Numbers and Counting in Bulgarian

Welcome to Lesson 7 of your Bulgarian journey! In this lesson, we will tackle one of the most practical parts of any language: numbers. Being able to count allows you to handle money, tell the time, give your phone number, and navigate markets. Bulgarian numbers follow a very logical pattern once you memorize the "base" numbers from 1 to 10 and the "teens," making it much easier to build larger numbers.

Let's start with the foundation. The cardinal numbers from 1 to 10 are the building blocks for everything else. Pay close attention to the pronunciation, as some sounds are unique to the Slavic phonetic system.

Number	Bulgarian	Phonetic	English
1	едно	edno	one
2	две	dve	two
3	три	tri	three
4	четири	chetiri	four
5	пет	pet	five
6	шест	shest	six
7	седем	sedem	seven
8	осем	osem	eight
9	девет	devet	nine
10	десет	deset	ten

The word for "one" can vary depending on the gender of the noun it describes. However, when counting abstractly (1, 2, 3...), we generally use the neuter form.

[[pronounce:едно:bg]]

Moving into the "teens" (11-19), Bulgarian uses a very consistent system. You simply take the base number (1-9) and add the suffix "-надесет" (nadeset), which is a contraction of "on top of ten." This is similar to how English uses "-teen." Note that 11 and 12 have slightly unique forms.

Number	Bulgarian	Phonetic	English
11	единадесет	edinadeset	eleven
12	дванадесет	dvanadeset	twelve
13	тринадесет	trinadeset	thirteen
14	четиринадесет	chetirinadeset	fourteen
15	петнадесет	petnadeset	fifteen

===PARA '.$

To practice the "teen" pattern, let's look at a full sentence using a number.

[[pronounce:Аз имам петнадесет книги.:bg]]

Once you reach 20, the numbers transition to a new base. The word for twenty is "двадесет." To form 21, 22, and so on, you use the word "и" (and) to connect the tens and the units. This is exactly like saying "twenty and one" in English.

Number	Bulgarian	Phonetic	English
20	двадесет	dvadeset	twenty
21	двадесет и едно	dvadeset i edno	twenty-one
22	двадесет и две	dvadeset i dve	twenty-two
23	двадесет и три	dvadeset i tri	twenty-three

The pattern for tens continues consistently up to 90. Notice how the word for 20 (двадесет) starts with "два" (two). This logic applies to the other decades as well.

Ten	Bulgarian	Phonetic	English
30	тридесет	trideset	thirty
40	четиридесет	chetirideset	forty
50	петдесет	petdeset	fifty
60	шестдесет	shestdeset	sixty
70	седемдесет	sedemset	seventy
80	осемдесет	osomdeset	eighty
90	деветдесет	devetdeset	ninety

Let's look at a phrase you might use while shopping to ask for a specific quantity.

[[pronounce:Дайте ми две ябълки, моля.:bg]]

When you reach 100, you use the word "сто." For numbers between 101 and 199, you follow the same pattern as the tens: "сто" (hundred) followed by the remaining number. For example, 105 is "сто и пет."

[[pronounce:сто и пет:bg]]

A crucial grammar rule in Bulgarian involves the agreement between the number and the noun. For numbers 1-19, the noun usually takes a specific form, but for the number 1 specifically, the noun is in the singular. For numbers 20 and above, the noun typically stays in the plural form.

Count	Structure	Example
1	Number (singular) + Noun	едно дете (one child)
2-19	Number + Noun (plural)	пет деца (five children)
20+	Number + Noun (plural)	двадесет деца (twenty children)

In daily conversation, Bulgarians often use "shortened" versions of numbers in very casual speech, but for beginners, it is essential to stick to the formal versions listed here to be understood by everyone. Here is a short dialogue showing numbers in a real-world scenario:

Person A: How much is this? [[pronounce:Колко струва това?:bg]]

Person B: It costs ten levs. [[pronounce:Струва десет лева.:bg]]

Person A: I will take two, please. [[pronounce:Ще взема две, моля.:bg]]

Cultural Note: When dealing with money in Bulgaria, you will encounter the "Lev" (plural: "Leva"). When counting currency, remember that the number must agree with the noun "lev." For example, 1 lev is "един лев," but 2 levs are "два лева." Also, in Bulgarian markets, bargaining is common, so knowing your numbers is your best tool for negotiating a better price!

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