Plural-Only Nouns
Some nouns are always plural: очила (glasses), пари (money), гащи (underpants). Everything that agrees with them is plural too: Парите са тук.
How It Works
1. Common examples.
- Two-part things: очила (glasses), гащи (underpants), дънки (jeans), клещи (pliers)
- An amount: пари (money)
- A celebration: именини (name day)
2. Agreement. Verbs, adjectives and pronouns are plural: Тези очила са нови (These glasses are new). This matters most where English is singular: Парите са в чантата (The money is in the bag).
3. The article. These nouns take the plural article: a noun ending in -а adds -та (очила → очилата), and a noun ending in -и adds -те (пари → парите, дънки → дънките).
4. Counting. For one item, use the plural of един: едни очила (a pair of glasses), едни дънки (a pair of jeans). See един as an indefinite article. For more than one, count pairs with чифт: два чифта очила (two pairs of glasses). Money is counted in currency units: пет евро, много пари.
5. An old singular. The word пара, an old small coin, survives only in sayings such as Нямам пукната пара (I don't have a penny). In everyday speech, money is always пари.
Examples (6)
- Парите са в чантата.
The money is in the bag.
Са is plural because пари is plural.
- Къде са ми очилата?
Where are my glasses?
- Купих си едни нови дънки.
I bought myself a new pair of jeans.
Едни is the plural of един, used for one pair.
- Тези очила струват много.
These glasses cost a lot.
- Нямам достатъчно пари за такси.
I don't have enough money for a taxi.
- Утре са именините на баба.
Tomorrow is Grandma's name day.
Common Mistakes
Using a singular verb, as with English money.
Парите е в чантата.Парите са в чантата.Пари is plural in Bulgarian, so the verb must be plural: са.
Treating очила as a feminine singular noun.
Къде е моята очила?Къде са моите очила?Очила ends in -а but is plural. Both the verb and the possessive are plural.
Using singular един for one pair.
Купих един нов дънки.Купих едни нови дънки.Дънки is plural, so един and the adjective take the plural forms едни and нови.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Plural-only nouns need plurals.
- -те/-таThe Plural Articles -те and -та
Plural article endings form парите, очилата and дънките.
Level 1 - Adjective Agreement
Adjective agreement makes modifiers of plural-only nouns plural too.
Level 1 - съм/си/е/сме/сте/саPresent Tense of Съм
The plural forms of съм give са with nouns such as пари and очила.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Plural in -иPlural Ending -и
Most plural-only nouns end in the ordinary plural ending -и.
Level 1 - един as an Indefinite Article
Why one pair is едни очила.
Level 3 - Irregular Plurals
Other nouns whose plurals do not follow the usual rules.
Level 2 - The Count Form
How numbers combine with nouns such as чифт: два чифта.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice Plural-Only Nouns in Bubblegum
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