Editing Bulgarian language (section)

===Other features===
{{Original research|section|date=October 2015}}

====Questions====
Questions in Bulgarian which do not use a question word (such as who? what? etc.) are formed with the particle {{lang|bg|ли|italic=no}} after the verb; a subject is not necessary, as the verbal conjugation suggests who is performing the action:
*{{lang|bg|Идваш}} – 'you are coming'; {{lang|bg|Идваш ли?}} – 'are you coming?'

While the particle {{lang|bg|ли}} generally goes after the verb, it can go after a noun or adjective if a contrast is needed:
*{{lang|bg|Идваш ли с нас?}} – 'are you coming with us?';
*{{lang|bg|С нас ли идваш?}} – 'are you coming with ''us''<nowiki>'</nowiki>?
A verb is not always necessary, e.g. when presenting a choice:
*{{lang|bg|Той ли?}} – 'him?'; {{lang|bg|Жълтият ли?}} – 'the yellow one?'<ref group=note>The word {{Wikt-lang|bg|или}} ('either') has a similar etymological root: {{lang|bg|и|italic=no}} + {{lang|bg|ли|italic=no}} ('and') – e.g. ({{lang|bg|или) {{lang|bg|Жълтият или червеният|italic=no}}}} – '(either) the yellow one or the red one.'</ref>

Rhetorical questions can be formed by adding {{lang|bg|ли}} to a question word, thus forming a "double interrogative" –
*{{lang|bg|Кой?}} – 'Who?'; {{lang|bg|Кой ли?!}} – 'I wonder who(?)'
The same construction {{lang|bg|+не|italic=no}} ('no') is an emphasized positive –
*{{lang|bg|Кой беше там?}} – 'Who was there?' – {{lang|bg|Кой ли не!}} – 'Nearly everyone!' (lit. 'I wonder who ''wasn't'' there')

====Significant verbs====

=====Be (''Съм'')=====

The verb {{lang|bg|съм}} {{IPA|/sɤm/}}<ref group=note>{{lang|bg|съм|italic=no}} is pronounced similar to English ''"sum"''.</ref> – 'to be' is also used as an [[auxiliary verb|auxiliary]] for forming the [[perfect (grammar)|perfect]], the [[grammatical voice|passive]] and the [[conditional mood|conditional]]:
*past tense – {{IPA|/oˈdariɫ sɐm/}} – 'I have hit'
*passive – {{IPA|/oˈdarɛn sɐm/}} – 'I am hit'
*past passive – {{IPA|/bʲax oˈdarɛn/}} – 'I was hit'
*conditional – {{IPA|/bix oˈdaril/}} – 'I would hit'

Two alternate forms of {{lang|bg|съм}} exist:
*{{lang|bg|бъда}} {{IPA|/ˈbɤdɐ/}} – interchangeable with съм in most tenses and moods, but never in the [[present indicative]] – e.g. {{IPA|/ˈiskɐm dɐ ˈbɤdɐ/}} ('I want to be'), {{IPA|/ʃtɛ ˈbɤdɐ tuk/}} ('I will be here'); in the imperative, only бъда is used – {{IPA|/bɤˈdi tuk/}} ('be here');
*{{lang|bg|бивам}} {{IPA|/ˈbivɐm/}} – slightly archaic, imperfective form of бъда – e.g. {{IPA|/ˈbivɐʃɛ zaˈplaʃɛn/}} ('he used to get threats'); in contemporary usage, it is mostly used in the negative to mean "ought not", e.g. {{IPA|/nɛ ˈbivɐ dɐ ˈpuʃiʃ/}} ('you shouldn't smoke').<ref group=note>It is a common reply to the question {{lang|bg-latn|Kak e?}} {{IPA|/ˈkak ɛ/}} 'How are things?' ({{lit|how is it?}}) – {{IPA|/ˈbivɐ/}} 'alright' (lit. 'it [repetitively] is') or {{IPA|/ˈkak si/}} 'How are you?' -<nowiki/>{{IPA|/ˈbivɐm/}} 'I'm OK'.</ref>

