Learn some common Bulgarian slang
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Intro |
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| Michael: What is Bulgarian slang like? |
| Yana: And is it commonly used? |
| Michael: At BulgarianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Lidiya and Ben are chatting at the cafeteria, when Lidiya, talking about her favorite singer, uses a word that literally means: |
| "Hammer!" |
| Lidiya Angelova: Чук! (Chuk!) |
| Dialogue |
| Lidiya Angelova: Чук! (Chuk!) |
| Ben Lee: Какво означава това? (Kakvo oznachava tova?) |
| Lidiya Angelova: Значи "супер, страхотно." (Znachi "super, strahotno.") |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Lidiya Angelova: Чук! |
| Michael: "Hammer!" |
| Ben Lee: Какво означава това? |
| Michael: "What does that mean?" |
| Lidiya Angelova: Значи "супер, страхотно." |
| Michael: "It means "great, awesome!"" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: Slang is an aspect of language that isn't usually taught in the classroom, but it can be important for becoming proficient. Slang is a set of words and expressions, used by a group of people to better convey feelings and implied concepts. Slang is usually an aspect of the colloquial language and, for this reason, it changes really quickly or differs from one group to the other. In Bulgarian, "slang" is |
| Yana: жаргон (zhargon) |
| Michael: Let's start with the slang word in the conversation. Do you remember what word Lidiya says? |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Yana as Lidiya Angelova: Чук! (Chuk!) |
| Michael: This literally means "hammer," but, when used as a slang expression, it means "smashing, superb." You can use this slang expression when you want to express agreement with an idea, or that something is trendy. Here is a sample sentence |
| Yana: Новата песен на Иво Димчев е чук! (Novata pesen na Ivo Dimchev e chuk!) |
| Michael: "The new hit by Ivo Dimchev is smashing!" |
| Michael: So far, you’ve learned that slang is an important aspect of colloquial language. It is often limited to small groups, and it can change quickly or become obsolete. |
| Now, let’s look at some more examples of slang expressions. The first is |
| Yana: зализан (zalizan) |
| Michael: which literally means "slicked," but when it's used as slang, it means "well groomed." You can use this slang expression to refer to someone who has styled and greased their hair in order to look slick for an occasion, but you are not particularly impressed by their outfit. For instance, if a male friend of yours has dressed up for a date, you can ironically ask |
| Yana: Какво си се зализал така? (Kakvo si se zalizal taka?) |
| Michael: this literally means "Why have you groomed up so much?" but translates as "Why have you dressed up so much?" |
| The next expression almost speaks for itself, |
| Yana: клати си краката (klati si krakata) |
| Michael: literally meaning "to dangle one's feet," when used as a slang expression, it means "doing nothing, being lazy." Let’s hear a sample sentence: |
| Yana: Той по цял ден си клати краката. (Toy po tsyal den si klati krakata.) |
| Michael: literally "He’s dangling his feet all day." It translates as "He is doing nothing all day long." |
| The next expression is |
| Yana: натопявам (natopyavam) |
| Michael: literally meaning "to soak." When it's used as a slang expression, it means "to put the blame on someone, to betray." You can use this slang expression when you want to say that someone has been betrayed and will bear the blame for something they are not involved in. Let’s hear a sample sentence |
| Yana: Той до последно не вярваше, че те са го натопили. (Toy do posledno ne vyarvashe, che te sa go natopili.) |
| Michael: This literally means "He didn't believe until the end that they had soaked him." but translates as "He didn't believe until the end that they had betrayed him." |
| Expansion |
| Michael: As you might know if you have Bulgarian friends, when it comes to colloquial expressions, Bulgarian can be a very colorful language. The only downside is that many slang words, if used in the wrong context, sound offensive. Usually, slang is used to describe people's negative habits or attitudes; for example, let’s consider the word |
| Yana: кука (kuka) |
| Michael: In standard Bulgarian, it means a "hook," but, when used as a slang word, it indicates a "policeman." Obviously, you can’t use this word in front of a police officer. Let's hear an example sentence. |
| Yana: Внимавай, по пътя може да има куки. (Vnimavay, po patya mozhe da ima kuki.) |
| Michael: Literally "Be careful, there may be hooks on the road." This translates as "Watch out, there might be policemen along the road." |
| Expansion |
| Michael: It is interesting to note that some slang words have been derived from English, such as: |
| Yana: кол, мен, пост, пик (kol, men, post, pik) |
| Michael: have a phonetic equivalent in regular Bulgarian, but with a different meaning. For example: |
| Yana: пост (post) |
| Michael: means a "publication on social media" in slang, but also a "fasting" in regular Bulgarian language. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Yana: До скоро! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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