course!

(formal)

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Добър ден! Казвам се Петър Петров и съм представител на компания Графити. Можете ли да ми отделите пет минути?	Dobar den! Kazvam se Petar Petrov i sam predstavitel na kompaniya Grafiti. Mozhete li da mi otdelite pet minuti?	Good afternoon! My name is Petеr Petrov and I am a representative of Graffiti Company. Can you give me five minutes?
Здравейте, съжалявам, но в момента съм зает. Обадете се по-късно.	Zdraveiyte, sazhalyavam, no v momenta sam zaet. Obadete se po-kasno.	Hello, I’m sorry, but I’m busy right now. Please call later.

3. Phone Conversation Parts

Now that you know what to say after picking up the phone and how to present yourself, it’s time to proceed with the different parts of the phone conversation.

Starting with the reason for the call

• If you’re returning a call, you could say:

(informal)

Търсил си ме.

Tarsil si me.

You have called me.

 (formal)

Търсили сте ме.

Tarsili ste me.

You have called me.

After this phrase, the other person usually takes their turn to explain their reason for calling.

• If you’re calling someone for a certain reason, you could start with:

(informal)

Обаждам се да ти кажа, че…	Obazhdam se da ti kazha, che…	I’m calling to tell you that…
Търся те, за да говоря с теб.	Tarsya te, za da govorya s teb.	I’m calling to talk to you.
Търся съвет за…	Tarsya savet za…	I’m looking for advice on…

 (formal)

Обаждам се да Ви представя новия ни продукт…	Obazhdam se da Vi predstavya noviya ni produkt…	I am calling to present to you our new product…
Обаждам се да Ви попитам кога е удобно да се срещнем.	Obazhdam se da Vi popitam koga e udobno da se sreshtnem.	I am calling to ask you when it is convenient to meet.

If you’re interested in how to invite a person somewhere, you can take a look at this lesson.

• If you’re not calling for a specific reason, but just to hear the person, you can say one of the following phrases: 

(informal)

Обаждам се само да те чуя.	Obazhdam se samo da te chuya.	I’m just calling to hear you.
Обаждам се само да те чуя как си.	Obazhdam se samo da te chuya kak si.	I’m just calling to hear how you are.

This is typical only for informal situations.

Asking to speak to someone

If you understand that the person who picked up the phone is not the one you want to talk to, then you can ask:

(informal + formal)

Мога ли да говоря с Иван?	Moga li da govorya s Ivan?	Can I talk to Ivan?
Търся Иван.	Tarsya Ivan.	I’m looking for Ivan.

You could receive different answers to this request. Here are three possibilities:

Разбира се, един момент, моля!	Razbira se, edin moment, molya!	Of course! One moment, please!
Съжалявам, в момента го няма. Обадете се след час.	Sazhalyavam, v momenta go nyama. Obadete se sled chas.	Sorry, he is not here at the moment. Please, call again in an hour.
Имате грешка, няма такъв.	Imate greshka, nyama takav.	There is a mistake, we don’t have such a person here.

If you receive that last answer, you could ask whether you’ve dialed the correct phone number:

Това 0877/523-642 ли е?	Tova nula osem sedem sedem pet dve tri shest chetri dve li e?	Is this 0877/523-642?
Не, набрали сте грешeн номер. Тук е 0877/523-652.	Ne, nabrali ste greshen nomer. Tuk e nula osem sedem sedem pet dve tri shest pet dve.	No, you dialed the wrong number. It is 0877/523-652.

→ If you’re not yet confident in your ability to say or comprehend a phone number in Bulgarian, make sure you check out our lesson on Bulgarian numbers! 

Then, you could apologize as follows:

Извинете.

Izvinete.

Excuse me.