=====Will (''Ще'')=====

The impersonal verb {{lang|bg|ще}} ({{lit|it wants}})<ref group=note>{{lang|bg|ще|italic=no}} – from the verb {{lang|bg|ща|italic=no}} – 'to want.' The present tense of this verb in the sense of 'to want' is archaic and only used colloquially. Instead, {{lang|bg|искам|italic=no}} {{IPA|/ˈiskɐm/}} is used.</ref> is used to for forming the (positive) future tense:
*{{IPA|/oˈtivɐm/}} – 'I am going'
*{{IPA|/ʃtɛ oˈtivɐm/}} – 'I will be going'
The negative future is formed with the invariable construction {{lang|bg|няма да}} {{IPA|/ˈɲamɐ dɐ/}} (see {{lang|bg|няма}} below):<ref group=note>Formed from the impersonal verb {{lang|bg|няма}}  ({{lit|it does not have}}) and the subjunctive particle {{lang|bg|да}} {{IPA|/dɐ/}} ('that')</ref>
*{{IPA|/ˈɲamɐ dɐ oˈtivɐm/}} – 'I will not be going'
The past tense of this verb – щях {{IPA|/ʃtʲax/}} is conjugated to form the past conditional ('would have' – again, with да, since it is ''[[irrealis]]''):
*{{IPA|/ʃtʲax dɐ oˈtidɐ/}} – 'I would have gone;' {{IPA|/ʃtɛʃɛ da otidɛʃ/}} 'you would have gone'

=====Have/Don't have (''Имам and нямам'')=====

The verbs {{lang|bg|имам}} {{IPA|/ˈimɐm/}} ('to have') and {{lang|bg|нямам}} {{IPA|/ˈɲamɐm/}} ('to not have'):
*the third person singular of these two can be used impersonally to mean 'there is/there are' or 'there isn't/aren't any,'<ref group=note>They can also be used on their own as a reply, with no object following: {{lang|bg|има}} – 'there are some'; {{IPA|/ˈɲamɐ/}} – 'there aren't any' – compare German {{lang|de|keine}}.</ref>  e.g.
**{{IPA|/imɐ ˈvrɛmɛ/}} ('there is still time' – compare Spanish ''hay'');
**{{IPA|/ˈɲamɐ ˈnikoɡo/}} ('there is no one there').
*The impersonal form няма is used in the negative future – (see ще above).
**{{lang|bg|няма}} used on its own can mean simply 'I won't' – a simple refusal to a suggestion or instruction.

====Conjunctions and particles====
=====But=====

In Bulgarian, there are several conjunctions all translating into English as "but", which are all used in distinct situations. They are {{lang|bg|но}} ({{Transliteration|bg|no}}), {{lang|bg|ама}} ({{Transliteration|bg|amà}}), {{lang|bg|а}} ({{Transliteration|bg|a}}), {{lang|bg|ами}} ({{Transliteration|bg|amì}}), and {{lang|bg|ала}} ({{Transliteration|bg|alà}}) (and {{lang|bg|обаче}} ({{Transliteration|bg|obache}}) – "however", identical in use to {{lang|bg|но}}).

While there is some overlapping between their uses, in many cases they are specific. For example, {{Transliteration|bg|ami}} is used for a choice – {{Transliteration|bg|ne tova, ami onova}} – "not this one, but that one" (compare Spanish {{lang|es|sino}}), while {{Transliteration|bg|ama}} is often used to provide extra information or an opinion – {{Transliteration|bg|kazah go, ama sgreshih}} – "I said it, but I was wrong". Meanwhile, {{Transliteration|bg|a}} provides contrast between two situations, and in some sentences can even be translated as "although", "while" or even "and" – {{Transliteration|bg|az rabotya, a toy blee}} – "I'm working, and he's daydreaming".

Very often, different words can be used to alter the emphasis of a sentence – e.g. while {{Transliteration|bg|pusha, no ne tryabva}} and {{Transliteration|bg|pusha, a ne tryabva}} both mean "I smoke, but I shouldn't", the first sounds more like a statement of fact ("...but I mustn't"), while the second feels more like a ''judgement'' ("...but I oughtn't"). Similarly, {{Transliteration|bg|az ne iskam, ama toy iska}} and {{Transliteration|bg|az ne iskam, a toy iska}} both mean "I don't want to, but he does", however the first emphasizes the fact that ''he'' wants to, while the second emphasizes the ''wanting'' rather than the person.

{{Transliteration|bg|Ala}} is interesting in that, while it feels archaic, it is often used in poetry and frequently in children's stories, since it has quite a moral/ominous feel to it.

Some common expressions use these words, and some can be used alone as interjections:
*{{Transliteration|bg|da, ama ne}} ({{lit|yes, but no}}) – means "you're wrong to think so".
*{{Transliteration|bg|ama}} can be tagged onto a sentence to express surprise: {{Transliteration|bg|ama toy spi!}} – "he's sleeping!"
*{{lang|bg|ами!}} – "you don't say!", "really!"

