The easiest way to learn Bulgarian is to learn the Cyrillic alphabet that Bulgarian is written in, and then read and listen to short, easy Bulgarian about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Leave verb tables and long word lists for later, because easy Bulgarian keeps showing you the most common words and endings. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Bulgarian to start with.
Is Bulgarian Easy to Learn?
Bulgarian is easy to start, and it takes a long time to learn well. The alphabet takes a few short sessions, while the words and verb forms take much longer, and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Bulgarian in the third of its four groups for English speakers. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- Letters You Already KnowThe Bulgarian alphabet has 30 letters, and some of them, such as А, К, М, О and Т, look and sound much like English letters.
- Words You Already KnowMany Bulgarian words come from other languages, such as кафе (coffee), такси (taxi) and компютър (computer).
- Nouns Without Case EndingsBulgarian nouns have lost almost all of their case endings, so София stays the same in в София (in Sofia) and от София (from Sofia).
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is to learn the letters, then spend your time on short Bulgarian you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Learn Cyrillic FirstLearn the letters in a few short sessions with Bubblegum's free Bulgarian Cyrillic course.
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound, stress and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep from each lesson.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like Здравей (hi) or another greeting you want to use.
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Bulgarian at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Bulgarian.
What Makes Bulgarian Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Bulgarian feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Bulgarian.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Letters that look English | Р, Н, В and С look like English letters and stand for other sounds. Bubblegum's free Cyrillic course gives each of them a picture, so the right sound comes to mind when you see the letter. |
| Stress that isn't written | Everyday Bulgarian doesn't mark which part of a word is stressed, so play the audio and copy it. The free Rechnik dictionary marks the stress on each word you look up. |
| “The” at the end of a word | Bulgarian adds “the” to the end of a noun, so книга (book) becomes книгата (the book). Easy lines use these endings again and again, so they feel familiar before you read a rule. |
| Masculine, feminine and neuter words | The last letter often tells you which one a word is: град (city) is masculine, жена (woman) is feminine and село (village) is neuter. |
What Is Easy Bulgarian to Start With?
Easy Bulgarian to start with is short and slow, and it is about something you enjoy.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Bulgarian | Its host reads storybooks and comics aloud, and every video is labeled by level, starting at beginner. | YouTube |
| Peppa Pig in Bulgarian | The characters speak clearly and use simple words, and the official channel has whole episodes. | YouTube |
| LingQ Mini Stories | Short stories for beginners come with text and audio, so you can read and listen at the same time. | lingq.com |
| BulgarianPod101 | Teachers slow down and explain each word, and a free account includes selected lessons. | bulgarianpod101.com |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier. Our guide to comprehensible input lists more Bulgarian you can mostly understand, from easy to hard.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to learn Cyrillic?
Learn a few letters at a time, and read real words with them as soon as you can. Bubblegum's free Bulgarian Cyrillic course works this way in your browser, in seven short chapters, with audio for every sound and a short quiz at the end of each chapter.
Can I learn Bulgarian just by watching shows?
Not at the start, because most of an episode goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Shows help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with Bulgarian subtitles on. Language Reactor sorts Bulgarian YouTube videos from easy to hard, and shows the Bulgarian subtitles beside a translation.
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. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Bulgarian apps.
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
- Wikipedia, Bulgarian alphabet (30 letters)
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia, Bulgarian grammar (Bulgarian has lost the noun cases, and the definite article is added to the end of the noun)
- Wikipedia, Bulgarian nouns (gender can usually be told from the ending, as in град, жена and село)
- Wikipedia, Bulgarian phonology (stress is not usually marked in writing)
- Rechnik, free Bulgarian dictionary (marks the stress and lists every form of a word)
