Learn the Bulgarian pronunciation
The Bulgarian is a South Slavic language which is very close to Russian and Serbian. It is spoken by almost 9 million people all over the world and it is the national langage of Republic of Bulgaria. It is relatively easy to speak, but there are some sounds that are a little bit harder to pronounce. However, nothing is impossible, with a little bit of practice you will strart pronouncing it perfectly!
Lesson Outline
HideBulgarian pronunciation guide
Don't be scared or worried, the good news is that there are pronunciation patterns which are really close to the English language.
Where to put the stress?
The stress in Bulgarian usually is not written and it could be anywhere in the word. So, you would have to memorize the right pronunciation of the word. So, listen carefully to native speakers and try to repeat them! In case that you wonder for a specific word, you can always check the dictionary.
The Bulgarian alphabet pronunciation
Vowels
There are 6 vowels in the Bulgarian language: а, ъ, о, у, е, и. When they are unstressed, they tend to be shorter and weaker. When they are stressed the sound is larger and stronger.
| Vowel | Stressed | Unstressed | Bulgarian word |
|---|---|---|---|
| А | a: father or car | uh stud | мравка (mravkuh) |
| Ъ | uh stud | a about | ъгъл (ugal) |
| О | more and score | weak "oo" | розов (rozov) |
| У | rule and moon | weak "oh" | пушка (pushka) |
| Е | pen and attend | weak "ee" | пепел (pepel) |
| И | machine and be | weak "eh" | мирише (mirishe) |
Consonants
When voiced consonants are in the end of the word they are pronounced as voiceless.
| Consonant | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Б (voiced) | boy / pop (in the end of the word) | боб |
| В (voiced) | voice / half | вагон / красив |
| Г (voiced) | good / cook | глог |
| Д (voiced) | deer / part | добър |
| Ж (voiced) | pleasure / push | жираф |
| З (voiced) | zoo / plus | зелен |
| К | cactus | котка |
| Л | love | лилав |
| М | mother | майка |
| Н | nothing | нов |
| П | popular | популярен |
| Р | race | рана |
| С | start | сутрин |
| Т | trick | този |
| Ф | free | филм |
| Х | horn | храна |
| Ц | tsunami | царевица |
| Ч | cheap | чорап |
| Ш | sheep | широк |
| Щ | pushed | щипка |
| ь | doesn't have sound. Softens the pronunciation. | шофьор |
Some Bulgarian words with pronunciation
| Bulgarian | Transcription | English |
|---|---|---|
| Здравей | Zdravei | Hello |
| Град | Grad | City |
| Държава | Darzhava | Country |
| Добре дошъл | Dobre doshul! | Welcome! |
| Човек | Chovek | Human |
| Младост | Mladost | Youth |
Some Bulgarian phrases with pronunciation
| Bulgarian | Transcription | English |
|---|---|---|
| Слънцето пече! | Slunceto peche! | The sun is shining! |
| Страхотно си изкарахме! | Strahotno si izkarahme! | We had so much fun! |
| Обичам да ям лютеница! | Obicham da yam lyutenitza! | I love eating lyutenitza! |
| Приятен ден! | Priyaten den! | Have a great day! |
| Бъди жив и здрав! | Budi zhiv i zdrav! | Be healthy and happy! |
| Наздраве! | Nazdrave! | Cheers! |
You can find even more words and expressions in Bulgarian in each lesson of our course. All lessons have transcriptions and audio.
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Welcome to my class!
I teach: Bulgarian
Hi there,I am glad to meet you.First of all, let me congratulate you on the decision to learn or improve a new language. In your case this is... Bulgarian.My country, Bulgaria, is a beautiful country with nice and hospitable people. It is an ancient land with a great history and rich culture. Having learned our language you will be able to get in touch freely with our good people and country.I come from the town of Vidin, Bulgaria. I am a qualified English and Bulgarian teacher. I graduated back in 1972 from Sofia University with an MA in English Philology and Bulgarian Philology as a second subject. Since then I have spent most of my professional career teaching Bulgarian students.First of all, we will have a 20-30-minute trial lesson during which we can get to know each other, set expectations towards the lessons and schedule the timetable. The next step is simple - we start learning the language of your choice!Cannot wait to meet you and help you on your journey to learn Bulgarian. Read more
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I teach: Bulgarian, English
My name is Monika and I am fluent Bulgarian and English speaker. I can help you to learn Bulgarian and/or English if you are a beginner or... if you want to prepare for your exams in Bulgarian grammar. I am passionate about languages because I found it easy to study languages in general. I took my final exam in Bulgarian grammar and literature with A. I also graduated Glasgow Caledonian University, which of course wanted IELTS as part of the requirements.I want to help everyone, who wants to learn Bulgarian and/or English without any struggle.Hope to see you soon. Read more
About me and my teaching style
I teach: Bulgarian, English, French
Hello, I am Zlatko. I have over 12 years of French, English and Bulgarian teaching experience. My style is to have natural... conversations about a wide range of topics. I always encourage my students to speak and give them hints about how to remember as much as possible.We can focus on a different grammar point during a lesson too. The way I explain grammar rules is simple and fun. How does that grab you? Are you willing to learn Bulgarian, French or English with me? If so, please let me know what your language learning goals are, and I will build a realistic study plan for you.I look forward to meeting you soon. Read more
