The Perfective Present

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A perfective verb in the present, like купя or свърша, cannot stand alone. It needs a word before it: Ще купя хляб, Когато свърша, ще ти се обадя.

How It Works

1. The forms. Perfective verbs take the same present endings as other verbs: купя, купиш, купи, купим, купите, купят; дойда, дойдеш, дойде... The difference is where they can be used.

2. Words that open the door.

  • да: Искам да купя хляб. (I want to buy bread.) See perfective verbs after да.
  • ще: Ще купя хляб. (I will buy bread.)
  • ако: Ако дойдеш, ще се радвам. (If you come, I will be glad.)
  • когато: Когато свърша, ще ти се обадя. (When I finish, I will call you.)
  • щом: Обади ми се, щом пристигнеш. (Call me as soon as you arrive.)
  • след като, преди да, нека, дано: Нека опитам. (Let me try.)

3. Bare present in the neutral future-event examples. In the time and condition clauses shown here, Bulgarian uses the bare perfective present, with ще in the main clause. Do not extend this to every ако-clause: a planned future condition can have ако ще. Когато свърша, ще ти се обадя. English works the same way: when I finish, not when I will finish.

4. Repeated events. After когато or щом, the perfective present can also describe something that happens again and again, each time completed: Всеки път, когато дойде, ни носи подарък. (Every time he comes, he brings us a present.)

5. Finding the right verb for now. If you want to say what is going on at this moment, switch to the imperfective partner: купя → купувам, направя → правя, дойда → идвам. See perfective and imperfective aspect.

Examples (6)

  1. Ще купя хляб.

    I will buy bread.

  2. Когато свърша, ще ти се обадя.

    When I finish, I will call you.

    Свърша has no ще: the future is marked once, in the main clause.

  3. Ако дойдеш, ще се радвам.

    If you come, I will be glad.

  4. Обади ми се, щом пристигнеш.

    Call me as soon as you arrive.

  5. Искам да прочета тази книга.

    I want to read this book.

  6. Всеки път, когато дойде, ни носи подарък.

    Every time he comes, he brings us a present.

    A repeated, completed event after когато.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective verb for what is happening now.

    Сега купя хляб.
    Сега купувам хляб.

    Купя cannot describe an action in progress. Use the imperfective купувам.

  • Adding ще after когато.

    Когато ще свърша, ще ти се обадя.
    Когато свърша, ще ти се обадя.

    In a когато clause about the future, the verb stays in the perfective present. Ще belongs only in the main clause.

  • Asking about the present with a perfective verb.

    Какво направиш сега?
    Какво правиш сега?

    Направиш needs a word like да or ще before it. To ask what someone is doing now, use правиш.

How It Connects

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The Perfective PresentLevel 3

Learn This First

The perfective present builds on да and ще.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ако