Picture this: You're at a dinner party in Sofia and someone asks "С какво се занимаваш?" (What do you do for a living?). It's one of the most common conversation starters in Bulgaria — and one of the first moments where you realise that Bulgarian professions always come in pairs: a masculine form and a feminine form. Your new friend is a програмист, his wife is a лекарка, and their neighbour is a учителка.
Bulgaria has a highly educated workforce — the country has one of the highest percentages of STEM graduates in the EU. Sofia in particular has become a thriving tech hub, with IT salaries rising fast while cost of living remains low compared to Western Europe. Many expats find work in tech, teaching, or freelancing (на свободна практика). Today you'll learn to talk about professions, workplaces, and careers — essential vocabulary whether you're job-hunting, networking, or just making small talk.
Section 1
Professions — masculine and feminine forms
Every profession has both a masculine and feminine form in Bulgarian.
Unlike English, Bulgarian profession names always change depending on whether you are talking about a man or a woman. The feminine form usually adds -ка or -ица to the masculine, or changes the ending. This applies consistently across all professions.
| English | Masculine | Feminine | Notes | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| doctor | лекар | лекарка | Very common | |
| teacher | учител | учителка | учител = school teacher; преподавател is more common for university teaching | |
| lawyer | адвокат | адвокатка | адвокат is often used as the formal title for both | |
| engineer | инженер | инженерка | ||
| architect | архитект | архитектка | ||
| accountant | счетоводител | счетоводителка | ||
| nurse | медицинска сестра | медицинска сестра | Same form for the role | |
| police officer | полицай | полицайка | ||
| journalist | журналист | журналистка | ||
| translator | преводач | преводачка | ||
| programmer | програмист | програмистка | ||
| driver | шофьор | шофьорка | ||
| shop assistant | продавач | продавачка | ||
| cook / chef | готвач | готвачка | ||
| student | студент | студентка | University level | |
| pupil | ученик | ученичка | School level | |
| manager | мениджър | мениджърка | Borrowed from English | |
| director | директор | директорка | ||
| secretary | секретар | секретарка | ||
| farmer | фермер | фермерка |
Section 2
Workplace vocabulary
Where you work and what you do there.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| работа | rabota | work / job | |
| работно място | rabotno myasto | workplace / job position | |
| офис | ofis | office | |
| завод | zavod | factory | |
| болница | bolnitsa | hospital | |
| училище | uchilishte | school | |
| фирма | firma | company / firm | |
| предприятие | predpriyatie | enterprise / business | |
| отдел | otdel | department | |
| колега | kolega | colleague (m) | |
| колежка | kolezhka | colleague (f) | |
| шеф | shef | boss | |
| заплата | zaplata | salary | |
| работно време | rabotno vreme | working hours | |
| почивен ден | pochiven den | day off | |
| отпуск | otpusk | leave / holiday |
Section 3
Talking about work
How to describe your job, ask about others, say what you do.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Какво работите? | Kakvo rabotite? | What do you do for work? (formal) | |
| Работя като... | Rabotya kato... | I work as a... | |
| Работя в... | Rabotya v... | I work at / in... | |
| Работя на свободна практика. | Rabotya na svobodna praktika. | I am self-employed / freelance. | |
| Търся работа. | Tarsya rabota. | I am looking for work. | |
| Не работя в момента. | Ne rabotya v momenta. | I am not working at the moment. | |
| Пенсионер съм. / Пенсионерка съм. | Pensioner sam. / Pensionerka sam. | I am retired. | |
| Работя на пълно работно време. | Rabotya na palno rabotno vreme. | I work full-time. | |
| Работя на непълно работно време. | Rabotya na nepalno rabotno vreme. | I work part-time. |
Работя като учител в училище.
Сестра ми е лекарка в болница.
Баща ми е шофьор.
Работя от вкъщи три дни в седмицата.
В момента търся нова работа.
Работя в международна фирма.
Rabotya kato uchitel v uchilishte.
Sestra mi e lekarka v bolnitsa.
Bashta mi e shofyor.
Rabotya ot vkashti tri dni v sedmitsata.
V momenta tarsya nova rabota.
Rabotya v mezhdunarodna firma.
I work as a teacher in a school.
My sister is a doctor in a hospital.
