хем... хем
Both ... and with Хем
Хем е евтино, хем е хубаво. (It is both cheap and good.) Both facts are true at once.
How It Works
1. The shape. Put хем before each of the two parts and a comma before the second one. The parts are usually whole clauses:
- Хем е евтино, хем е хубаво. (It is both cheap and good.)
- Хем работи, хем учи. (He both works and studies.)
They can also be single words or phrases: — Кой цвят ти харесва? — Хем белият, хем зеленият. (Which colour do you like? Both the white one and the green one.)
2. At the same time. Хем stresses that the two things happen together: Хем пее, хем плаче. (She is singing and crying at the same time.)
3. Contradictions. A common use points out that two things do not fit together, often with some irritation: Хем иска да отслабне, хем яде торта всяка вечер. (She wants to lose weight, and yet she eats cake every night.)
4. Style. Хем ... хем is especially common in everyday speech. The neutral paired form is и ..., и ... (see и), and formal writing prefers както ..., така и. Other paired conjunctions work in the same way: нито ... нито (neither ... nor) and или ... или (either ... or).
5. A single хем. On its own, хем can strengthen a warning or a request in casual speech: Хем да не закъсняваш! (And don't you be late!)
Examples (5)
- Хем е евтино, хем е хубаво.
It is both cheap and good.
- Хем работи, хем учи.
He both works and studies.
- Хем пее, хем плаче.
She is singing and crying at the same time.
- Хем иска да отслабне, хем яде торта всяка вечер.
She wants to lose weight, and yet she eats cake every night.
Хем ... хем often points out a contradiction.
- Хем белият, хем зеленият.
Both the white one and the green one.
The two parts can be single phrases, here answering a question about colours.
Common Mistakes
Using хем only once and joining the second part with и.
Хем е евтино и е хубаво.Хем е евтино, хем е хубаво.The pattern needs хем before each part. Use и ..., и ... or a simple и if you do not want the paired form.
Leaving out the comma before the second хем.
Хем работи хем учи.Хем работи, хем учи.Like other paired conjunctions, the second хем is preceded by a comma.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Both ... and follows either ... or.
Related Patterns
- иAnd, Also and Too with И
The neutral paired form и ..., и ... has the same meaning.
Level 1 - както..., така иBoth ... and in Formal Style
The formal written equivalent of хем ... хем.
Level 5 - не само..., но иNot Only ... but Also
Adds a second, stronger fact to the first one.
Level 3 - нито... нитоNeither ... nor
The negative paired conjunction, "neither ... nor".
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice хем... хем in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Bulgarian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
