How to Form Questions in Bulgarian for English Speakers

Understanding Question Formation in Bulgarian

Forming questions in Bulgarian is straightforward once you understand the basic structures. Unlike English, Bulgarian often uses intonation and question words without changing the word order drastically. This article will guide English speakers through the main ways to ask questions in Bulgarian.

Yes/No Questions

Yes/No questions in Bulgarian are typically formed by using a rising intonation at the end of a statement, without changing the word order. For example, the statement Ти говориш български. means "You speak Bulgarian." To turn it into a question, simply raise your intonation: Ти говориш български? meaning "Do you speak Bulgarian?"

Alternatively, you can add the question particle ли after the verb to explicitly mark a yes/no question. For example: Говориш ли български? This also means "Do you speak Bulgarian?" and is very common in formal or written Bulgarian.

Using Question Words

Bulgarian uses question words similar to English to ask for specific information. These words usually appear at the beginning of the question. Here are some common Bulgarian question words:

• Кой (koy) – Who
• Какво (kakvo) – What
• Къде (kŭde) – Where
• Кога (koga) – When
• Защо (zashto) – Why
• Как (kak) – How

Example questions using these words:

• Кой е той? – Who is he?
• Какво правиш? – What are you doing?
• Къде отиваш? – Where are you going?
• Кога ще дойдеш? – When will you come?
• Защо си тук? – Why are you here?
• Как работи това? – How does this work?

Question Word Order

In Bulgarian, the question word usually comes at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the verb and the rest of the sentence. The word order is generally Subject-Verb-Object, similar to English, but can be flexible depending on emphasis.

For example, Къде живееш? literally translates to "Where live you?" but means "Where do you live?" in English.

Using Intonation to Form Questions

Sometimes, especially in informal speech, Bulgarians form questions simply by using a rising intonation at the end of a statement without changing the word order or adding question words. This is common for yes/no questions.

For example, Ти си тук. means "You are here." With a rising intonation, Ти си тук? means "Are you here?"

Practice Examples