The Bulgarian alphabet consists of 30 letters.
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The Alphabet
THE CYRILLIC ALPHABET: pronunciation guide
Introduction
The pronunciation of the letters seldom depends on the adjacent letter, as it is in English. In English many letters make different sounds in different words. (Did you know that one way to spell 'fish' is 'ghoti' - gh as in 'rough', o as in 'women', and ti as in 'international'? ;-))
In Bulgarian one letter by rule corresponds to one sound. The exceptions are the rules for vowel darkening and the twinning of voiced and voiceless consonants, which are explained in the Vowels and Consonants Sections, respectively.
In this Unit we have deliberately omitted giving you the translations of the words you will see and hear. That's because learning the meanings at this stage will only distract you from the real task at hand, namely learning the correct way to pronounce the Bulgarian sounds.
Letters А- Е
A, aАзбука /azbukaаз /azAAas in arm (but much shorter)Б, бБаба /babaбой /boyББas in burnВ, ввино /vinoВарна /VarnaВВas in visualГ, гГеорги/Georgiголям /golyamГГas in goalД, дДърво /Durvoдивеч /divechДДas in dayЕ, еЕпизод /Epizodдевет /devetЕЕas in Emily
Letters Ж - Л
Ж, жЖивот /ZHivotжена /zhenaЖЖas in leisureЗ,зЗеле /Zeleбезочлив /bezochlivЗЗas in zooИ, ииме /imeИван /IvanИИas in inchЙ, йЙордан/Yordanкрай /krayЙЙas in yo-yoК, кКокошка /kokoshkaкакво /kakvoККas in koalaЛ, лЛеля /Lelyaлипа /lipaЛЛas in load
Letters М- С
М, мМама /Mamaмомиче /momicheММas in motherН, нНапред /Napredнякога /nyakogaННas in neatО, оОко /Okoобица /obitsaООas in potП, пПъпеш/Pupeshпросто /prostoППas in penguinР, рРабота /Rabotaрека /rekaРРas in river (the first, not the second 'r'!)С, ссин /sinСоколин /SokolinССas in sell
Letters Т - Ч
Т, тТиква /Tikvaтой /toyТТas in tenantУ, уУспех /Uspehкуца /kutsaУУas in book, footФ, фФолио /Folioфабрика /fabrikaФФas in fiveХ, хХляб/Hlyabисках /iskahХХas in hiЦ, цЦаревица /TSarevitsaЦЦдворец /dvoretsas in he putsЧ, чЧисто /CHistoзначи /znachiЧЧas in chalk
Letters Ш - Я
Ш, шШега/SHegaшапка /shapkaШШas in shareЩ, щЩастие /SHTastieпещера /peshteraЩЩas in fishtailЪ, ъЪгъл /Ugulдълъг /dulugЪЪas in curry (always short)Ь, ьПетьо /Petyoкльощав /klyoshtavЬЬas in yo-yoЮ, юЮжен/YUzhenменю /menyuЮЮas in youЯ, яЯбълка/YAbulkaЯЯБългария /Bulgariyaas in yabadabadoo !?!;-)
Vowels 1
Vowel DarkeningWhen vowels are unstressed, they become less distinctand resemble in sound their counterpart.is pronounced as < a > inCounterparts:AAа - ъБар,цар,право - уbar,tsar,pravе - иbut when unstresed as < ъ > :Тинтява,църква,тревогаTintyava,tsarkva,trevogaIn the endings of some verb forms as well as in theforms of the definite article for the masculine andfeminine singular nouns, < a > should be pronounced< ъ > even though it is stressed.чета,нощта,площта,скромносттаchetа,noshttа,ploshttа,skromnosttа
Vowels 2
Vowel DarkeningWhen vowels are unstressed, they become less distinctand resemble in sound their counterpart.Pronounced as < о > :Counterparts:ООКоледа, Koledaа - ъОко, Okoо - уорден, ordenухо, uhoе - иbut when unstressed as < у > :Ориз,омраза,сухо,Oriz,omraza,suhoлято,компютърlyato,kompyutur
Vowels 3
Vowel DarkeningWhen vowels are unstressed, they become less distinctand resemble in sound their counterpart.Pronounced as < у > :Counterparts:УУа - ъУдар, Udarсполука, spolukaо - улук, lukкуче, kucheе - иbut when unstressed as < о > :Ухо,утроба,утвърденUho,utroba,utvurdenуспехусложненuspehuslozhnen