=====Vocative particles=====

Bulgarian has several abstract particles which are used to strengthen a statement. These have no precise translation in English.<ref group=note>Perhaps most similar in use is the tag "man", but the Bulgarian particles are more abstract still.</ref> The particles are strictly informal and can even be considered rude by some people and in some situations. They are mostly used at the end of questions or instructions.
*{{lang|bg|бе}} ({{Transliteration|bg|be}}) – the most common particle. It can be used to strengthen a statement or, sometimes, to indicate derision of an opinion, aided by the tone of voice. (Originally purely masculine, it can now be used towards both men and women.)
**{{Transliteration|bg|kazhi mi, be}} – tell me (insistence); {{Transliteration|bg|taka li, be?}} – is that so? (derisive); {{Transliteration|bg|vyarno li, be?}} – you don't say!.
*{{lang|bg|де}} ({{Transliteration|bg|de)}} – expresses urgency, sometimes pleading.
**{{Transliteration|bg|stavay, de!}} – come on, get up!
*{{lang|bg|ма}} ({{Transliteration|bg|ma}}) (feminine only) – originally simply the feminine counterpart of {{Transliteration|bg|be}}, but today perceived as rude and derisive (compare the similar evolution of the vocative forms of feminine names).
*{{lang|bg|бре}} ({{Transliteration|bg|bre}}, masculine), {{lang|bg|мари}} ({{Transliteration|bg|mari}}, feminine) – similar to {{Transliteration|bg|be}} and {{Transliteration|bg|ma}}, but archaic. Although informal, can sometimes be heard being used by older people.

=====Modal particles=====

These are "tagged" on to the beginning or end of a sentence to express the mood of the speaker in relation to the situation. They are mostly [[interrogative]] or slightly [[imperative mood|imperative]] in nature. There is no change in the grammatical mood when these are used (although they may be expressed through different grammatical moods in other languages).
*{{lang|bg|нали}} ({{Transliteration|bg|nalì}}) – is a universal affirmative tag, like "isn't it"/"won't you", etc. (it is invariable, like the French {{lang|fr|n'est-ce pas}}). It can be placed almost anywhere in the sentence, and does not always require a verb:
**{{Transliteration|bg|shte doydesh, nali?}} – you are coming, aren't you?; {{Transliteration|bg|nali iskaha?}} – didn't they want to?; {{Transliteration|bg|nali onzi?}} – that one, right?;
**it can express quite complex thoughts through simple constructions – {{Transliteration|bg|nali nyamashe?}} – "I thought you weren't going to!" or "I thought there weren't any!" (depending on context – the verb {{Transliteration|bg|nyama}} presents general negation/lacking, see "nyama", above).
*{{lang|bg|дали}} ({{Transliteration|bg|dalì}}) – expresses uncertainty (if in the middle of a clause, can be translated as "whether") – e.g. {{Transliteration|bg|dali shte doyde?}} – "do you think he will come?"
*{{lang|bg|нима}} ({{Transliteration|bg|nimà}}) – presents disbelief ~"don't tell me that{{nbsp}}..." – e.g. {{Transliteration|bg|nima iskash?!}} – "don't tell me you want to!". It can be used on its own as an [[interjection]] – {{Transliteration|bg|nima!}}
*{{lang|bg|дано}} ({{Transliteration|bg|danò}}) – expresses wish – {{Transliteration|bg|shte doyde}} – "he will come"; {{Transliteration|bg|dano doyde}} – "may he come". Grammatically, {{Transliteration|bg|dano}} is entirely separate from the verb {{lang|bg|желая}} ({{Transliteration|bg|zhelàya}}) – "to wish".
*{{lang|bg|нека}} ({{Transliteration|bg|nèka}}) – means "let('s)" – e.g. {{Transliteration|bg|neka doyde}} – "let him come"; when used in the first person, it expresses extreme politeness: {{Transliteration|bg|neka da otidem...}} – "let us go" (in colloquial situations, {{Transliteration|bg|hayde}}, below, is used instead).
**{{lang|bg|neka}}, as an interjection, can also be used to express judgement or even [[schadenfreude]] – {{Transliteration|bg|neka mu!}} – "he deserves it!".

