Section 1
Numbers 0 to 10 — one card, one click
Each number has its own audio button. Say it out loud after every click.
Numbers 0–10 are the bedrock. Every number in Bulgarian — up to a billion — is built from these. There are no irregularities except the gendered forms of 1 and 2, which get their own section. Click each card, listen, then cover it and recall.
🏋 Retention technique — forward and backward
Count 0→10 out loud clicking each button. Then count 10→0 without clicking — only look up when you get stuck. Research shows reverse recall doubles retention speed compared to forward-only practice.
Section 2
Numbers 11 to 20 — one suffix rules them all
Master the pattern once, get nine numbers free.
Numbers 11–19 work by one rule only: take the digit, add -надесет (-nadeset, meaning "on ten"). No exceptions, no irregulars. This is one area where Bulgarian is genuinely easier than English — compare "eleven, twelve, thirteen" with "единадесет, дванадесет, тринадесет".
Each strip has audio in the full sequence below. For individual practice, use the grid — tap the number you want to hear in isolation.
💡 Why -надесет?
The suffix literally means "on ten". So петнадесет = пет + на + десет = five-on-ten = fifteen. This makes Bulgarian 11–19 completely transparent in a way English "eleven" and "twelve" simply are not. Once you know the rule, you can produce any teen number immediately.
Section 3
The gender trap — 1 and 2
The most common beginner mistake. Understand it once, avoid it forever.
In Bulgarian, the numbers 1 and 2 must agree with the grammatical gender of the noun they modify. There are three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. Each has a different form of "one" and "two".
Masculine
един / два
edin / dva
един мъж — one man
два мъже — two men
Feminine
една / две
edna / dve
една жена — one woman
две жени — two women
Neuter
едно / две
edno / dve
едно дете — one child
две деца — two children
💡 Quick gender guide
Masculine: nouns ending in a consonant — мъж, ден, стол (man, day, chair)
Feminine: nouns ending in -а or -я — жена, маса, земя (woman, table, earth)
Neuter: nouns ending in -е or -о — дете, кафе, вино (child, coffee, wine)
Day 6 covers gender in full. For now, notice the ending and apply the right form of 1 or 2.
Section 4
The tens: 20 to 100
One pattern, eight numbers — then build any number up to 99.
The tens follow the same two-part logic as 20: digit + десет. To build compound numbers like 47, say the ten, add и (and), then the unit: четиридесет и седем = 47.
🔢 Building compound numbers
двадесет и три = 23 (twenty and three)
петдесет и осем = 58 (fifty and eight)
деветдесет и девет = 99 (ninety and nine)
The word и (and) always connects the ten to its unit. Never drop it.
Section 5
Real-world scenarios
Numbers in the wild — four situations you will face in Bulgaria.
Knowing numbers in isolation is not enough. You need to retrieve them instantly in conversation — under social pressure, in a noisy shop, on a phone call. Work through each scenario below. Read the Bulgarian, check the romanised text, then click to hear it.
🏪 At the corner shop
Купуване на хранителни стоки — buying groceries
You are buying bread, milk and apples. The shopkeeper tells you the prices. You pay with a 20-euro note.
☕ At the café
В кафенето — ordering and paying
You order two coffees and a cake. The waiter reads back your order and gives you the total.
📞 Calling the internet provider
Обаждане към доставчика на интернет
You call to ask about your bill. You need to give your account number and understand the amount owed.
💊 At the pharmacy
В аптеката — buying medicine
You need paracetamol. The pharmacist tells you the quantity and cost.
Section 6
Essential number phrases
Six phrases you will use every day.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Колко струва? | Kolko struva? | How much does it cost? | |
| Колко струват? | Kolko struvat? | How much do they cost? (plural) | |
| Колко е? | Kolko e? | How much is it? | |
| Колко е сметката? | Kolko e smetkata? | How much is the bill? | |
| Дайте ми..., моля. | Dayte mi..., molya. | Give me..., please. | |
| Имате ли ресто? | Imate li resto? | Do you have change? |
Section 7
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 3
- Write 1–10 in Bulgarian Cyrillic from memory, without looking.
- Write the following numbers in Bulgarian words: 14, 17, 19, 35, 68, 97.
- How do you say "two women" and "two men"? Why is the number different?
- Translate: "The bill is nineteen euro. Do you have change from twenty?"
- Write out a phone number in Bulgarian: 08 35 17 09.
Show answers
1. едно, две, три, четири, пет, шест, седем, осем, девет, десет
2. четиринадесет · седемнадесет · деветнадесет · тридесет и пет · шестдесет и осем · деветдесет и седем
3. две жени · два мъже — the number changes because жена is feminine (две) and мъж is masculine (два)
4. Сметката е деветнадесет евро. Имате ли ресто от двадесет?
5. нула осем, тридесет и пет, седемнадесет, нула девет
Day 3 Quiz
20 questions · score 14+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 20
What is the Bulgarian for 7?
Question 2 of 20
How do you form the number 15?
Question 3 of 20
Which form of "one" goes with a feminine noun?
Question 4 of 20
How do you say 21 in Bulgarian?
Question 5 of 20
What does "Колко струва?" mean?
Question 6 of 20
What is the Bulgarian for 100?
Question 7 of 20
Which ending makes 11–19 in Bulgarian?
Question 8 of 20
How do you say "two children" (neuter)?
Question 9 of 20
What is the Bulgarian for 4?
Question 10 of 20
How do you say "one man" in Bulgarian?
Question 11 of 20
In the café scenario, how much was the bill for two coffees and a cake?
Question 12 of 20
What does "Имате ли ресто?" mean?
Question 13 of 20
How do you say 58 in Bulgarian?
Question 14 of 20
What word connects a ten to its unit in Bulgarian compound numbers?
Question 15 of 20
Which is correct for "two tables" (маса is feminine)?
Question 16 of 20
In the pharmacy scenario, how many tablets were ordered?
Question 17 of 20
What does "Три пъти на ден" mean?
Question 18 of 20
What is 19 in Bulgarian?
Question 19 of 20
How do you ask "How much is the bill?" in Bulgarian?
Question 20 of 20
Which number in Bulgarian is an exception and does not follow the tens pattern?
Day 3 Recap
Everything you covered today — review before Day 4.
| Topic | Key rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 | Irregular — must memorise | нула, едно, две, три, четири, пет… |
| 11–19 | Unit + -надесет (no exceptions) | петнадесет = пет + надесет |
| Tens | Unit + десет | тридесет = три + десет = 30 |
| Compounds | Ten + и + unit | четиридесет и седем = 47 |
| Gender of 1 | Masc: един · Fem: една · Neut: едно | един стол · една маса · едно кафе |
| Gender of 2 | Masc: два · Fem/Neut: две | два стола · две маси |
| Asking price | Колко струва? (sing) / струват? (pl) | Колко е сметката? |
| Giving change | Имате ли ресто от [number]? | Имате ли ресто от двадесет? |