чак

Not Until and All the Way with Чак

Level 4Sounds Like čak

Put чак before a time, a place or толкова to say as late as, all the way or that much: Дойде чак в полунощ. (He didn't come until midnight.)

How It Works

1. A late time: not until, only then. Put чак before the time phrase. The sentence stays positive, and чак adds the idea that the moment came late:

  • Дойде чак в полунощ. (He didn't come until midnight.)
  • Чак сега разбрах какво е станало. (Only now did I understand what had happened.)
  • Чак след три седмици научих истината. (It was three weeks before I learned the truth.)

English uses a negative here (didn't come until), but Bulgarian does not. Не дойде до полунощ means something else: he had not come by midnight.

2. A long distance: all the way. Чак goes before до (to) or от (from): Стигнахме чак до морето. (We went all the way to the sea.) Дойде чак от Варна. (He came all the way from Varna.) See до for the preposition itself.

3. A high degree: that much. Чак толкова means that much, all that. It is most common in negative sentences and questions, where it softens a claim: Не е чак толкова трудно. (It isn't all that hard.) Чак толкова ли е скъпо? (Is it really that expensive?)

4. So much that, even. In relaxed speech чак can also introduce a surprising result, close to дори: Толкова се смя, че чак се просълзи. (He laughed so hard that tears even came to his eyes.)

Чак and едва. With a late time, едва can often replace чак: Едва вчера разбрах and Чак вчера разбрах both mean I only found out yesterday. But only едва means barely (Едва го чух. I barely heard him), and only чак is used for distance and for чак толкова.

Examples (6)

  1. Дойде чак в полунощ.

    He didn't come until midnight.

    The sentence is positive; чак alone shows that midnight was late.

  2. Чак сега разбрах какво е станало.

    Only now did I understand what had happened.

  3. Стигнахме чак до морето.

    We went all the way to the sea.

    With a place, чак usually comes before до or от.

  4. Той дойде чак от Варна, за да ни види.

    He came all the way from Varna to see us.

  5. Не е чак толкова трудно.

    It isn't all that hard.

    Чак толкова softens a claim in a negative sentence.

  6. Толкова се смя, че чак се просълзи.

    He laughed so hard that tears even came to his eyes.

Common Mistakes

  • Copying English "not until" with не ... до.

    Не дойде до полунощ.
    Дойде чак в полунощ.

    The intended meaning is that he arrived at midnight. Не дойде до полунощ only says he had not come by midnight. Bulgarian keeps the verb positive and marks the late time with чак.

  • Using чак to mean "barely".

    Чак го чух.
    Едва го чух.

    Чак marks something late, far or large. For "barely" or "hardly", use едва.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

чакLevel 4Not Until and All the Way with Чак

Learn This First

Чак follows едва.

Words in This Pattern

чак