The best way to learn Bulgarian is a mix: mostly Bulgarian you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Bulgarian you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Bulgarian Work Best?
Reading and listening to Bulgarian at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Shows, radio and news | Natural, everyday Bulgarian | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works | Verb forms that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Bulgarian for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Travel to BulgariaSpend most of your time on short dialogues about ordering food and getting around, and say each one out loud.
- Live in BulgariaRead and hear Bulgarian about errands, rent and neighbors, and practice reading the signs and menus around you.
- Pass a Bulgarian ExamRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the sample tests from Sofia University, which runs certificate exams in Bulgarian, as the test gets close.
- Watch Bulgarian SeriesPut most of your time into listening, starting with videos made for learners and moving on to series such as Под прикритие.
- Work in BulgarianRead and hear Bulgarian about your field most of the time, and practice polite, formal speech with a tutor.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Bulgarian.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as the Peace Corps lessons for grammar or Anki for review, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Bulgarian lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Cyrillic | Bubblegum's Bulgarian Cyrillic course | Bulgaro, whose course starts with Cyrillic |
| Reading and listening at your level | Videos from Simple Bulgarian on YouTube, and fairy tales on Детското БНР | Bubblegum, LingQ or BulgarianPod101 |
| Shows, news and books | Language Reactor for videos, BNR for news and radio | Storytel for audiobooks, Readlang for web pages you choose |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar | The Peace Corps' free lessons on Live Lingua, and every form of a word on Rechnik | Bulgaro, or BulgarianPod101's lesson notes |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Bulgarian sentences you can follow.
- Bulgarian in English LettersLetters such as Щ and Ъ have no single English letter to match them, so read every Bulgarian word in Cyrillic from the start.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each one comes with its stress and an example of how it is used.
- Series You Can't Follow YetSave series such as Под прикритие for when you can follow a scene, and watch videos made for learners before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Bulgarian with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. A teacher can tell you when you stress the wrong part of a word, which is hard to notice on your own, so spend paid lessons on italki or Preply talking.
Should I learn Bulgarian grammar first?
No. Learn Cyrillic first, then learn grammar from the Bulgarian you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after Искам да ям (I want to eat) and Искам да пия (I want to drink), the pattern for "I want to" is easy to spot.
Which Bulgarian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Bulgarian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Bulgarian app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Bulgarian Cyrillic course on this site is also free and needs no account.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- Sofia University, standardized tests of Bulgarian as a foreign language (levels A2 to C2)
- Sofia University, Bulgarian language tests (sample tests for the certificate of proficiency)
- Wikipedia, Bulgarian alphabet (Щ stands for two sounds, and Ъ is a vowel of its own)
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
- HelloTalk, language partners in Bulgaria (free language exchange)
- Live Lingua, Peace Corps Bulgarian language lessons (free)
- Rechnik, free Bulgarian dictionary (stress marks and every form of a word)
