Getting By in Bulgarian
This is the lesson you'd photocopy and keep in your pocket: the questions that navigate a city, a market and a conversation — powered by the little particle ли, Bulgarian's question-maker.
Where Is…?
Къде е…? plus the definite article you just learned:
| Bulgarian | English |
|---|---|
| Къде е гарата? | Where is the station? |
| Къде е тоалетната? | Where is the toilet? |
| Къде е хотелът? | Where is the hotel? |
| Къде е центърът? | Where is the center? |
Извинете, къде е гарата?
Excuse me, where is the station?
Note: Извинете opens, къде е + the article does the rest. Note хотелът, центърът — the full masculine form, because the noun is the subject.
How Much?
| Bulgarian | English |
|---|---|
| Колко струва? | How much does it cost? |
| Колко струва това? | How much is this? |
| Колко струва баницата? | How much is the banitsa? |
The answer comes back in лева — and the numbers lesson already taught you to catch it.
The Question Words
Seven keys that open every door:
| Bulgarian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| кой | who | Кой е това? — Who is that? |
| какво | what | Какво е това? — What is this? |
| къде | where | Къде е морето? — Where is the sea? |
| кога | when | Кога работи магазинът? — When is the shop open? |
| как | how | Как се казваш? — What's your name? |
| колко | how much/many | Колко струва? — How much is it? |
| защо | why | Защо не? — Why not? |
You've been using half of these for weeks — как since the greetings lesson, колко since the numbers, какво at the café. Now they're a set.
Yes/No Questions: ли
For questions without a question word, Bulgarian slips the particle ли in right after the verb:
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| Говорите английски. | Говорите ли английски? — Do you speak English? |
| Имате баница. | Имате ли баница? — Do you have banitsa? |
| Искаш кафе. | Искаш ли кафе? — Do you want coffee? |
Има ли автобус до центъра?
Is there a bus to the center?
Note: има ли — 'is there' — the traveller's workhorse. No word-order gymnastics: verb, ли, done.
When You're Lost
| Bulgarian | English |
|---|---|
| Не разбирам. | I don't understand. |
| По-бавно, моля. | Slower, please. |
| Може ли да повторите? | Could you repeat that? |
| Не говоря добре български. | I don't speak Bulgarian well. |
| Как се казва това на български? | What is this called in Bulgarian? |
💬 Rescuing a conversation
Извинете, говорите ли английски?
Excuse me, do you speak English?
Малко. Вие говорите ли български?
A little. Do you speak Bulgarian?
Малко! По-бавно, моля.
A little! Slower, please.
Добре. Какво търсите?
Okay. What are you looking for?
Къде е гарата?
Where is the station?
Common Mistakes
- Putting ли first. It follows the verb: Говорите ли…?, never «Ли говорите…».
- Skipping ли entirely. Rising intonation alone can work, but Имате ли…? is what locals expect at a counter.
- Confusing кой and какво. кой asks about people, какво about things.
- Dropping the article. Къде е гара? sounds broken — the station you mean is definite: гарата.
- Saving the rescue phrases for emergencies. Не разбирам and по-бавно, моля early and often — Bulgarians slow down happily.
What You Can Do Now
You can find anything (Къде е…?), price anything (Колко струва?), ask any yes/no question with ли, and rescue any conversation with the repair kit. Combined with ten lessons of vocabulary, you're officially street-functional in Bulgarian. Practice below.