Section 1
Reporting statements — казва, че / каза, че
The core reported speech construction.
Bulgarian reported speech uses the conjunction че (that) after a reporting verb. Unlike English, Bulgarian does not backshift tenses — the original tense is preserved in the subordinate clause. This makes Bulgarian reported speech significantly simpler than English.
| Direct speech | Reported speech | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "Уморен съм." (I am tired.) | Той каза, че е уморен. | съм → е (3rd person). No backshift. |
| "Работя в банката." (I work at the bank.) | Тя каза, че работи в банката. | работя → работи (3rd person present) |
| "Ще дойда утре." (I will come tomorrow.) | Той каза, че ще дойде утре. | Future preserved: ще дойде |
| "Отидох на пазара." (I went to the market.) | Тя каза, че е отишла на пазара. | Aorist often replaced by perfect in reported speech |
| "Не знам." (I don't know.) | Той каза, че не знае. | Present preserved: не знае |
💡 No tense backshift in Bulgarian
This is the biggest difference from English. In English: "I am tired" → "He said he WAS tired" (backshift). In Bulgarian: Уморен съм → Той каза, че е уморен — the present stays present. This is true for all tenses. Bulgarian reported speech is grammatically simpler; the challenge is simply remembering to change the person (аз → той/тя).
Section 2
Reporting verbs
Beyond казва/каза — the full range.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| казва / каза | kazva / kaza | says / said | Most common — neutral |
| твърди / твърдеше | tvardi / tvарdeshe | claims / claimed | When the content may be disputed |
| обяснява / обясни | obyasnyava / obyasni | explains / explained | For explanations |
| съобщава / съобщи | saobshtava / saobshti | reports / reported | News/formal contexts |
| признава / призна | priznava / prizna | admits / admitted | Concession |
| отговаря / отговори | otgovarya / otgovori | replies / replied | In response to a question |
| добавя / добави | dobavya / dobavi | adds / added | Supplementary information |
| предупреждава / предупреди | preduprezhdava / predupredi | warns / warned | Warning |
| обещава / обеща | obeshchava / obeshcha | promises / promised | Commitment |
Section 3
Reporting questions — indirect questions
How to report what someone asked.
Reported questions use дали (whether/if) for yes/no questions, and the original question word (кой, какво, кога, защо etc.) for information questions. The word order in reported questions is the same as a normal statement — not inverted.
| Direct question | Reported question | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "Дойде ли?" (Did he come?) | Тя попита дали е дошъл. | Yes/no → дали + statement order |
| "Кога ще дойдеш?" (When will you come?) | Тя попита кога ще дойда. | Information question → same question word |
| "Защо закъсня?" (Why were you late?) | Той попита защо съм закъснял. | Person changes: ти → аз (if speaking) |
| "Какво правиш?" (What are you doing?) | Тя попита какво правя. | Present preserved: правя not правиш |
| "Имаш ли пари?" (Do you have money?) | Той попита дали имам пари. | дали = whether |
Section 4
Reporting commands and requests
How to report what someone told you to do.
Reported commands use да + present tense (the да-construction) after the reporting verb. The imperative is not used in reported speech.
| Direct command | Reported command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "Ела тук!" (Come here!) | Той ми каза да дойда. | да + first person present |
| "Не го правете!" (Don't do it!) | Тя ни каза да не го правим. | не + да construction |
| "Обади се утре." (Call tomorrow.) | Тя ми каза да се обадя утре. | Reflexive се preserved |
| "Изчакайте малко." (Wait a moment.) | Той ни помоли да изчакаме малко. | помоли = asked/requested (more polite) |
Section 5
Dialogue — passing on a message
A full reported speech conversation.
— Обади ли се Мария?
— Да, преди малко. Каза, че закъснява и ще дойде в осем.
— Попита ли за срещата?
— Да, попита дали ще бъдем всички. Казах й, че Петър няма да може да дойде.
— Как реагира?
— Каза, че разбира. Но добави, че ще е по-добре следващия път да се организираме по-рано.
— Права е. Предупреди ли я за промяната на адреса?
— О! Забравих. Трябва да й се обадя.
— Кажи й да дойде на новия адрес — улица "Раковски" номер 45.
— Obadi li se Mariya?
— Da, predi malko. Kaza, che zakasnYava i shte doyde v osem.
— Popita li za sreshtata?
— Da, popita dali shte badеm vsichki. Kazah y, che Petar nyama da mozhe da doyde.
— Kak reagira?
— Kaza, che razbira. No dobavi, che shte e po-dobre sledvashtiya pat da se organizirame po-rano.
— Prava e. Predupredi li ya za promyanata na adresa?
— O! Zabravikh. Tryabva da y se obadya.
— Kazhi y da doyde na noviya adres — ulitsa Rakovski nomer 45.
— Did Maria call?
— Yes, a little while ago. She said she is running late and will come at eight.
— Did she ask about the meeting?
— Yes, she asked whether we would all be there. I told her that Peter won't be able to come.
— How did she react?
— She said she understands. But she added that it would be better next time to organise ourselves earlier.
— She's right. Did you warn her about the change of address?
— Oh! I forgot. I need to call her.
— Tell her to come to the new address — Rakovski Street number 45.
Section 6
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 37
- Report these direct statements: (a) "Уморена съм." (b) "Ще отида в Пловдив утре." (c) "Не знам отговора."
- Report this question: "Кога ще се върнеш?" — asked by Maria to you.
- Report this command: "Елате в пет часа." (Come at five o'clock.)
- Why does Bulgarian reported speech not require tense backshift? Give one example showing the difference from English.
Show answers
1. (a) Тя каза, че е уморена. (b) Той каза, че ще отиде в Пловдив утре. (c) Той каза, че не знае отговора.
2. Мария ме попита кога ще се върна.
3. Те ни казаха да дойдем в пет часа.
4. Bulgarian keeps the original tense. E.g. "I am tired" → Той каза, че е уморен (is, not was). English requires "He said he WAS tired".
Day 37 Quiz
8 questions · score 6+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 8
Reported speech in Bulgarian uses which conjunction after the verb?
Question 2 of 8
Does Bulgarian reported speech backshift tenses?
Question 3 of 8
"She said she is tired" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 4 of 8
Reported yes/no questions use which conjunction?
Question 5 of 8
"He asked when I would come" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 6 of 8
Reported commands use which construction?
Question 7 of 8
"She told us not to do it" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 8 of 8
"He promised he would call" — correct Bulgarian:
Day 37 Recap
Review before Day 38. Every point builds on the last.
| Topic | Key point | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Core structure | Reporting verb + че + statement (same tense, 3rd person). | Той каза, че е уморен. |
| No backshift | Bulgarian keeps the original tense — unlike English. Present stays present. | Key grammar advantage over English |
| Person change | аз → той/тя. ти → аз (if speaking). ние → те. | Only the person pronoun changes |
| Indirect questions | Yes/no → дали. Information questions → same question word (кога, защо, какво). | Той попита дали... / кога... |
| Reported commands | каза/помоли + да + present tense. Negative: да не + present. | Каза ми да дойда. / да не правя. |
| Reporting verbs | казва · твърди · обяснява · добавя · предупреждава · обещава | Choose verb to reflect the intention |