Section 1
The three core phrases — your introduction skeleton
Memorise these three and you can introduce yourself to anyone in Bulgaria.
Every Bulgarian introduction follows the same three-part structure. Click each phrase to hear it, then say it aloud with your own name, country and interest substituted in.
📝 Sample introductions — listen and model your own
Казвам се Адриан. Аз съм от Англия. Работя като учител. Обичам футбол и пътуване.
My name is Adrian. I am from England. I work as a teacher. I like football and travel.
Казвам се Мария. Аз съм от Канада. Уча медицина. Обичам музика и готвене.
My name is Maria. I am from Canada. I study medicine. I like music and cooking.
Казвам се Джеймс. Аз съм от Австралия. Работя като инженер. Обичам планината и кино.
My name is James. I am from Australia. I work as an engineer. I like the mountains and cinema.
💡 The word order trick
In Bulgarian, Аз (I) is often dropped — the verb ending already shows the subject. So Казвам се Адриан and Аз се казвам Адриан are both correct. Dropping Аз sounds more natural to native speakers.
Section 2
Countries, nationalities and professions
The most common answers to "Where are you from?" and "What do you do?"
Each row has its own audio button. For countries, both the Bulgarian name and the nationality noun forms are shown — masculine and feminine differ, as Bulgarian nouns have grammatical gender.
| Country | Bulgarian | Person from there (man) | Person from there (woman) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England / Britain | Англия / Великобритания | англичанин | англичанка | |
| America | Америка | американец | американка | |
| Australia | Австралия | австралиец | австралийка | |
| Canada | Канада | канадец | канадка | |
| Germany | Германия | германец | германка | |
| France | Франция | французин | французойка | |
| Bulgaria | България | българин | българка | |
| Spain | Испания | испанец | испанка | |
| Italy | Италия | италианец | италианка | |
| Poland | Полша | поляк | полякиня | |
| Russia | Русия | руснак | рускиня | |
| Turkey | Турция | турчин | туркиня |
💡 Why two nationality columns?
The country itself has a fixed grammatical gender — България is always feminine, Лондон is always masculine. That never changes.
But when you describe a person from that country, Bulgarian uses different noun forms depending on whether that person is a man or a woman — just like English says actor vs actress or prince vs princess. So англичанин = an Englishman, англичанка = an Englishwoman. Both are correct — you pick the one that matches the person you are talking about.
Common professions — use with Работя като... (I work as a...)
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| учител / учителка | uchitel / uchitelka | teacher (m/f) | |
| лекар / лекарка | lekar / lekarka | doctor (m/f) | |
| инженер | inzhener | engineer | |
| студент / студентка | student / studentka | student (m/f) | |
| програмист | programist | programmer | |
| мениджър | menidzhar | manager | |
| готвач / готвачка | gotvach / gotvachka | chef / cook (m/f) | |
| пенсионер / пенсионерка | pensioner / pensionerka | retired (m/f) |
Section 3
Asking about others — formal and informal
Bulgarian has two registers. Knowing when to switch is as important as the words themselves.
Every question you ask about another person has a formal (Вие) and an informal (ти) version. Use formal with people you have just met, with older people, and in professional settings. Informal is for friends, children and people who invite you to use it.
💡 When does formal switch to informal?
In Bulgaria, the switch from formal (Вие) to informal (ти) is deliberate and usually offered by the older or higher-status person. They will say Минаваме на ти (Minaname na ti) — "Let us switch to informal". Until that invitation, stay formal — it is always safe.
Section 4
Question words — your detective kit
Eight words that unlock any conversation. Every card has its own audio.
These question words go at the start of the sentence, just as in English. Notice that most start with К — a useful memory anchor. Learn them all now; you will use every one before Day 10.
Section 5
How are you? — small talk phrases
The exchange Bulgarians have dozens of times a day. Every phrase has audio.
Section 6
Real-world scenarios — four ways to introduce yourself
The same core phrases used in four different contexts.
