Commas Before Subordinate Clauses

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Bulgarian uses commas more strictly than English: a subordinate clause is separated from the main clause by a comma. Знам, че си прав. (I know that you are right.)

How It Works

1. The basic rule. A subordinate clause starts with a word such as че, който, когато, ако, защото, докато or въпреки че. Bulgarian separates it from the main clause with a comma, even in a short sentence:

  • Знам, че си прав. (I know that you are right.)
  • Това е къщата, която купихме. (This is the house that we bought.)
  • Обади се, когато пристигнеш. (Call when you arrive.)

2. Where the comma goes.

  • After the main clause: before the linking word, as above.
  • Before the main clause: at the end of the subordinate clause: Когато пристигнах, всички спяха. (When I arrived, everyone was asleep.)
  • Inside the main clause: on both sides: Книгата, която ми даде, е много интересна. (The book you gave me is very interesting.) The closing comma is the one learners forget most often.

3. Two-word conjunctions. With за да, без да, преди да, след като, въпреки че, тъй като, the comma goes before the whole conjunction, not in the middle: Дойдох, за да те видя. (I came to see you.)

4. When there is no comma.

  • Indirect questions after the main clause. A clause with a question word (кой, какво, кога, къде, как, защо, колко, дали) that completes the main verb has no comma: Не знам кога ще дойде. (I don't know when he will come.) Compare Обади се, когато дойдеш: когато is not a question word, so the comma stays. See indirect questions.
  • Да-clauses after a verb or noun: Искам да дойдеш. (I want you to come.) See chains of да-clauses.
  • A clause with каквото or колкото that directly completes the verb: Прави каквото искаш. (Do what you want.)
  • A particle or не right before the conjunction (само, дори, чак, едва, точно, не). No comma is written before them, but a closing comma still is: Ще дойда само ако ме поканиш. (I will come only if you invite me.)
  • Two conjunctions side by side. When the first conjunction is unstressed, such as че, и, а, но, no comma goes between the two: Мисля, че ако вали, ще остана вкъщи. (I think that if it rains, I will stay home.)

Examples (6)

  1. Знам, че си прав.

    I know that you are right.

    The comma comes before че.

  2. Това е къщата, която купихме миналата година.

    This is the house that we bought last year.

    A relative clause after its noun starts with a comma.

  3. Когато се върнах, всички вече спяха.

    When I got back, everyone was already asleep.

    The subordinate clause comes first, so the comma goes after it.

  4. Човекът, който ти се обади, е мой колега.

    The man who called you is my colleague.

    The clause sits inside the main clause, so it has a comma on both sides.

  5. Не дойдох, защото бях болен.

    I did not come because I was ill.

    The comma comes before защото.

  6. Не знам кога ще се върне.

    I don't know when she will be back.

    No comma: кога introduces an indirect question that completes знам.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma before че.

    Мисля че е прав.
    Мисля, че е прав.

    A clause with че is a subordinate clause, so Bulgarian writing requires a comma before it, unlike English that.

  • Forgetting the closing comma after a clause in the middle.

    Колата, която купих е червена.
    Колата, която купих, е червена.

    When the main clause continues after the relative clause, close the relative clause with a second comma.

  • Putting a comma before an indirect question.

    Не знам, къде живее.
    Не знам къде живее.

    A clause with a question word that completes the main verb is not separated by a comma in standard Bulgarian.

How It Connects

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

Commas Before Subordinate ClausesLevel 3

Learn This First

Commas before subordinate clauses need those clauses.