=====Intentional particles=====

These express intent or desire, perhaps even pleading. They can be seen as a sort of [[cohortative mood|cohortative]] side to the language. (Since they can be used by themselves, they could even be considered as verbs in their own right.) They are also highly informal.
*{{lang|bg|хайде}} ({{Transliteration|bg|hàide}}) – "come on", "let's"
**e.g. {{Transliteration|bg|hayde, po-barzo}} – "faster!"
*{{lang|bg|я}} ({{Transliteration|bg|ya}}) – "let me" – exclusively when asking someone else for something. It can even be used on its own as a request or instruction (depending on the tone used), indicating that the speaker wants to partake in or try whatever the listener is doing.
**{{Transliteration|bg|ya da vidya}} – let me see; {{Transliteration|bg|ya?}} or {{Transliteration|bg|ya!}} – "let me.../give me..."
*{{lang|bg|недей}} ({{Transliteration|bg|nedèi}}) (plural {{Transliteration|bg|nedèyte}}) – can be used to issue a negative instruction – e.g. {{Transliteration|bg|nedey da idvash}} – "don't come" ({{Transliteration|bg|nedey}} + subjunctive). In some dialects, the construction {{Transliteration|bg|nedey idva}} ({{Transliteration|bg|nedey}} + [[preterite]]) is used instead. As an interjection – {{Transliteration|bg|nedei!}} – "don't!" (See section on [[Bulgarian grammar#Mood|imperative mood]]).

These particles can be combined with the vocative particles for greater effect, e.g. {{Transliteration|bg|ya da vidya, be}} (let me see), or even exclusively in combinations with them, with no other elements, e.g. {{Transliteration|bg|hayde, de!}} (come on!); {{Transliteration|bg|nedey, de!}} (I told you not to!).

====Pronouns of quality====
Bulgarian has several pronouns of quality which have no direct parallels in English – {{lang|bg-latn|kakav}} (what sort of); {{lang|bg-latn|takuv}} (this sort of); {{lang|bg-latn|onakuv}} (that sort of – colloq.); {{lang|bg-latn|nyakakav}} (some sort of); {{lang|bg-latn|nikakav}} (no sort of); {{lang|bg-latn|vsyakakav}} (every sort of); and the relative pronoun {{lang|bg-latn|kakavto}} (the sort of ... that ... ). The adjective {{lang|bg-latn|ednakuv}} ("the same") derives from the same radical.<ref group=note>Like the [[demonstrative pronoun|demonstratives]], these take the same form as pronouns as they do as adjectives – ie. {{lang|bg-latn|takuv}} means both "this kind of{{nbsp}}..." (adj.) and ''this kind of person/thing'' (pron., depending on the context).</ref>

Example phrases include:
*{{lang|bg-latn|kakav chovek?!}} – "what person?!"; {{lang|bg-latn|kakav chovek e toy?}} – what sort of person is he?
*{{lang|bg-latn|ne poznavam takuv}} – "I don't know any (people like that)" (lit. "I don't know this sort of (person)")
*{{lang|bg-latn|nyakakvi hora}} – lit. "some type of people", but the understood meaning is "a bunch of people I don't know"
*{{lang|bg-latn|vsyakakvi hora}} – "all sorts of people"
*{{lang|bg-latn|kakav iskash?}} – "which type do you want?"; {{lang|bg-latn|nikakav!}} – "I don't want any!"/"none!"

An interesting phenomenon is that these can be strung along one after another in quite long constructions, e.g.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!word
!literal meaning
!sentence
!meaning of sentence as a whole
|-
|–
|–
|{{lang|bg-latn|edna kola}}
|a car
|-
|{{lang|bg-latn|takava}}
|this sort of
|{{lang|bg-latn|edna '''takava''' kola ... }}
|this car '''(that I'm trying to describe)'''
|-
|{{lang|bg-latn|nikakva}}
|no sort of
|{{lang|bg-latn|edna takava '''nikakva''' kola}}
|this '''worthless''' car (that I'm trying to describe)
|-
|{{lang|bg-latn|nyakakva}}
|some sort of
|{{lang|bg-latn|edna takava '''nyakakva''' nikakva kola}}
|this '''sort of''' worthless car (that I'm trying to describe)
|}
An extreme, albeit colloquial, example with almost no intrinsic lexical meaning – yet which is meaningful to the Bulgarian ear – would be :
*"{{lang|bg-latn|kakva e taya takava edna nyakakva nikakva?!}}"
*inferred translation – "what kind of no-good person is she?"
*literal translation: "what kind of – is – this one here (she) – this sort of – one – some sort of – no sort of"
The subject of the sentence is simply the pronoun "{{lang|bg-latn|taya}}" (lit. "this one here"; colloq. "she").

