Section 1
Real conditionals — ако + present → ще + present
Conditions that could really happen.
You already met real conditionals in Day 24. They express situations that are genuinely possible. The structure is ако + present tense → ще + present tense. Both halves stay in the present — the future marker ще goes in the result clause only.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ако вали, ще остана вкъщи. | Ako vali, shte ostana vkashti. | If it rains, I will stay at home. |
| Ако имаш пари, купи го. | Ako imash pari, kupi go. | If you have the money, buy it. |
| Ако дойде, ще му кажа. | Ako doyde, shte mu kazha. | If he comes, I will tell him. |
| Ако не се чувстваш добре, почини. | Ako ne se chuvstvash dobre, pochini. | If you don't feel well, rest. |
| Ако имате въпроси, питайте. | Ako imate vaprosi, pitayte. | If you have questions, ask. |
| Стига да дойдеш навреме, ще е добре. | Stiga da doydesh navreme, shte e dobre. | As long as you come on time, it will be fine. |
Section 2
Hypothetical conditionals — ако + imperfect → щях да
Conditions that are unlikely or contrary to fact.
Hypothetical conditionals — "if I were...", "if I had..." — use the imperfect in the condition clause and the structure щях да + present in the result clause. Щях да is the imperfect of ще — literally "I would".
| Person | щях да (I would) | щеше да (he/she would) | щяхме да (we would) |
|---|---|---|---|
| аз | щях да | — | — |
| ти | — | щеше да | — |
| той/тя | — | щеше да | — |
| ние | — | — | щяхме да |
| вие | — | — | щяхте да |
| те | — | — | щяха да |
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ако имах пари, щях да пътувам по света. | Ako imah pari, shtyah da paтuvam po sveta. | If I had money, I would travel the world. |
| Ако живееше тук, щеше да дойде. | Ako zhiveeshe tuk, shteshe da doyde. | If he lived here, he would come. |
| Ако знаех, щях да ти кажа. | Ako znaeh, shtyah da ti kazha. | If I had known, I would have told you. |
| Ако бяхме по-богати, щяхме да купим по-голям апартамент. | Ako byahme po-bogati, shtyahme da kupim po-golyam apartament. | If we were richer, we would buy a bigger flat. |
| Ако не беше дошла, нямаше да я видим. | Ako ne beshe doshla, nyamashe da ya vidim. | If she hadn't come, we wouldn't have seen her. |
💡 щях да — the conditional auxiliary
Щях да is formed from the imperfect of ще: щях/щеше/щеше/щяхме/щяхте/щяха. It always combines with да + present tense. The negative is нямаше да (would not): Нямаше да дойда без теб. (I wouldn't have come without you.)
Section 3
Expressing wishes — искам да, желая, дано
From polite requests to heartfelt wishes.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Искам да отида в Гърция. | Iskam da otida v Gartsiya. | I want to go to Greece. | Simple want |
| Бих искал/а да... | Bih iskal/a da... | I would like to... | Polite/formal |
| Желая ти здраве. | Zhelyaya ti zdrave. | I wish you health. | Formal wish |
| Дано дойде. | Dano doyde. | I hope he comes. / Hopefully he will come. | Hope/wish |
| Дано не вали. | Dano ne vali. | Hopefully it won't rain. | Hope |
| Как ми се иска да... | Kak mi se iska da... | How I wish I could... | Longing |
| Мечтая да... | Mechtaya da... | I dream of... / I long to... | Dream |
| Жалко, че не можеш. | Zhalko, che ne mozhesh. | What a shame you can't. | Regret |
| Щеше да е хубаво, ако... | Shteshe da e hubavo, ako... | It would be nice if... | Wish |
💡 Дано — a uniquely Bulgarian word
Дано expresses hope about something uncertain — "hopefully", "I hope that". It is always followed by the present tense regardless of the time frame: Дано дойде (I hope he comes / will come). It can express hope for the present, future or even past: Дано е пристигнал (I hope he has arrived). It is a very common and characteristically Bulgarian word.
Section 4
Expressing regret
Looking back at what could have been.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| Жалко, че не отидох. | Zhalko, che ne otidoh. | What a shame I didn't go. |
| Съжалявам, че казах това. | Sazhalyavam, che kazah tova. | I regret saying that. |
| Трябваше да отида. | Tryabashe da otida. | I should have gone. |
| Не трябваше да казвам това. | Ne tryabashe da kazvam tova. | I shouldn't have said that. |
| Ако само знаех! | Ako samo znaeh! | If only I had known! |
| Щеше да е по-добре, ако... | Shteshe da e po-dobre, ako... | It would have been better if... |
| Пропуснах шанса си. | Propusnah shansa si. | I missed my chance. |
Section 5
Dialogue — hypothetical plans
A rich conversation mixing wishes, conditionals and regret.
