Quantities Without Of

Level 2Sounds Like količestvo bez predlog

English says a glass of water. Bulgarian simply puts the two nouns side by side: чаша вода, бутилка вино, кило домати.

How It Works

1. Common amount words.

  • чаша чай (a cup of tea), бутилка вода (a bottle of water), литър мляко (a liter of milk)
  • кило ябълки (a kilo of apples), половин кило сирене (half a kilo of white cheese)
  • парче хляб (a piece of bread), филия хляб (a slice of bread), лъжица захар (a spoonful of sugar)
  • пакет ориз (a packet of rice), кутия бонбони (a box of chocolates)

2. More than one. Only the amount word becomes plural: две чаши вода (two glasses of water), три бутилки вино (three bottles of wine). Masculine amount words take the count form after a number: два литра мляко (two liters of milk).

3. The article. When the whole phrase is definite, the article goes on the first word: Къде е бутилката вино? (Where is the bottle of wine?) See the article on the first word.

4. When от is used. For part of one specific, known thing, use от with the article: парче от тортата (a piece of the cake, that particular cake), половината от парите (half of the money). Compare парче торта (a piece of cake, any cake).

Watch out: чаша за вода means a water glass, a glass made for water, which may be empty. Чаша вода is a glass with water in it.

Examples (6)

  1. Може ли чаша вода?

    Can I have a glass of water?

  2. Купих кило ябълки и пакет ориз.

    I bought a kilo of apples and a packet of rice.

  3. Искаш ли парче хляб?

    Do you want a piece of bread?

  4. Донесохме две бутилки вино.

    We brought two bottles of wine.

    Only бутилки is plural; вино stays as it is.

  5. Сложи две лъжици захар в чая.

    Put two spoonfuls of sugar in the tea.

  6. Изядох парче от тортата.

    I ate a piece of the cake.

    A specific cake, so от and the article are used.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding от to translate English "of".

    Една чаша от вода, моля.
    Една чаша вода, моля.

    For an amount of something in general, Bulgarian puts the two nouns side by side with no preposition.

  • Adding на to translate English "of".

    Искам кило на домати.
    Искам кило домати.

    На shows possession or direction, not an amount. Just say кило домати.

  • Leaving the amount word in the singular after a number.

    Купих две бутилка вода.
    Купих две бутилки вода.

    After две, the amount word itself must be plural: бутилки.

How It Connects

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Quantities Without OfLevel 2

Learn This First

Quantities without of follow много + noun.