Plural in -и

Plural Ending -и

Level 1Sounds Like množestveno čislo -i

Add -и to make most feminine and longer masculine nouns plural: жена → жени, учител → учители.

How It Works

-и is the most common plural ending in Bulgarian.

Feminine nouns. Drop the final а or я and add и:

  • жена → жени (women), книга → книги (books), майка → майки (mothers)
  • стая → стаи (rooms), неделя → недели (Sundays)

Feminine nouns that end in a consonant also add и: нощ → нощи (nights). See feminine nouns ending in a consonant. The consonant before the ending stays the same in feminine nouns: учителка → учителки. The everyday exception is ръка → ръце (hands).

Masculine nouns of two or more syllables. Add и. A final й is replaced by и:

  • учител → учители (teachers), студент → студенти (students), телефон → телефони (phones)
  • музей → музеи (museums), герой → герои (heroes)

Sound changes in masculine nouns. Before и, a final к becomes ц, г becomes з, and х becomes с: ученик → ученици (pupils), вестник → вестници (newspapers), монах → монаси (monks). Some nouns also lose a vowel from the last syllable: прозорец → прозорци (windows), компютър → компютри (computers). See the disappearing ъ and е.

Other patterns. Most one-syllable masculine nouns take -ове, although a few take и: зъб → зъби (teeth), гост → гости (guests). Nouns in -ин follow their own pattern. To say the, add -те: жените, учителите.

Examples (6)

  1. Тези книги са нови.

    These books are new.

    Word by Word: These books are new.

  2. Жените пият кафе.

    The women are drinking coffee.

    Word by Word: Women-the drink coffee.

    Жена → жени, and -те adds the meaning the.

  3. Учителите са в стаята.

    The teachers are in the room.

    Word by Word: Teachers-the are in room-the.

  4. Много ученици учат английски.

    Many pupils study English.

    Word by Word: Many pupils study English.

    Ученик → ученици: the final к changes to ц.

  5. Имам две сестри.

    I have two sisters.

    Word by Word: I-have two sisters.

  6. Къде са вестниците?

    Where are the newspapers?

    Word by Word: Where are newspapers-the?

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping к before -и in a masculine noun.

    В класа има двадесет ученики.
    В класа има двадесет ученици.

    In masculine nouns, к changes to ц before the plural ending и: ученик → ученици.

  • Changing к to ц in a feminine noun.

    Моите учителци са много добри.
    Моите учителки са много добри.

    Feminine nouns keep their consonant: учителка → учителки. The к → ц change belongs to masculine nouns.

  • Using -ове with a masculine noun of more than one syllable.

    Вкъщи имаме много телефонове.
    Вкъщи имаме много телефони.

    Телефон has three syllables (те-ле-фон), so its plural is телефони, not телефонове.

How It Connects

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

Plural in -иLevel 1Plural Ending -и

Learn This First

The plural in -и needs feminine and masculine noun endings.