Language/Bulgarian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Bulgarian Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Bulgarian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we're going to learn how to use the verb "be" in Bulgarian. This is one of the most important verbs in any language. So, let's get started!

Consider broadening your understanding by checking out these related lessons: Cyrillic alphabet & Perfective and Imperfective Verbs.

What is the verb "be"?

The verb "be" is an irregular verb that is used to indicate existence, identity, location or association. In other words, "be" is a verb that links the subject with its predicate. In Bulgarian, the verb "be" is translated as "съм" (sam).

For example:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Аз съм	Az sam	I am
Ти си	Ti si	You are
Той/Тя/То е	Toi/Tia/To e	He/She/It is
Ние сме	Nie sme	We are
Вие сте	Vie ste	You are
Те са	Te sa	They are

As you can see, the verb "съм" (sam) changes its form depending on the subject. In Bulgarian, we have three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The verb "съм" (sam) changes its form according to the gender of the subject.

How to conjugate the verb "съм" (sam)

In order to use the verb "съм" (sam) correctly, we need to conjugate it correctly. Conjugation means changing the form of the verb to match the subject.

Here are the conjugation forms of "съм" (sam):

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
аз съм	Az sam	I am
ти си	Ti si	you are
той е / тя е / то е	Toi e / Tia e / To e	he is / she is / it is
ние сме	Nie sme	we are
вие сте	Vie ste	you are
те са	Te sa	they are

Notice that "съм" (sam) changes its form depending on the subject. The pronoun "аз" (az) means "I", "ти" (ti) means "you", "той" (toi) means "he", "тя" (tia) means "she", "то" (to) means "it", "него" (nego) means "him", "нея" (neya) means "her", "нас" (nas) means "us", "вас" (vas) means "you" (plural) and "тех" (teh) means "them".

Here is an example dialogue:

• Person 1: Аз съм в училище. (I am at school.)
• Person 2: Ти си в класната стая. (You are in the classroom.)

Notice that, in Bulgarian, we don't always have to use the subject, because the verb "съм" (sam) already implies the subject. So, we can say "съм в училище" instead of "аз съм в училище".

Using "съм" (sam) with adjectives

In Bulgarian, when we use the verb "съм" (sam) with an adjective, we need to add the feminine or neuter form of the adjective if the subject is feminine or neuter respectively.

For example:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Аз съм щастлив.	Az sam shtastliv.	I am happy.
Ти си щастлив.	Ti si shtastliv.	You are happy.
Той е щастлив.	Toi e shtastliv.	He is happy.
Тя е щастлива.	Tia e shtastliva.	She is happy.
То е щастливо.	To e shtastlivo.	It is happy.
Ние сме щастливи.	Nie sme shtastlivi.	We are happy.
Вие сте щастливи.	Vie ste shtastlivi.	You are happy.
Те са щастливи.	Te sa shtastlivi.	They are happy.

In the above examples, the adjective "щастлив" (shtastliv) means "happy". Notice how the adjective changes its form according to the gender of the subject. If the subject is masculine, we use the masculine form of the adjective. If it's feminine, we use the feminine form, and if it's neuter, we use the neuter form.

Using "съм" (sam) with professions

In Bulgarian, when we want to say what someone's profession is, we use the verb "съм" (sam) with the noun that describes the profession.

For example:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Аз съм учител.	Az sam uchitel.	I am a teacher.
Ти си лекар.	Ti si lekar.	You are a doctor.
Той е инженер.	Toi e inzhener.	He is an engineer.
Тя е музикант.	Tia e muzikant.	She is a musician.
То е художник.	To e hudozhnik.	It is a painter.
Ние сме програмисти.	Nie sme programisti.	We are programmers.
Вие сте ученици.	Vie ste uchenitsi.	You are students.
Те са учени.	Te sa ucheni.	They are scientists.

As you can see, we use the verb "съм" (sam) with the noun that describes the profession.

Negation with the verb "съм" (sam)

In Bulgarian, we can negate the verb "съм" (sam) by adding the word "не" (ne) before the verb. "Не" (ne) means "not".

For example:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English
Аз не съм учител.	Az ne sam uchitel.	I am not a teacher.
Ти не си лекар.	Ti ne si lekar.	You are not a doctor.
Той не е инженер.	Toi ne e inzhener.	He is not an engineer.
Тя не е музикант.	Tia ne e muzikant.	She is not a musician.
То не е художник.	To ne e hudozhnik.	It is not a painter.
Ние не сме програмисти.	Nie ne sme programisti.	We are not programmers.
Вие не сте ученици.	Vie ne ste uchenitsi.	You are not students.
Те не са учени.	Te ne sa ucheni.	They are not scientists.

Adding "не" (ne) before the verb "съм" (sam) negates the sentence.

Conclusion

The verb "съм" (sam) is one of the most important verbs we need to learn in Bulgarian. We use it to indicate existence, identity, location or association. Remember to conjugate it correctly, and to change the form of the adjective or noun according to the gender of the subject. Don't forget to use negation when needed!

To improve your Bulgarian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Adjectives & Pronouns.

Other Lessons

• GENERALIZING PRONOUNS – Обобщителни местоимения
• Future Tense
• Comparatives and Superlatives
• Negation
• Pronouns
• Give your Opinion
• GENDER AND NUMBER OF ADJECTIVES – Род и число на прилагателните
• GENDER OF NOUNS – Род на съществителните
• Questions
• Adjectives

Sources

• Bulgarian grammar - Wikipedia
• Bulgarian Grammar - How to Use "Be"
• Grammar Matters: Bulgarian Grammar in Charts ... - Amazon.com