Numbers Three to Ten

Level 1Sounds Like čislitelni ot tri do deset

Three to ten are три, четири, пет, шест, седем, осем, девет, десет. Each has just one form: три книги, три села, три стола.

How It Works

The numbers

  • 3 три
  • 4 че́тири
  • 5 пет
  • 6 шест
  • 7 се́дем
  • 8 о́сем
  • 9 де́вет
  • 10 де́сет

None of them changes for gender: три жени (three women), три деца (three children), три града (three cities). Compare The Number One and The Number Two, which do change.

What happens to the noun

  • Feminine and neuter nouns use their ordinary plural: пет книги (five books), шест момичета (six girls).
  • Masculine nouns for things take the count form in -а or -я: пет стола (five chairs), осем часа (eight o'clock, eight hours). See The Count Form.
  • Masculine nouns for people keep the ordinary plural: осем ученици (eight pupils).

Counting men

For a group of men, or a group with at least one man, Bulgarian can use трима, четирима, петима, шестима, with the ordinary plural after them: трима братя (three brothers), четирима приятели (four friends). These forms are only for people, never for things or for a group of women only. The forms седмина, осмина, деветима and десетима also exist, but from seven up people more often say седем души (seven people). See Numbers for Groups of Men.

Ages and times

Age uses на: Той е на осем години. (He is eight.) See Talking About Age. Clock times use в and the count form часа: в седем часа (at seven o'clock).

Examples (6)

  1. Имам три сестри.

    I have three sisters.

    Сестри is a feminine plural, and три does not change.

  2. В стаята има пет стола.

    There are five chairs in the room.

    Стол is a masculine thing, so it takes the count form стола.

  3. Детето е на шест години.

    The child is six years old.

  4. Магазинът отваря в осем часа.

    The shop opens at eight o'clock.

    Час takes the count form часа after a number.

  5. Имам четирима братя.

    I have four brothers.

    Четирима is the form for a group of men, and братя is the ordinary plural.

  6. След десет минути съм там.

    I will be there in ten minutes.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the ordinary plural of a masculine thing after a number.

    В стаята има пет столове.
    В стаята има пет стола.

    After a number a masculine noun for a thing takes the count form in -а or -я, not the ordinary plural in -ове or -и.

  • Using the men-only form for women.

    Имам трима сестри.
    Имам три сестри.

    Трима, четирима and петима count men or mixed groups. For women and for things use the plain number три, четири, пет.

How It Connects

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

Numbers Three to TenLevel 1

Learn This First

Numbers three to ten follow the gendered numbers one and two.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

тричетирипетшестседемосемдеветдесеттримачетиримапетима