Learning Bulgarian from a textbook is one thing. Learning Bulgarian from actual Bulgarians, however, can very quickly make you question whether you have been studying the same language at all. You spend months carefully learning phrases such as Какво правиш?, Как си? and Много ми е приятно!, only to sit next to two Bulgarians having a completely normal conversation and hear something like: “Кво става?”, “Мани…” and “Айде бе!”.
And there you go. Back to beginner level.
Of course, every language has slang, shortened forms and expressions which make perfect sense to native speakers but might leave learners staring in complete confusion. Bulgarian is no exception. Some words change their meaning completely depending on tone, others get shortened almost beyond recognition, and then there are those expressions which technically have a translation but somehow still need three more sentences to properly explain.
At Kristina Progress, we strongly believe that learning Bulgarian means eventually learning the Bulgarian people actually speak as well. Proper grammar and vocabulary come first, of course, but understanding your friends, colleagues, neighbours and the random person sitting next to you in a café is also rather useful.
So here are 5 Bulgarian slang words and expressions you are very likely to hear sooner or later.
- Айде – Ayde
Let us start with probably one of the most useful words in the Bulgarian language. Айде can mean “come on”, “let’s go”, “go ahead”, “okay”, “hurry up” and several other things depending entirely on the situation and, naturally, the Bulgarian saying it.
Айде да тръгваме means “let’s go”. Айде, добре is something like “alright then”. Айде, чао is one of the most Bulgarian ways to end a conversation, while Айде бе! can mean anything between “come on!”, “seriously?!”, “no way!” and “will you finally do it?!”.
The interesting thing is that Bulgarians use айде so naturally and so often that after enough time here you may start using it without even noticing. At that point there’s probably no going back.
2. Баси – Basi
Now we enter slightly dangerous territory. Баси is extremely common in informal Bulgarian and is usually used to express surprise, admiration, annoyance or simply to make whatever comes next sound much more dramatic.
Баси жегата! can be translated as “Damn, this heat!”, while Баси колата! is something closer to “What a car!”. Sometimes you don’t even need another word. You can look at an absurd electricity bill, sigh deeply and simply say баси…, and everybody around you will understand exactly what happened.
The word itself comes from a vulgar expression, though nowadays you will hear баси used very casually among friends and in everyday speech. Still, perhaps don’t make it the first Bulgarian word you proudly demonstrate during an official meeting. There is a time and place for everything.
3. Яко – Yako
Яко is another word that becomes much more interesting once you leave the dictionary behind. Its original meanings are connected to strength, hardness or intensity, but in everyday Bulgarian it very often means something like “cool”, “awesome” or simply “a lot”.
Someone tells you they went to an amazing concert? Яко! Someone shows you their new motorbike? Много яко! It can also work as an adverb, so яко вали means that it is raining heavily, while яко се изложих means that you embarrassed yourself quite badly.
Basically, яко is one of those convenient words which can save you when your vocabulary suddenly disappears. Just make sure the situation actually calls for it. If somebody tells you something terrible has happened and you happily answer яко, your grammar might be fine but you have probably created a different problem.
4. Мани – Mani
The closest translation of мани would be something like “leave it”, “forget it” or “never mind”, but once again the actual meaning depends a lot on the way it is used. Sometimes one мани can contain an entire story.
Someone asks you how work was and you respond with мани…. They already know it was bad. Probably very bad. Мани го can mean “forget about him” or “leave him alone”, while мани, мани is basically our version of “don’t even get me started”.
Naturally, the Bulgarian saying мани, мани will then very often proceed to get started and spend the next twenty minutes explaining exactly what happened. That’s part of the experience.
5. Евала – Evala
Евала is a much more positive expressiion. It is used to show admiration, approval or respect for something somebody has done and could loosely be translated as “bravo”, “well done” or “respect”.
Someone manages to fix something everybody else had already given up on? Евала! Your friend gets an incredibly good deal on something? Again, евала. Someone finds an empty parking space directly in the centre of Sofia at six in the evening? Honestly, that probably deserves an евала too.
You may also hear евала ти правя, meaning roughly “I give you credit” or “respect to you”. It is informal, friendly and quite expressive, which is probably why it has survived so well in everyday Bulgarian.
