How to Express Time and Dates in Bulgarian for English Speakers

Understanding the Basics of Time in Bulgarian

Expressing time in Bulgarian involves understanding the 24-hour clock system, common time phrases, and how to ask and tell the time. Unlike English, Bulgarian often uses the 24-hour format in formal contexts, but the 12-hour format is also common in everyday speech.

Telling the Time: Hours and Minutes

To tell the time in Bulgarian, you typically say the hour followed by the minutes. For example, 3:15 is said as "три и петнадесет" (tri i petnadeset), literally "three and fifteen." The word "и" means "and" and connects the hour and minutes.

For minutes less than 10, you usually add a zero before the number, e.g., 3:05 is "три и пет" (tri i pet).

Asking for the Time

To ask "What time is it?" in Bulgarian, you say: Колко е часът? (Kolko e chasat?). Another common phrase is Колко е часът сега? (Kolko e chasat sega?), meaning "What time is it now?"

Common Time-Related Vocabulary in Bulgarian

Expressing Dates in Bulgarian

Dates in Bulgarian are usually expressed in the day-month-year format, similar to many European countries. For example, 5th April 2024 is "5 април 2024 г." (5 april 2024 g.). The "г." stands for "година" meaning "year."

Days of the Week

Knowing the days of the week is essential for expressing dates and planning. Here are the days in Bulgarian:

• Понеделник (Monday)
• Вторник (Tuesday)
• Сряда (Wednesday)
• Четвъртък (Thursday)
• Петък (Friday)
• Събота (Saturday)
• Неделя (Sunday)

Months of the Year

The months in Bulgarian are:

• Януари (January)
• Февруари (February)
• Март (March)
• Април (April)
• Май (May)
• Юни (June)
• Юли (July)
• Август (August)
• Септември (September)
• Октомври (October)
• Ноември (November)
• Декември (December)

How to Say the Date

To say the date, you say the day as a cardinal number, then the month, and then the year. For example, "15th March 2024" is петнадесети март две хиляди двадесет и четири. However, in everyday speech, the year is often omitted unless necessary.

Useful Phrases for Talking About Time and Dates

Tips for English Speakers Learning Bulgarian Time and Date Expressions

Bulgarian uses the 24-hour clock more frequently than English, especially in written and formal contexts. When speaking informally, the 12-hour clock is common, but Bulgarians often specify the part of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) to clarify.

Practice pronouncing the numbers and dates carefully, as Bulgarian has specific stress patterns that can change meaning.