пък

The Particle Пък

Level 4Sounds Like pʺk

Put пък after the word you are contrasting: Ти искаш море, аз пък искам планина. (You want the seaside, but I want the mountains.) In questions it adds surprise or impatience: Ти пък откъде знаеш? (And how would you know?)

How It Works

1. Contrasting two people or things. Пък usually comes right after the second topic: Иван работи, Мария пък учи. (Ivan works, while Maria studies.) Аз пък мисля другояче. (I, on the other hand, think differently.) Keeping the pronoun makes the topic contrast more explicit; пък can also link opposing clauses without it (see leaving out subject pronouns). А пък is a stronger version, and it comes before the topic: Ти си гладен, а пък аз съм жаден. (You're hungry, and I'm thirsty.)

2. Against expectations. Between two clauses, пък can mean and yet: Обеща да дойде, пък не дойде. (He promised to come, and yet he didn't.) It often answers уж: Уж е болен, пък ходи на кино. (He's supposedly ill, and yet he goes to the cinema.)

3. Adding a reason: пък и. Няма да излизам. Студено е, пък и вали. (I'm not going out. It's cold, and it's raining too.)

4. Surprise and impatience in questions. After a question word, пък adds a note of surprise: Какво пък е това? (Now what's this?) Откъде пък го измисли? (Where did you get that idea?) Защо пък не? (Why not, after all?)

5. Short reactions. Ти пък! (Oh, come on!) is a mild reproach. Какво пък! means So what? It's no big deal.

6. Пък is not пак. The two words look alike, but пак means again: Аз пак не искам means I don't want to again, not a contrast with someone else.

The uses in questions and short reactions (sections 4 and 5) belong to everyday speech. The linking uses also appear in stories and novels, especially а пък and но пък. In formal or official writing, но, а and обаче are the usual choice.

Examples (6)

  1. Аз пък не искам.

    Well, I don't want to.

    Пък sets the speaker against someone who does want to.

  2. Ти пък откъде знаеш?

    And how would you know?

    Surprise, with a touch of doubt.

  3. Иван обича кафе, Мария пък пие само чай.

    Ivan loves coffee, while Maria drinks only tea.

    Пък comes right after Мария, the second topic.

  4. Късно е, пък и съм уморен.

    It's late, and besides, I'm tired.

    Пък и adds another reason.

  5. Обеща да се обади, пък не се обади.

    He promised to call, and yet he didn't.

    Пък links two clauses where the second goes against what you would expect.

  6. – Ще дойдеш ли с нас? – Защо пък не?

    “Will you come with us?” “Why not?”

    A relaxed yes.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing пък with пак.

    Ти искаш море, аз пак искам планина.
    Ти искаш море, аз пък искам планина.

    Пак means again, so the sentence would say you want the mountains again. For the contrast between you and me, use пък.

  • Leaving out аз when the intended emphasis is an explicit topic contrast.

    Ти искаш да излезем, пък не искам.
    Ти искаш да излезем, а аз пък не искам.

    Аз пък makes the contrast between you and me more explicit. Clause-linking пък can also contrast the two statements without an overt аз, so the original sentence is not ungrammatical.

How It Connects

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пъкLevel 4The Particle Пък

Learn This First

The particle пък follows contrastive а.

Words in This Pattern

пъкпък