6. К’во – Kvo
Here comes one of the first moments when Bulgarian learners realise native speakers have apparently decided that some syllables are optional. You spend your first lessons carefully learning the word какво, meaning “what”, and then suddenly everybody around you starts saying к’во.
Какво правиш? becomes К’во правиш?. Какво искаш? becomes К’во искаш?. And Какво става? very quickly becomes one of the most common informal Bulgarian greetings – К’во става?
This does not mean you should immediately start shortening every word you know. Learning and using the standard forms first is always a good idea. But recognising how people actually pronounce and shorten words is extremely useful, because otherwise you might spend quite some time wondering why the Bulgarian outside your classroom sounds suspiciously different from the one inside it.
By the way, if spoken Bulgarian still feels a little intimidating, be sure to check our Free resources. We do cover many of the basics there… before Bulgarians start removing half the letters.
7. Кво става? – Kvo stava?
Since we are already here, к’во става? deserves its own place. Literally it means “what is happening?”, but in everyday Bulgarian it is simply one of the most common ways of saying “what’s up?”, “how’s it going?” or “what are you doing?”.
If a friend sees you and asks К’во става?, you are not required to give them a complete chronological report of everything that has happened since breakfast. Нищо, ти? – “Nothing much, you?” – works perfectly well.
Of course, if something interesting has actually happened, feel free to explain. Bulgarians are generally quite happy to hear the full story, especially if there is already coffee on the table and nobody has anywhere particularly urgent to be.
8. Пич – Pich
A пич is usually a guy, dude, bloke or, depending on the context, simply somebody you think is cool or decent. Той е пич can mean “he’s a good guy”, while някакъв пич ме пита… is simply “some guy asked me…”.
You can also hear Ей, пич!, which may be completely friendly or slightly less friendly depending on the tone. As with a suspicious number of Bulgarian expressions, tone can do half of the work.
Calling somebody голям пич is generally a compliment and means they are particularly cool, decent or impressive. It is very informal though, so perhaps avoid opening an email to your accountant or lawyer with Здравей, пич!. Some cultural integration can safely wait.
9. Точен – Tochen
Now, точен is not really slang in the traditional sense. The standard meaning is “exact”, “correct” or “punctual”, but when Bulgarians use it to describe a person, it can carry a slightly different meaning.
Той е точен or много точен човек usually means that somebody is reliable, decent, trustworthy or simply good to deal with. It is one of those compliments that sounds slightly strange when translated literally into English, but makes perfect sense in Bulgarian.
Someone keeps their word, helps you out, behaves fairly and does what they said they would do? Точен е. Apparently, being “exact” is quite a respectable personality trait around here.
10. Майна – Maina
Finally, welcome to Plovdiv. If you have read some of our other articles, you may have already encountered майна, but there is simply no way to write about Bulgarian slang without mentioning it once again.
Майна can mean something like “mate”, “man”, “dude”, “bro” or “my friend”. Sometimes, however, it seems to mean practically nothing at all and simply appears in the sentence because, well… Plovdiv.
Кво става, майна?, Айде, майна!, Майна, мани… – all perfectly normal. Two Plovdiv locals can probably have an entire conversation in which майна appears in every sentence.
Using it correctly is less about grammar and more about instinct. We do not really recommend arriving in Plovdiv tomorrow and inserting майна after every second word, because people will notice. Give it time. But after you spend enough time here, sit over enough coffees and eventually it might start appearing naturally.
Then there’s no going back.
Of course, Bulgarian slang goes much further than these ten examples. It changes between generations, between cities, between social groups and sometimes even between two friends who have simply developed their own way of speaking over the years. Some words disappear, others suddenly become fashionable and then there are expressions which somehow remain around forever.
That is also why learning Bulgarian only from a textbook can take you only so far. At some point you need to hear people speak, make mistakes yourself, notice when somebody
This is something our teachers love bringing into the lessons at Kristina Progress. Learning Bulgarian is not only about knowing what a word means when you look it up. It is about understanding when Bulgarians actually use it, what emotion it carries and whether saying it yourself will make you sound natural… or make everybody at the table turn around.
So learn the proper Bulgarian first. Join us for a course 🙂
Then listen to the locals, steal a few words and use them carefully.
And if one day somebody tells you:
„Евала, майна! Много яко говориш!”
Well…
Then you are probably doing alright.