сякаш/като че ли

As if

Level 4Sounds Like sâkaš/kato če li

Говори, сякаш знае всичко. (He talks as if he knows everything.) Като че ли вали. (It seems to be raining.)

How It Works

1. As if. After a verb, сякаш or като че ли introduces a clause describing how something looks or feels, even if it is not true:

  • Говори, сякаш знае всичко. (He talks as if he knows everything.)
  • Държи се, като че ли нищо не е станало. (He is acting as if nothing has happened.)

This clause is set off by a comma, following the comma rule for subordinate clauses.

2. It seems. Inside a sentence, with no clause of its own, it softens a statement, like май or струва ми се: Като че ли вали. (It seems to be raining.) Навън сякаш стана по-студено. (It seems to have got colder outside.) Here there is no comma.

3. The verb form. Bulgarian has no special "as if" mood, and the ordinary examples here need no да. Rare сякаш да constructions are a separate use. Choose the tense from the point of view of the moment described. In a past story the present tense is common: Гледаше ме, сякаш ме вижда за първи път. (She looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time.)

4. Variants. You will also hear сякаш че and the shorter като че; като че ли is always written as three separate words. For a plain comparison with a noun, use като: Спи като бебе. (He sleeps like a baby.) The colloquial все едно can also mean as if.

Examples (6)

  1. Говори, сякаш знае всичко.

    He talks as if he knows everything.

  2. Като че ли вали.

    It seems to be raining.

    Here като че ли means "it seems" and there is no comma.

  3. Държи се, като че ли нищо не е станало.

    He is acting as if nothing has happened.

  4. Гледаше ме, сякаш ме вижда за първи път.

    She looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time.

    The present tense вижда is used inside a past story.

  5. Навън сякаш стана по-студено.

    It seems to have got colder outside.

  6. Сякаш беше вчера.

    It feels like it was yesterday.

Common Mistakes

  • Translating English "as if" word for word with като ако.

    Говори като ако знае всичко.
    Говори, сякаш знае всичко.

    Като ако is not used in Bulgarian. Use сякаш or като че ли.

  • Leaving out the comma before an "as if" clause.

    Държи се като че ли нищо не е станало.
    Държи се, като че ли нищо не е станало.

    When сякаш or като че ли introduces a clause, the clause is separated by a comma. Only the "it seems" use inside a sentence has no comma.

  • Writing като че ли as one word.

    Каточели вали.
    Като че ли вали.

    The standard spelling keeps the three words separate.

How It Connects

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

сякаш/като че лиLevel 4As if

Learn This First

As if follows comparisons with като.

Words in This Pattern

сякашкато че ликато че