от

From with От

Level 1Sounds Like ot

от = from. Аз съм от София. (I am from Sofia.) Масата е от дърво. (The table is made of wood.)

How It Works

Main uses.

  • origin: Аз съм от Англия. (I am from England.)
  • starting point: Влакът идва от София. (The train is coming from Sofia.)
  • sender or source: Това е подарък от майка ми. (This is a present from my mother.)
  • material: Масата е от дърво. (The table is made of wood.)
  • starting time: Работя от понеделник до петък. (I work from Monday to Friday.)

From ... to. От pairs with до for distances and times: от София до Пловдив (from Sofia to Plovdiv), от осем до пет (from eight to five).

Since and for. With a present-tense verb, от says how long something has been going on: Живея тук от две години. (I have lived here for two years.) Познавам я от миналата година. (I have known her since last year.) English uses have + verb here, but Bulgarian keeps the present.

Not for owners. English of for an owner is на in Bulgarian, not от: колата на Мария (Maria's car). See possession with на.

Asking. The question word is откъде (where from): Откъде си? — От Варна. (Where are you from? — From Varna.)

Later uses. От also means than in comparisons, as in по-висок от мен (taller than me); see comparing with от. It also picks one from a group: един от нас (one of us).

Examples (6)

  1. Аз съм от Англия.

    I am from England.

    Word by Word: I am from England.

  2. Влакът идва от София.

    The train is coming from Sofia.

    Word by Word: Train-the comes from Sofia.

    The starting point of a journey.

  3. Това е подарък от майка ми.

    This is a present from my mother.

    Word by Word: This is present from mother my.

    The person something comes from.

  4. Масата е от дърво.

    The table is made of wood.

    Word by Word: Table-the is from wood.

    The material something is made of.

  5. Работя от девет до пет.

    I work from nine to five.

    Word by Word: (I)-work from nine to five.

    От and до mark the start and end of a time.

  6. Живея в България от три години.

    I have lived in Bulgaria for three years.

    Word by Word: (I)-live in Bulgaria from three years.

    With a present verb, от tells how long something has lasted until now.

Common Mistakes

  • Using от to name an owner (intended: This is Maria's car).

    Това е колата от Мария.
    Това е колата на Мария.

    For an owner, Bulgarian uses на. Колата от Мария would mean a car that came from Maria.

  • Using за for how long something has lasted until now (intended: I have lived here for two years).

    Живея тук за две години.
    Живея тук от две години.

    For a time that started in the past and is still going on, use от with the present tense. За with a length of time names a planned period instead: Тук съм за две седмици. (I am here for two weeks.)

How It Connects

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отLevel 1From with От

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