аз/ти/той/тя/то
Singular Subject Pronouns
аз I · ти you · той he · тя she · то it. Аз съм Иван (I am Ivan), Тя е тук (She is here).
How It Works
- аз – I. It is written with a small letter unless it starts a sentence.
- ти – you, when talking to one friend, child or family member. For polite address use Вие; see ти и Вие.
- той – he, and "it" for masculine nouns: Къде е телефонът? – Той е тук.
- тя – she, and "it" for feminine nouns: Къде е чантата? – Тя е на стола.
- то – "it" for neuter nouns, including words for young people and animals such as дете (child): Детето спи. То е уморено.
To decide between той, тя and то, look at the noun's gender; see род на съществителните.
A verb ending already tells you who acts: Говоря български means "I speak Bulgarian" without аз. Add the pronoun when you want to stress or contrast the person: Аз работя, а ти почиваш (I am working, and you are resting). See пропускане на личното местоимение.
These are subject forms only. As objects or after a preposition, other forms are used (мен, теб, него, нея; ме, те, го, я). The plural subjects are ние/вие/те.
Examples (6)
- Аз съм Иван.
I am Ivan.
Word by Word: I am Ivan.
- Ти си от Варна.
You are from Varna.
Word by Word: You are from Varna.
- Той работи в банка.
He works at a bank.
Word by Word: He works in bank.
- Тя е тук.
She is here.
Word by Word: She is here.
- Къде е телефонът? – Той е на масата.
Where is the phone? – It is on the table.
Word by Word: Where is phone-the? – He is on table-the.
Телефон is masculine, so "it" is той.
- Детето спи. То е уморено.
The child is sleeping. It is tired.
Word by Word: Child-the sleeps. It is tired.
Дете is neuter, so it is referred to with то, and the adjective takes the neuter ending -о.
Common Mistakes
Using то for every thing, as with English "it".
Къде е телефонът? – То е на масата.Къде е телефонът? – Той е на масата.Only neuter nouns take то. Телефон is masculine, so it is той; a feminine noun like чанта would be тя.
Capitalizing аз in the middle of a sentence.
Мисля, че Аз съм прав.Мисля, че аз съм прав.Unlike English "I", аз is an ordinary word and takes a small letter unless it begins the sentence.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- ние/вие/теPlural Subject Pronouns
The plural subject pronouns that complete the set.
Level 1 - съм/си/е/сме/сте/саPresent Tense of Съм
Each pronoun pairs with its own form of съм: аз съм, ти си, той е.
Level 1 - Leaving Out Subject Pronouns
Explains when these pronouns are normally left out.
Level 1 - ти / ВиеFamiliar Ти and Polite Вие
Shows when to use the polite Вие instead of ти.
Level 1 - Noun Gender
Noun gender decides whether "it" is той, тя or то.
Level 1 - мене/тебе/него/неяFull Object Pronouns
The forms these pronouns take after prepositions and for emphasis.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice аз/ти/той/тя/то in Bubblegum
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