около

Around and About with Около

Level 2Sounds Like okolo

Около has two main uses: "around" a place (около масата, around the table) and "about, roughly" with numbers (около двайсет души, about twenty people).

How It Works

1. Around a place.

  • Около къщата има градина. (There is a garden around the house.)
  • Седнахме около масата. (We sat down around the table.)
  • Земята се върти около Слънцето. (The Earth goes around the Sun.)

2. About, approximately. Before a number, около means "roughly":

  • people: около двайсет души (about twenty people; двайсет is the everyday form of двадесет)
  • time of day: около пет часа or около пет (at about five o'clock)
  • length of time: около час (about an hour)
  • distance: на около сто метра (about a hundred meters away)

The number still controls the noun. Masculine nouns for things take the count form: около сто метра, около два часа. People are counted with души.

3. Pronouns after около. Use the full pronoun forms, as after any preposition: около мен, около нас, около тях. See full object pronouns.

Good to know: for an approximate time you can also use към: към пет часа (around five o'clock). For a round approximate number there is also the ending -ина: двайсетина души (twenty or so people).

Examples (6)

  1. Около къщата има голяма градина.

    There is a big garden around the house.

    Около with a place: around it.

  2. Децата седнаха около масата.

    The children sat down around the table.

  3. На партито имаше около двайсет души.

    There were about twenty people at the party.

    Около with a number: approximately. People are counted with души.

  4. Ще се видим около пет часа.

    We'll meet at about five o'clock.

  5. До морето се пътува около три часа.

    It takes about three hours to get to the sea.

  6. Магазинът е на около сто метра оттук.

    The shop is about a hundred meters from here.

    Метър takes the count form метра after a number.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding на after около.

    Около на къщата има дървета.
    Около къщата има дървета.

    Около is a complete preposition by itself. The noun follows it directly, with no на.

  • Using a short pronoun after около.

    Всички стояха около ни.
    Всички стояха около нас.

    After a preposition, use the full pronoun: нас, not ни.

  • Using the ordinary plural instead of the count form after a number.

    Магазинът е на около сто метри.
    Магазинът е на около сто метра.

    After a number, masculine nouns for things take the count form: сто метра, два часа.

How It Connects

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

околоLevel 2Around and About with Около

Learn This First

Около follows the basic place prepositions.

Words in This Pattern

около