Leaving a message

Now, let’s imagine that your interlocutor has said that the person you’re looking for is not currently there. They may ask you whether you would like to leave a message for them. Here’s a sample dialogue for you: 

(formal)

Съжалявам, в момента го няма. Искате ли да му предам нещо?	Sazhalyavam, v momenta go nyama. Iskate li da mu predam neshto?	Sorry, he is not here at the moment. Would you like to leave a message for him?
Да, ако обичате предайте му, че го е търсил Петър.	Da, ako obichate predayte mu, che go e tarsil Petar.	Yes, please tell him that Peter was looking for him.
Добре, ще му предам.	Dobre, shte mu predam.	Okay, I’ll tell him.
Благодаря.	Blagodarya.	Thank you!

Asking someone to wait

Asking someone to wait during a phone call happens frequently in formal conversations. Here are some ways you might be asked to hold on when you call a company.

(formal)

Изчакайте малко, ако обичате.	Izchakayte malko, ako obichate.	Wait a minute, please.
Един момент да проверя…	Edin moment da proverya…	Just a second to check…
Изчакайте така, докато Ви прехвърля…	Izchakayte taka, dokato Vi prehvarlya…	Please wait while I transfer you…

Asking for clarification

Sometimes, due to connection issues or the language barrier, you might not understand what your interlocutor has said. How can you ask for clarification? Let’s see:

(formal)

Извинете, можете ли да повторите?	Izvinete, mozhete li da povtorite?	Excuse me, can you repeat please?
Не Ви чух добре, бихте ли повторили?	Ne Vi chuh dobre, bihte li povtorili?	I didn’t hear you well, would you repeat?
Връзката е лоша и не Ви чух добре.	Vrazkata e losha i ne Vi chuh dobre.	The connection is bad and I didn’t hear you well.
Бихте ли повторили, ако обичате?	Bihte li povtorili, ako obichate?	Would you repeat if you may?
Разбира се.	Razbira se.	Of course.

4. Ending a Phone Call

There are a few ways you can end your Bulgarian phone conversation. We’ll explore both informal and formal phrases below.

(informal)

Дочуване!	Dochuvane!	See you soon!
Хайде, чао!	Hayde, chao!	Okay, bye!
Ще се чуем пак.	Shte se chuem pak.	We’ll talk again.
До скоро!	Do skoro!	See you soon!

(formal)

Много благодаря за информацията! Дочуване!	Mnogo blagodarya za informatsiyata! Dochuvane!	Thank you very much for the information! See you soon!
Благодаря, приятен ден!	Blagodarya, priyaten den!	Thank you, have a nice day!
Много благодаря за съдействието! Всичко най-добро!	Mnogo blagodarya za sadeystvieto! Vsichko nay-dobro!	Thank you very much for your cooperation! All the best!

Please note that the word Дочуване! (Dochuvane!) is typical for ending a phone conversation. Although it’s translated as “See you soon!” its literal translation is “Hear you soon!”

→ You can find some more useful phone call phrases on our website!

5. Sample Phone Conversations

It’s time to see some sample phone conversations in Bulgarian. We’ve provided both an informal and a formal sample to give you a good idea of how to use the phrases you’ve learned so far.

Sample informal phone conversation

Imagine that a person calls his friend to invite him to a birthday lunch together at a restaurant. Let’s see how this phone dialogue might sound:

– Ало!
(Alo!)
Hello!

– Ало, Иване здравей. Петър е.
(Alo, Ivane zdravey. Petar e.)
Hello, Ivan! It’s Peter.

– Здравей, Петре, как си? Какво ново?
(Zdravey, Petre, kak si? Kakvo novo?)
Hello, Peter, how are you? What’s new?

– Добре съм. Всъщност ти се обаждам да те поканя на рожден ден в ресторант “Синчец” тази неделя. Ще празнуваме двамата. Разбира се, аз черпя.
(Dobre sam. Vsashtnost ti se obazhdam da te pokanya na rozhden den v restorant “Sinchets” tazi nedelya. Shte praznuvame dvamata. Razbira se, az cherpya.)
I am fine. In fact, I’m calling to invite you to my birthday party at the Sinchets Restaurant this Sunday. We will celebrate the two of us. Of course, my treat.

