Colloquial Bulgarian

Kjetil Ra Hauge, Yovka Tisheva

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781317306757
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Languages
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Colloquial Bulgarian: The Complete Course for Beginners has been carefully developed by an experienced teacher to provide a step-by-step course to Bulgarian as it is written and spoken today.

Combining a clear, practical and accessible style with a methodical and thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Bulgarian in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required. Colloquial Bulgarian is exceptional; each unit presents a wealth of grammatical points that are reinforced with a wide range of exercises for regular practice. A full answer key, a grammar summary, bilingual glossaries and English translations of dialogues can be found at the back as well as useful vocabulary lists throughout.

Key features include:

A clear, user-friendly format designed to help learners progressively build up their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills

Jargon-free, succinct and clearly structured explanations of grammar

An extensive range of focused and dynamic supportive exercises

Realistic and entertaining dialogues covering a broad variety of narrative situations

Helpful cultural points explaining the customs and features of life in Bulgaria

An overview of the sounds and alphabet of Bulgarian

Balanced, comprehensive and rewarding, Colloquial Bulgarian is an indispensable resource both for independent learners and students taking courses in Bulgarian.

Audio material to accompany the course is available to download freely in MP3 format from www.routledge.com/cw/colloquials. Recorded by native speakers, the audio material features the dialogues and texts from the book and will help develop your listening and pronunciation skills.

1 Запознáнство

Getting acquainted

In this unit you will learn how to:

• Greet people

• Apologise

• Say goodbye

• Ask about nationalities and professions

• Use verbs of the а-class

Dialogue 1

Ana meets her good friend Georgi at the café.

Áна	Здравéй, Геóрги. Кáк си?
Геóрги	Благодаря́, добрé съм. Α ти́?
Áна	И áз съм добрé. И́мам мнóго рáбота днéс.
Геóрги	И́маш ли врéме за кафé?
Áна	Съжаля́вам, нó ня́мам врéме.
Геóрги	Бъ́рзаш ли?
Áна	Дá, мнóго. И́мам срéща с Мéри. Tя́ присти́га от Лóндон. Чáо, Геóрги!
Геóрги	Чáо, Áна!
Ana	Hello, Georgi. How are you?
Georgi	Thank you, I’m fine. And you?
Ana	I’m fine too. I have a lot of work today.
Georgi	Do you have time for coffee?
Ana	I’m sorry, but I don’t have time.
Georgi	Are you in a hurry?
Ana	Yes, very much [so]. I have a meeting with Mary. She is arriving from London. Bye, Georgi!
Georgi	Bye, Ana!

Vocabulary

здравéй	hi, hello
благодаря́	thank you
мнóго	much, a lot
днéс	today
бъ́рзам	to hurry
срéща	meeting; date
чáо	bye!
кáк си?	how are you?
добрé	fine, well
рáбота	work
врéме	time
съжаля́вам	to be sorry, regret
присти́гам	to arrive

Language points 1

Present tense, а-verbs

Bulgarian verbs are grouped in three patterns, а-verbs, и-verbs and е-verbs, according to how their present tense is formed. There is no infinitive (for more about this, see Unit 2, pp. 17–18), so the first person singular (the ‘I’ form) is used as the dictionary form. Here is И́мам ‘to have’:

áз И́мам	I have
ти́ И́маш	you (sing.) have
тóй и́ма/ти́ и́ма/тó и́ма	he has/she has/it has
ни́е И́маме	we have
ви́е и́мате	you (pl.) have
тé и́мат	they have

The verbs in Dialogue 1, съжаля́вам ‘to regret’, бъ́рзам ‘to hurry’, и́скам ‘to want’ and присти́гам ‘to arrive’, all follow this pattern:

Áз съжаля́вам.	I am sorry.
Áна бъ́рза.	Ana is in a hurry.
Ни́е и́скаме кафé.	We want coffee.
Тé присти́гат от Лóндон.	They arrive from London.

The plural form of ‘you’ ви́е is also used for addressing strangers and people you want to be polite to. Ana and Georgi, however, are good friends and use the ти́ form. The ви́е form is written with a capital в in letters, but not in literary works or newspapers.

As all the forms have distinct endings, there is not any need to use a personal pronoun with the verb unless you want to put special emphasis on the pronoun:

И́мам врéме за кафé.

I have time for coffee.

И́маме врéме за кафé.

We have time f...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Запознáнство
• 2. В хотéла и вкъ́щи
• 3. В ресторáнта
• 4. Телефóнен рáзговор
• 5. Kни́ги и вéстници
• 6. На покýпки
• 7. Оти́ваме на пазáр
• 8. Пътýване
• 9. Семéйство
• 10. Здра́ве
• 11. На ки́но
• 12. И́мен де́н
• 13. Вре́мето
• 14. Ма́дарският ко́нник
• 15. Президе́нт за eди́н дéн
• 16. Изгу́беният биле́т
• 17. Káк пpекáрах ля́тната вакáнция
• Grammar overview
• Key to exercises
• Bulgarian–English glossary
• Index