Basic Greetings & Polite Expressions

Master common ways to say hello, goodbye, please, and thank you.

Knowing how to greet people and use polite phrases is essential in any language. This lesson covers the most common Bulgarian greetings and expressions of courtesy.

Common Greetings

Здравей (Zdra-VEY) (zdrah-VEY): Hello (informal, to one person)
Здравейте (Zdra-VEY-te) (zdrah-VEY-teh): Hello (formal, or to multiple people)
Добро утро (DO-bro OO-tro) (DOH-broh OO-troh): Good morning
Добър ден (DO-bar den) (DOH-bur den): Good day / Good afternoon
Добър вечер (DO-bar VE-cher) (DOH-bur VEH-cher): Good evening
Лека нощ (LE-ka nosht) (LEH-kah nosht): Good night (when going to bed)
Довиждане (Do-VIZH-da-ne) (doh-VEEZH-dah-neh): Goodbye

Polite Expressions

Моля (MO-lya) (MOH-lyah): Please / You're welcome
Благодаря (Bla-go-da-RYA) (blah-goh-dah-RYAH): Thank you
Мерси (Mer-SI) (mer-SEE): Thanks (informal, borrowed from French)
Извинете (Iz-vi-NE-te) (eez-vee-NEH-teh): Excuse me (formal) / Sorry
Няма защо (NYA-ma ZASH-to) (NYAH-mah ZASH-toh): You're welcome / Don't mention it

Mini-Dialogue

Dialogue Example

А: Здравей! - A: Hello!

Б: Добър ден! Как си? - B: Good day! How are you (informal)?

А: Добре съм, благодаря. А ти? - A: I'm fine, thank you. And you?

Б: И аз съм добре. Моля. - B: I'm fine too. You're welcome.

Key Takeaways

Use "Здравей" for informal singular hellos, and "Здравейте" for formal or plural.
"Моля" is versatile for both "please" and "you're welcome".
"Благодаря" is the standard "thank you".
Context determines if "Извинете" means "excuse me" or "sorry".

Further Practice

Dialogue Game & Word Lists

Practice these phrases in our Dialogue Dynamos game or review them in the Word Lists section.

Play Dialogue Game

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