Introductions happen in different settings and require slightly different register. Work through each scenario below — listen to each line, then try reading it aloud before clicking play.
🙏 Formal meeting — at a conference
Официална среща — на конференция
You meet a Bulgarian professional for the first time. Formal register throughout.
🎉 Informal meeting — at a party
Неформална среща — на купон
You meet someone your age at a social event. Informal register — ти throughout.
💼 First day at work — meeting colleagues
Първи работен ден — запознаване с колеги
You start a new role and introduce yourself to the team. Semi-formal, transitioning to informal.
🏫 Language class — introducing yourself to the group
Езиков курс — представяне пред групата
The teacher asks you to introduce yourself. A great model for what you could say about yourself.
Section 7
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 4
- Write your own four-sentence introduction in Bulgarian Cyrillic — name, country, job/study, one interest.
- Write the formal and informal versions of "Where are you from?"
- Translate: "Pleased to meet you. What do you do? I work as a teacher."
- Write all eight question words in Bulgarian with their English meaning.
- How would you ask a new colleague if they speak English? (formal)
Show answers
1. Казвам се [name]. Аз съм от [country]. Работя като / Уча [subject]. Обичам [interest].
2. Formal: Откъде сте? · Informal: Откъде си?
3. Приятно ми е. Какво работите? Работя като учител.
4. Какво (what) · Къде (where) · Кой/Коя (who) · Кога (when) · Защо (why) · Как (how) · Колко (how much/many) · Чий/Чия (whose)
5. Говорите ли английски?
Day 4 Quiz
20 questions · score 14+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 20
How do you say "My name is..." in Bulgarian?
Question 2 of 20
What does "Откъде сте?" mean?
Question 3 of 20
Which phrase means "Pleased to meet you"?
Question 4 of 20
How do you say "I like music"?
Question 5 of 20
What does "Защо?" mean?
Question 6 of 20
How do you ask "How are you?" informally?
Question 7 of 20
What is the Bulgarian for "So-so"?
Question 8 of 20
Which question word means "How many / How much?"
Question 9 of 20
How do you say "I work as a doctor" in Bulgarian?
Question 10 of 20
What is the correct informal question for "What do you do?"
Question 11 of 20
What is the Bulgarian for Australia?
Question 12 of 20
What does "Минаваме на ти" signal?
Question 13 of 20
How do you ask "Do you speak English?" formally?
Question 14 of 20
In the party scenario, what does Nia ask after learning Tom is from England?
Question 15 of 20
What is the reply to "Приятно ми е"?
Question 16 of 20
What does "Защото" mean? (notice the extra -то)
Question 17 of 20
How do you say "I am studying medicine"?
Question 18 of 20
Which question word means "Whose?"
Question 19 of 20
What is the Bulgarian for "programmer"?
Question 20 of 20
In Bulgarian, dropping "Аз" (I) from a sentence is...
Day 4 Recap
Everything you covered today — review before Day 5.
| Topic | Key rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your name | Казвам се + [name] | Казвам се Адриан. | My name is Adrian. |
| Your country | Аз съм от + [country] | Аз съм от Англия. | I am from England. |
| Your job | Работя като + [job] | Работя като учител. | I work as a teacher. |
| Your interests | Обичам + [noun / infinitive] | Обичам музика и спорт. | I like music and sport. |
| Asking name | казваш? (inf) · казвате? (form) | Как се казваш? | What is your name? |
| Asking origin | Откъде си? (inf) · сте? (form) | Откъде сте? | Where are you from? (formal) |
| Pleased to meet you | Приятно ми е · reply: И на мен | Приятно ми е! | Pleased to meet you! |
| 8 question words | Most start with К | Защо учиш български? | Why are you learning Bulgarian? |
| How are you? | Как си? (inf) · Как сте? (form) | Добре, благодаря! | Fine, thank you! |
| Formal → informal | Wait for the invitation to switch | Минаваме на ти. | Let us switch to informal. |