Feminine Nouns for People
When you talk about a woman's job, nationality or role, Bulgarian usually uses a separate feminine noun: Той е студент. Тя е студентка. (He is a student. She is a student.)
How It Works
1. Why a separate word? Most nouns for people show whether the person is a man or a woman. The feminine noun ends in -а or -я, so it is a feminine noun: it takes the article -та (студентката, the female student) and feminine adjectives (добра учителка, a good teacher). The plural ends in -и: студентки, българки, певици.
2. The suffix -ка. This is the most common pattern.
- Add -ка to the masculine form: студент — студентка (student), учител — учителка (teacher), приятел — приятелка (friend), съсед — съседка (neighbour), продавач — продавачка (shop assistant).
- Masculine -ин drops before -ка: българин — българка (Bulgarian), англичанин — англичанка (Englishman, Englishwoman), гражданин — гражданка (citizen).
- Masculine -ец is replaced by -ка: американец — американка (American), чужденец — чужденка (foreigner).
- Masculine -ник becomes -ничка: ученик — ученичка (pupil), работник — работничка (worker).
3. The suffix -ица. Some nouns take -ица instead: певец — певица (singer), цар — царица (tsar, tsaritsa). In певец — певица, replace masculine -ец with feminine -ица. The plural певци separately illustrates the unstable е; see unstable vowels.
4. The suffix -иня. A smaller group: грък — гъркиня (Greek), руснак — рускиня (Russian), бог — богиня (god, goddess).
5. Irregular pairs. Learn these as separate words: актьор — актриса (actor, actress), французин — французойка (Frenchman, Frenchwoman).
6. Titles that stay masculine. In official and formal use, many titles and positions keep the masculine form for a woman: Тя е министър на културата. (She is the minister of culture.) професор Иванова, доктор Петрова. Everyday feminine forms such as директорка exist, but official titles usually stay masculine. Nationality nouns are different: a woman is always българка, never българин.
Tip: learn each noun for people as a pair, the way dictionaries often list them: учител, учителка.
Examples (6)
- Сестра ми е студентка в София.
My sister is a student in Sofia.
Студентка is the feminine form of студент.
- Майка ми е учителка по математика.
My mother is a maths teacher.
Учител + -ка gives учителка.
- Анна е българка, а приятелката ѝ е англичанка.
Anna is Bulgarian, and her friend is English.
The -ин of българин and англичанин drops before -ка.
- Любимата ми певица пее тази вечер.
My favourite singer is singing tonight.
Певец becomes певица, and the adjective любимата is feminine too.
- Тя е гъркиня от Солун.
She is a Greek woman from Thessaloniki.
Грък takes the suffix -иня.
- Министър Петрова откри изложбата.
Minister Petrova opened the exhibition.
The official title министър stays masculine even for a woman.
Common Mistakes
Using a masculine nationality noun for a woman.
Мария е англичанин.Мария е англичанка.Nationality nouns always change for a woman. Англичанин describes a man.
Keeping -ин before -ка.
Тя е българинка.Тя е българка.The masculine suffix -ин drops before -ка: българин — българка, англичанин — англичанка.
Adding -ка to a noun that takes -ица.
Сестра ми е певецка.Сестра ми е певица.Певец forms its feminine by replacing -ец with -ица: певица. The plural певци separately drops the е.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Feminine nouns for people need both genders.
Related Patterns
- Noun Gender
Explains the three genders that these noun pairs are built on.
Level 1 - Nouns for People Who Do Things
Covers suffixes such as -тел and -ач that build the masculine forms first.
Level 4 - Surnames in -ов/-евSurnames for Men, Women and Families
Surnames also have separate forms for women, such as Петров — Петрова.
Level 1 - Disappearing ъ and еThe Disappearing Ъ and Е
Explains the unstable е in the plural певци; the feminine певица instead replaces -ец with -ица.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice Feminine Nouns for People in Bubblegum
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