Language/Bulgarian/Grammar/Gender

Bulgarian Grammar → Nouns and Adjectives → Gender

Introduction

In Bulgarian, nouns have gender, which makes the language quite different from English. Determining the gender of a noun is important, as it will affect the form of the article, adjective, and pronouns that modify the noun. Learning the gender of nouns is often one of the biggest challenges for learners of Bulgarian. However, with a bit of practice and effort, it can be mastered.

Gender in Bulgarian

Bulgarian has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. In general, gender is arbitrary, and there are no clear rules. However, there are some general patterns based on the ending of the noun.

Here are some guidelines:

• Most nouns ending in -а are feminine. Example: книга (book)
• Most nouns ending in -ът, -ят, -ятa are masculine. Example: стол (chair)
• Most nouns ending in -е, -о are neuter. Example: мляко (milk)

However, these are not hard and fast rules, and you will find many exceptions to them. Therefore, it is important to learn the gender of each noun as you encounter it. Over time, you will start to pick up patterns and be able to guess at the gender of new words.

Definite and Indefinite articles

In Bulgarian, the gender of the noun determines the form of the definite and indefinite articles.

The indefinite articles are:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
един	eh-din	a/an (masculine)
една	eh-dna	a/an (feminine)
едно	eh-dno	a/an (neuter)

The definite articles are:

Bulgarian	Pronunciation	English Translation
мъжкият	muh-zhki-yat	the (masculine)
женският	zhen-ski-yat	the (feminine)
средният	sred-ni-yat	the (neuter)

Adjectives

Adjectives in Bulgarian agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.

For example, if you want to say "the red apple" in Bulgarian, you need to use the masculine singular accusative form of the adjective "red":

червен (red) -> червената (the red)

Here are some other examples of adjectives agreeing with the gender of the nouns:

Noun	Adjective	Bulgarian (feminine)	Bulgarian (masculine)	Bulgarian (neuter)
book	interesting	интересна	интересен	интересно
car	fast	бърза	бърз	бързо
house	big	голяма	голям	голямо

Pronouns

Pronouns in Bulgarian also agree in gender with the noun they replace.

For example, the pronoun "he" is той in Bulgarian, while "she" is тя.

Here are some other examples:

English	Bulgarian (feminine)	Bulgarian (masculine)	Bulgarian (neuter)
she	тя	той	то
her	нея	него	то
herself/himself	себе си	себе си	себе си

Practice

One of the best ways to learn the gender of nouns in Bulgarian is to practice.

Start by writing down some nouns and their genders, then practice using them in sentences with the appropriate articles, adjectives, and pronouns.

Here are some nouns to get you started:

• слон (elephant) - masculine
• маса (table) - feminine
• болница (hospital) - feminine
• момче (boy) - neuter

Conclusion

Learning the gender of nouns in Bulgarian can be a challenge, but it is an essential part of mastering the language. With practice and effort, you can become more comfortable with the gender of nouns, and start to incorporate them into your speech and writing.

Sources

• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_grammar#Nouns">Bulgarian grammar</a>
• <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_language">Bulgarian language</a>

Table of Contents - Bulgarian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and sounds

• Cyrillic alphabet
• Vowels
• Consonants

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Greetings
• Introducing yourself
• Numbers 0-100

  ---

Bulgarian Traditions

• Bulgarian Folklore
• Cuisine
• Holidays and Customs

  ---

Nouns and Adjectives

• Gender
• Cases
• Adjectives

  ---

At the Restaurant

• Ordering Food
• Making Special Requests
• Paying the Bill

  ---

Bulgarian Cinema and Literature

• Bulgarian Cinema
• Bulgarian Literature
• Literary Translation

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Perfective and Imperfective Verbs
• Past Tense

  ---

Traveling

• Transportation
• Booking a Hotel
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Bulgarian Music

• Bulgarian Pop Music
• Traditional Bulgarian Music
• Music Festivals

  ---

Future Tense and Modals

• Future Tense
• Modal Verbs
• Conditional Sentences

  ---

Celebrations and Festivities

• Birthday Parties
• Weddings and Marriage Customs
• Religious Holidays

  ---

Bulgarian Theatre and Performance Arts

• Bulgarian Theatre
• Puppet Theatre
• Dance

Related Lessons

• GENERALIZING PRONOUNS – Обобщителни местоимения
• Pronouns
• Past Tense
• How to Use Have
• Adjectives
• DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS – Показателни местоимения
• Perfective and Imperfective Verbs
• Types of Questions – Видове въпроси
• Nouns
• Comparatives and Superlatives

Sources

• Bulgarian / Lingvopedia :: lingvo.info
• Bulgarian grammar - Wikipedia
• Bulgarian Language Information - Bulgarian alphabet, Bulgarian ...
• Bulgarian nouns - Wikipedia