Learning Bulgarian: 50 Useful Core Words

It's no secret that in Plovdiv, you can only rely on English for your daily needs. But wouldn't learning some Bulgarian be useful to you and everyone in your neighborhood who is not able to speak English? Especially if you intend to stay in Plovdiv for some time, it is important to learn some Bulgarian on some level. You will also naturally want to explore the whole country at some point if you relocate here, and English proficiency isn't that high outside of big cities like Plovdiv, Sofia, and Varna. 

Bulgarian people greatly appreciate your effort in learning the language, which will allow you to form better relationships with your neighbors or at your local coffee shop. And the best part is that you're already in a country where the official language is Bulgarian, which will make it easier for you to learn since you'll have unlimited chances to practice. 

So where do we start? Grammar, Alphabet, Phrases, or memorizing words? Everything, really. Don't worry, though. It doesn't mean you have to learn everything at once. After you move here, we recommend you get familiar with the most commonly used words and short phrases that everyone uses everyday. Once you've learned them, your ear will tune in to the context and get a sense of what people are saying. You will have an idea of what is being talked about, even if you do not understand the entire sentence. However, first things first. As you will need to read signs, menus, or headlines in the newspapers or on the internet, it is recommended that you start with the alphabet. The good news is that Bulgarian is almost entirely phonetic, which means that you pronounce it the same way as it is written. 

When you have mastered the Bulgarian alphabet, your next task is to learn how to read, write, and say most of the words and phrases you are likely to encounter in daily life. You don't need to learn them all at once, but the more you know, the better you will be able to interpret conversations. Learning even one word per day will result in 356 words in a year, allowing you to understand almost everything being said around you.

Here is a nice list of vocabulary for you. As we did it, we made sure to pick very specific words that would be useful to you. Throughout your stay in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; you will encounter these words almost daily. The following list contains 50 of the most common Bulgarian words you should learn as a beginner:

(First word is in Bulgarian, second word is the pronunciation, and third word is English meaning)

1. да - Da - Yes
2. не - Ne - No
3. за - Za - for
4. това - Tova - This
5. ти - Ti - You
6. че - Che - That
7. от - Ot - From
8. до - Do - To
9. тук - Tuk - Here
10. добре - Dobre - Good
11. няма - Nyama - There is no
12. има - ima - There is
13. така - Taka - So
14. много - Mnogo - Many, a lot
15. как - Kak - How
16. къде - kŭde - Where
17. какво - Kakvo - What
18. защо - Zashto - Why
19. когато - Kogato - When
20. което - koeto - Which
21. сега - Sega - Now
22. днес - Dnes - Today
23. време - vreme - time
24. всичко - Vsichko - Everything
25. искам - iskam - Want
26. още - Oshte - More
27. хайде - haĭde - Come on
28. благодаря - Blagodarya - Thanks
29. нищо - nishto - Nothing
30. само - Samo - Only
31. малко - Malko - A little
32. моля - Molya - Please
33. точно - Tochno - Exactly
34. работа - rabota - work
35. без - bez - without
36. жена - Djena - Woman
37. майка - mayka - Mum
38. татко - Tatko - Dad
39. пари - Pari - Money
40. обичам - Obicham - I love
41. приятел - priyatel - Friend
42. вечер - vecher - evening
43. нощ - Nosht - Night
44. чакай - Chakai - Wait
45. утре - utre - Tomorrow
46. колата - kolata - Car
47. часа - Chasa - o'clock
48. помощ - Pomosht - Help
49. страна - Strana - country
50. къщата - kŭshtata - House

In Plovdiv, we come across these words every day. We'll continue to produce similar posts. However, our next language guide will focus on the most commonly used phrases in Bulgarian. Watch this space.