Another interesting phenomenon that is observed in colloquial speech is the use of {{lang|bg-latn|takova}} (neuter of {{lang|bg-latn|takyv}}) not only as a substitute for an adjective, but also as a substitute for a verb. In that case the base form {{lang|bg-latn|takova}} is used as the third person singular in the present indicative and all other forms are formed by analogy to other verbs in the language. Sometimes the "verb" may even acquire a derivational prefix that changes its meaning. Examples:
* {{lang|bg-latn|takovah ti shapkata}} – I did something to your hat (perhaps: I took your hat)
* {{lang|bg-latn|takovah si ochilata}} – I did something to my glasses (perhaps: I lost my glasses)
* {{lang|bg-latn|takovah se}} – I did something to myself (perhaps: I hurt myself)
Another use of {{lang|bg-latn|takova}} in colloquial speech is the word {{lang|bg-latn|takovata}}, which can be used as a substitution for a noun, but also, if the speaker does not remember or is not sure how to say something, they might say {{lang|bg-latn|takovata}} and then pause to think about it:
* {{lang|bg-latn|i posle toy takovata...}} – and then he [no translation] ... 
* {{lang|bg-latn|izyadoh ti takovata}} – I ate something of yours (perhaps: I ate your dessert). Here the word {{lang|bg-latn|takovata}} is used as a substitution for a noun.
As a result of this versatility, the word {{lang|bg-latn|takova}} can readily be used as a euphemism for taboo subjects. It is commonly used to substitute, for example, words relating to reproductive organs or sexual acts:

* {{lang|bg-latn|toy si takova takovata v takovata i}} - he [verb] his [noun] in her [noun]

Similar "meaningless" expressions are extremely common in spoken Bulgarian, especially when the speaker is finding it difficult to describe or express something.

====Miscellaneous====
*The commonly cited phenomenon of Bulgarian people shaking their head for "yes" and nodding for "no" is true, but the shaking and nodding are ''not'' identical to the Western gestures. The "nod" for ''no'' is actually an ''upward'' movement of the head rather than a downward one, while the shaking of the head for ''yes'' is not completely horizontal, but also has a slight "wavy" aspect to it. This makes the Bulgarian gestures for yes and no compatible with the Western ones, and allows one to use either system unambiguously.
**A [[dental click]] {{IPA|[ǀ]}} (similar to the English "tsk") also means "no" (informal), as does ''ъ-ъ'' {{IPA|[ʔəʔə]}} (the only occurrence in Bulgarian of the [[glottal stop]]). The two are often said with the upward 'nod'.
**The head-shaking gesture used to signify "no" in Western Europe may also be used interrogatively, with the meaning of "what is it?" or "what's wrong?".
*Bulgarian has an extensive vocabulary covering [[Kinship terminology|family relationships]]. The biggest range of words is for uncles and aunts, e.g. ''chicho'' (your father's brother), ''vuicho'' (your mother's brother), svako (your aunt's husband); an even larger number of synonyms for these three exists in the various dialects of Bulgarian, including ''kaleko, lelincho, tetin'', etc. The words do not only refer to the closest members of the family (such as ''brat'' – brother, but ''batko''/''bate'' – older brother, ''sestra'' – sister, but ''kaka'' – older sister), but extend to its furthest reaches, e.g. ''badzhanak'' from [[Turkish language|Turkish]] ''bacanak'' (the relationship of the husbands of two sisters to each other) and ''etarva'' (the relationships of two brothers' wives to each other). For all in-laws, there are specific names, e.g. a woman's husband's brother is her ''dever'' and her husband's sister is her ''zalva''. In the traditional rural extended family before 1900, there existed separate subcategories for different brothers-in-law/sisters-in-law of a woman with regard to their age relative to hers, e.g. instead of simply a ''dever'' there could be a ''braino'' (older), a ''draginko'' (younger), or an ''ubavenkyo'' (who is still a child).
*As with many Slavic languages, the [[double negative]] in Bulgarian is grammatically correct, while some forms of it, when used instead of a single negative form, are grammatically incorrect. The following are literal translations of grammatically correct Bulgarian sentences that utilize a double or multiple negation: "Никой никъде никога нищо не е направил." (multiple negation without the use of a compound double negative form, i.e. using a listing of several successive single negation words) – "Nobody never nowhere nothing did not do." (translated as "nobody has ever done anything, anywhere"); "Никога не съм бил там." (double negation without the use of a compound double negative form, i.e. using a listing of several successive single negation words) – I never did not go there ("[I] have never been there"); Никога никакви чувства не съм имал! – I never no feelings had not have!  (I have never had any feelings!). The same applies for Macedonian.