Vowels 4
Vowel DarkeningWhen vowels are unstressed, they become less distinctand resemble in sound their counterpart.Counterparts:ИЕИЕа - ъWhen unstressed, < е > and < и > do notо - уbecome as darkened as the previouslyе - иcovered vowels.< и >Синьо,белиSinyo,beli< е >Небе,село,черно,червеноNebe,selo,cherno,cherveno
Vowels 5
Ю & Я< ю >КлючЮгославия,ЮЮKlyuchYUgoslaviyaЮпитерЮлияYUpiterYUliya< я >ЯЯмбол,ясно,яростYAmbol,yasno,yarost
Consonants 1
Voiced & Voiceless ConsonantsWhen a voiced consonant is the last letter in a word orstands before a voiceless consonant, it is pronounces asits counterpart.Voiced/VoicelessБПБПбпbоб, bob/bopдроб, drob/dropвфхляб hlyab/hlyapгълъб, gulub/gulupгкдтжшзсВФВФThe voicelessconsonant х has noПловдив, Plovdiv/Plovdifcounterpart.Австралия, Avstralia/Afstraliaморков, morkov/morkofостров, ostrov/ostrof
Consonants 2
Voiced & Voiceless ConsonantsWhen a voiced consonant is the last letter in a word orstands before a voiceless consonant, it is pronounces asits counterpart.Voiced/VoicelessГКГКбпбряг, bryag/bryakсняг, snyag/snyakвфсмог,smog/smokдруг, drug/drukгкдтжшзсДДТТThe voicelessconsonant х has noград, grad/gratмлад, mlad/tcounterpart.мармалад,marmalad/tсклад, sklad/t
Consonants 3
Voiced & Voiceless ConsonantsWhen a voiced consonant is the last letter in a word orstands before a voiceless consonant, it is pronounces asits counterpart.Voiced/VoicelessЖШЖШбпмъж, muzh/shдръж, druzh/shвфтаралеж, taralezh/shгкгърмеж,gurmezh/shдтжшзсЗСЗСThe voicelessconsonant х has noразказ, razkaz/sизток, iztok/istokcounterpart.отказ, otkaz/sгрозд, grozd/grost
Culture
The Cyrillic Alphabet
Don't be surprised if a married couple don't spell their surname exactly the same way. In Bulgaria, women's surnames take on an extra '-a' at the end. For example:
Г-н Иванов ===> Г-жа Иванова
This also applies to the other members of the family, such as brothers and sisters.
A funny but revealing story: A male friend of one of the members of the EasyBulgarian.com team went to the US. His sister, whose surname is Petkova, had been there for some time before him. So, people addressed him as 'Mr. Petkova'. Of course, he was quite embarrassed at being address as a woman. The correct form is 'Mr. Petkov'.
Usually, Bulgarians have three names in the following order:
Given name Father's name Surname
Example:
Миглена Георгиева Тодорова
Her brother: Михаил Георгиев Тодоров
Their father: Георги Петров Тодоров
This name system is called the 'patronymic' (from Greek, 'father' and 'name').
Тhe most common endings of father's names and surnames are '-ев', -ов (fem. -ева, -ова) or '-ски' (fem.
'-ска'), but among the Turks (about ten per cent of the Bulgarian population are of Turkish ethnicity) it is more and more popular to leave the surname without an ending, the way it is in Turkish, e.g. Мехмед Кадир instead of Мехмед Кадиров, and Ахмед Салим instead of Ахмед Салимов.
Clusters
These are some of the clusters that usually prove difficult for native English speakers to pronounce correctly.
-лство-, -рство-, -ств-
правителствоpravitelstvo
притворствоpritvorstvo
свидетелствоsvidetelstvo-рск-
Try to keep the vowel before 'р' short! Do not lenghten it as in English.
творчествоtvorchestvo
български bulgarski
готварска gotvarska
'х' (h) before a consonant
Христо Hristo
хляб hlyab
храна hrana