– О, звучи прекрасно. От колко часа?
(O, zvuchi prekrasno. Ot kolko chasa?)
Oh, that sounds great. What time?

– Какво ще кажеш за 17 ч. вечерта?
(Kakvo shte kazhesh za sedemnayset chasa vecherta?)
How about five p.m.?

– Тогава съм зает. Може ли да го оставим за 18 ч?
(Togava sam zaet. Mozhe li da go ostavim za osemnayset chasa?)
I’ll be busy at that time. Can we leave it for six p.m.?

– Разбира се, сега ще се обадя в ресторанта да резервирам маса.
(Razbira se, sega shte se obadya v restoranta da rezerviram masa.)
Of course, I am calling the restaurant to book a table.

– Благодаря много за поканата. До скоро!
(Blagodarya mnogo za pokanata. Do skoro!)
Thanks a lot for your invitation. See you soon!

– До скоро! Ще те чакам в неделя в 18 ч. пред ресторанта.
(Do skoro! Shte te chakam v nedelya v osemnadeset chasa pred restoranta.)
See you soon! I will be waiting for you on Sunday at six p.m. in front of the restaurant.

Sample formal phone conversation

Now, let’s imagine that Peter from the phone call above calls the restaurant to reserve a table. Let’s look at how this formal conversation might go:

– Ресторант “Синчец”, добър ден!
(Restorant Sinchets, dobar den!)
Sinchets Restaurant, good afternoon!

– Добър ден. Обаждам се да резервирам маса за двама за неделя.
(Dobar den. Obazhdam se da rezerviram masa za dvama za nedelya.)
Good afternoon. I’m calling to book a table for two for Sunday.

– Да, за колко часа?
(Da, za kolko chasa?)
Okay, at what time?

– За 18 часа.
(Za osemnayset chasa.)
At six p.m.

– Моля, изчакайте момент да проверя… Имаме две свободни маси за този час—едната на балкона, а другата вътре до прозореца. Коя предпочитате?
(Molya, izchakayte moment da proverya… Imame dve svobodni masi za tozi chas—ednata na balkona, a drugata vatre do prozoretsa. Koya predpochitate?)
Please, give me a moment to check… We have two available tables for that hour—one in the balcony and the other one inside by the window. Which one do you prefer?

– Предпочитам тази до прозореца.
(Predpochitam tazi do prozoretsa.)
I prefer the one by the window.

– Добре, отбелязвам. Вашето име?
(Dobre, otbelyazvam. Vasheto ime?)
Okay, I am noting it down. Your name?

– Петър Петров.
(Petar Petrov.)
Peter Petrov.

– Резервацията Ви е приета. Благодаря!
(Rezervatsiyata Vi e prieta. Blagodarya!)
Your reservation has been set up. Thank you!

– И аз благодаря. Приятен ден!
(I az blagodarya. Priyaten den!)
Thank you, too. Have a nice day!

– И на Вас! Дочуване!
(I na Vas! Dochuvane!)
You too! See you soon!

BulgarianPod101 has prepared the following lesson on making a phone call in Bulgarian, in case you’d like even more phrases and insight!

6. How BulgarianPod101 Can Help You Learn the Bulgarian Language

We hope that you found this detailed overview of Bulgarian telephone phrases helpful and that you’ve gained the confidence you need to handle phone calls like a native. Once you have the phrases memorized, you can start piecing them together to form unique conversations for any situation. 

If you want to learn even more Bulgarian and gain access to study and practice materials, make sure to create your free lifetime account on BulgarianPod101.com. 

To dive even deeper into the linguistic and cultural specifics, you can turn to our MyTeacher service for Premium PLUS members. This service allows you to choose a private Bulgarian teacher who can assist you, provide specialized learning materials, and review your work. 

Finally, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback with us! Will these Bulgarian phone call expressions be enough to get you through your upcoming calls, or did we leave something out? We’ll get back to you at the earliest!