My father is a driver.
I work from home three days a week.
At the moment I am looking for a new job.
I work in an international company.
💡 Работя като + profession (without article)
When saying your profession after като (as), съм (am), or работя, do NOT use the definite article: Работя като лекар (not като лекарят). This is one of the few places where the bare noun is used. The same applies to: Аз съм учител — I am a teacher.
Section 4
Work-related verbs
The verbs that describe what you do at work.
| Bulgarian (аз) | Romanised | English | Pattern | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| управлявам | upravlyavam | manage / run | G1 | |
| ръководя | rakovodya | lead / direct | G2 | |
| преговарям | pregovaryam | negotiate | G1 | |
| планирам | planiram | plan | G1 | |
| проверявам | proveryavam | check / verify | G1 | |
| подписвам | podpisvam | sign | G1 | |
| представям | predstavyam | present / introduce | G1 | |
| срещам се с | sreshtam se s | meet with | G1 | |
| изпращам | izprashtam | send | G1 | |
| получавам | poluchavam | receive | G1 |
Section 5
Dialogue — talking about your job
A realistic work conversation.
— Какво работите, ако мога да попитам?
— Работя като програмист в малка фирма.
— Интересно! От колко години?
— От пет години. Преди това учих в университета.
— Обичате ли работата си?
— Да, много. Работя на свободна практика сега, от вкъщи.
— Завиждам ви! Аз работя в офис от девет до шест.
— Трудно е понякога, но е по-добре от офиса.
— Kakvo rabotite, ako moga da popitam?
— Rabotya kato programist v malka firma.
— Interesno! Ot kolko godini?
— Ot pet godini. Predi tova uchih v universiteta.
— Obichate li rabotata si?
— Da, mnogo. Rabotya na svobodna praktika sega, ot kashti.
— Zavizhdam vi! Az rabotya v ofis ot devet do shest.
— Trudno e ponyakoga, no e po-dobre ot ofisa.
— What do you do for work, if I may ask?
— I work as a programmer at a small company.
— Interesting! For how many years?
— For five years. Before that I studied at university.
— Do you like your work?
— Yes, very much. I work freelance now, from home.
— I envy you! I work in an office from nine to six.
— It's difficult sometimes, but it's better than the office.
Section 6
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 19
- Write the feminine form of: лекар, учител, програмист, директор, журналист.
- Write 4 sentences about your own job or studies using работя като / работя в / обичам работата си.
- Translate: "I am looking for work. I work as a translator and I speak three languages."
- What is the difference between работя в and работя като?
Show answers
1. лекарка, учителка, програмистка, директорка, журналистка
2. Free answer — use работя като [profession], работя в [place], от [X] години.
3. Търся работа. Работя като преводач и говоря три езика.
4. работя в = where (in a hospital, office): location. работя като = what (as a doctor, teacher): role.
Day 19 Quiz
8 questions · score 6+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 8
The feminine form of лекар (doctor) is:
Question 2 of 8
"I work as a teacher" in Bulgarian:
Question 3 of 8
"I am looking for work":
Question 4 of 8
What does "заплата" mean?
Question 5 of 8
"I work part-time" in Bulgarian:
Question 6 of 8
The word for "boss" in Bulgarian is:
Question 7 of 8
"From home" in Bulgarian:
Question 8 of 8
When saying your profession after "I am" or "I work as", you use:
Day 19 Recap
Review before Day 20. Every point builds on the last.
| Topic | Key point | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Profession pairs | Every profession has M and F forms. F usually adds -ка/-ица. | лекар/лекарка · учител/учителка |
| Работя като | I work as... — profession without definite article. | Работя като инженер. (not инженерът) |
| Работя в | I work at/in... — location with definite article. | Работя в болницата. |
| Workplace words | офис · фирма · отдел · колега · шеф · заплата · отпуск | |
| Free-time work | Работя на свободна практика = freelance / self-employed. | От вкъщи = from home |
| От X години | "For X years" — used with present tense (Bulgarian differs from English). | Работя от пет години. |
| 🌎 Culture | Bulgaria has one of the EU's highest STEM graduate rates; Sofia is a growing tech hub with rising IT salaries | Many expats work in tech, teaching, or на свободна практика |