— Ако можеше да живееш навсякъде, где щеше да отидеш?
— Хм. Ако имах избор, щях да живея в Португалия или може би в Япония.
— Защо точно там?
— Португалия заради климата и морето. Япония — защото е толкова различна.
— Мечтаел ли си да живееш в чужбина?
— Да. Дано някой ден. Ти?
— Аз бих искал да остана в България, но на по-спокойно място. София е много шумна.
— Разбирам те. Жалко, че не сме изселили се по-рано.
— Трябваше да го направим преди пет години. Щеше да е по-лесно.
— Ако само знаехме тогава... Но сега е сложно. Децата са в училище.
— Ako mozheshe da zhiveesh navsyakade, gde shteshe da otidesh?
— Hm. Ako imah izbor, shtyah da zhiveya v Portegaliya ili mozhe bi v Yaponiya.
— Zashto tochno tam?
— Portegaliya zaradi klimata i moreto. Yaponiya — zashtoto e tolkova razlichna.
— Mechtael li si da zhiveesh v chuzhbina?
— Da. Dano nyakoy den. Ti?
— Az bih iskal da ostana v Balgariya, no na po-spokoyno myasto. Sofiya e mnogo shumna.
— Razbiram te. Zhalko, che ne sme izselili se po-rano.
— Tryabashe da go napravim predi pet godini. Shteshe da e po-lesno.
— Ako samo znaehme togava... No sega e slozhno. Detsata sa v uchilishte.
— If you could live anywhere, where would you go?
— Hmm. If I had the choice, I would live in Portugal or maybe in Japan.
— Why exactly there?
— Portugal for the climate and the sea. Japan — because it is so different.
— Have you ever dreamed of living abroad?
— Yes. Hopefully one day. You?
— I would like to stay in Bulgaria, but somewhere quieter. Sofia is very noisy.
— I understand you. What a shame we didn't move earlier.
— We should have done it five years ago. It would have been easier.
— If only we had known then... But now it's complicated. The children are in school.
Section 6
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 38
- Write three real conditionals and three hypothetical conditionals.
- Translate: "If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam. If only I had known!"
- Write two sentences expressing wishes using дано and one using как ми се иска.
- What is the difference between "Ако имаш пари, купи го" and "Ако имах пари, щях да го купя"?
Show answers
1. Real: Ако вали, ще остана вкъщи. Hypothetical: Ако имах пари, щях да пътувам.
2. Ако бях учил/а повече, щях да издържа изпита. Ако само знаех!
3. Дано намеря работа скоро. Дано не вали утре. Как ми се иска да отида на море!
4. First = real condition (you might have money — go buy it). Second = hypothetical (you don't have money — imagining what you would do if you did).
Day 38 Quiz
8 questions · score 6+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 8
Real conditionals in Bulgarian use which structure?
Question 2 of 8
"If I had money, I would travel" — which conditional type?
Question 3 of 8
"I would like to" — polite Bulgarian form:
Question 4 of 8
What does "дано" express?
Question 5 of 8
"I should have gone" in Bulgarian:
Question 6 of 8
"If only I had known!" in Bulgarian:
Question 7 of 8
"We would have bought" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 8 of 8
"What a shame you can't" in Bulgarian:
Day 38 Recap
Review before Day 39. Every point builds on the last.
| Topic | Key point | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Real conditional | ако + present → ще + present. Possible/likely situation. | Ако вали, ще остана вкъщи. |
| Hypothetical | ако + imperfect → щях/щеше/щяхме да + present. Unlikely/imagined. | Ако имах пари, щях да пътувам. |
| щях да | Imperfect of ще. аз щях · ти щеше · ние щяхме · те щяха + да. | Negative: нямаше да |
| Дано | Hope/wish — followed by present tense. Uniquely Bulgarian. | Дано дойде. Дано не вали. |
| Regret | Жалко, че... · Съжалявам, че... · Трябваше да... · Ако само знаех! | |
| Бих искал/а да | Polite "I would like to" — more formal than Искам да. | Use in formal/professional contexts |