Word + ли (Focus)

Focusing a Question with Ли

Level 3Sounds Like li za fokus

Move ли to the word you are unsure about: Днес ли заминаваш? (Are you leaving today?)

How It Works

1. Plain question or focused question. Compare:

  • Заминаваш ли днес? (Are you leaving today?) This asks whether you are leaving at all.
  • Днес ли заминаваш? (Is it today that you are leaving?) The speaker knows you are leaving and checks only the day.

2. What can be focused. Almost any part of the sentence:

  • a person: Ти ли дойде? (Was it you who came?)
  • a place: В София ли живеете? (Is it Sofia you live in?)
  • an object: Мен ли търсиш? (Are you looking for me?)
  • a whole phrase: С нас ли идваш? (Are you coming with us?)

A preposition and its noun stay together, and ли comes after the whole phrase: с нас ли, never с ли нас.

3. Questions with съм. With съм and a description, ли normally follows the adjective or noun, and the short form of съм comes after ли: Уморен ли си? (Are you tired?), Учител ли е? (Is he a teacher?).

4. Word order after ли. Short pronouns and the verb follow: Ти ли го видя? (Was it you who saw him?). See placement of short pronouns.

5. One ли per question. A question has only one ли. Choose either the verb or the focused word.

6. Answering. A focused question is often answered with a correction: Не аз, а Мария. (Not me, Maria.) See not ... but rather.

Examples (6)

  1. Ти ли дойде първи?

    Were you the one who came first?

  2. Днес ли заминаваш?

    Is it today that you are leaving?

    The speaker knows you are leaving and checks only the day.

  3. С нас ли идваш?

    Are you coming with us?

    Ли follows the whole phrase с нас, so the question is about who you are coming with.

  4. В София ли живеете?

    Is it Sofia you live in?

  5. Уморен ли си?

    Are you tired?

    With съм, ли normally follows the adjective.

  6. Мен ли търсиш?

    Are you looking for me?

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ли between a preposition and its noun.

    С ли нас идваш?
    С нас ли идваш?

    A preposition and its noun form one unit, so ли comes after the whole phrase.

  • Using ли twice in one question.

    Ти ли дойде ли?
    Ти ли дойде?

    A question has only one ли. Here it marks ти, so the verb takes no ли.

  • Putting the short form of съм before ли.

    Уморен си ли?
    Уморен ли си?

    In the affirmative question shown here, ли follows the adjective and си comes after it. Negative questions can instead place си or е before ли, as in Не си ли уморен?

How It Connects

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Word + ли (Focus)Level 3Focusing a Question with Ли

Learn This First

Focusing with ли extends basic ли questions.

Words in This Pattern