A1 Basic Verbs 1 min read Fácil

Conjugation of 'Имам' (To Have) - Present Tense

Marcar como aprendido
Practícalo

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The verb 'Имам' (to have) is the most essential tool for expressing possession in Bulgarian; just memorize its simple present tense endings.

  • Use 'Имам' for possession: Имам кола (I have a car).
  • Add 'нямам' for negation: Нямам време (I don't have time).
  • Use rising intonation for questions: Имаш ли кафе? (Do you have coffee?).
Subject + Имам/Нямам + Object

Present Tense Conjugation of 'Имам'

Person Affirmative Negative Question
Аз
Имам
Нямам
Имам ли?
Ти
Имаш
Нямаш
Имаш ли?
Той/Тя/То
Има
Няма
Има ли?
Ние
Имаме
Нямаме
Имаме ли?
Вие
Имате
Нямате
Имате ли?
Те
Имат
Нямат
Имат ли?

Meanings

The verb 'Имам' is used to indicate ownership, possession, or the existence of something in relation to a person.

1

Possession

Owning an object or having a relationship.

“Имам куче.”

“Имам нова работа.”

2

Availability

Indicating that something is available or present.

“Имаме хляб.”

“Имате ли вода?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Conjugation of 'Имам' (To Have) - Present Tense
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Имам
Имам кола.
Negative
Subject + Нямам
Нямам кола.
Question
Имам + ли + Subject?
Имаш ли кола?
Short Yes
Да, имам.
Да, имам.
Short No
Не, нямам.
Не, нямам.
Plural
Ние + Имаме
Ние имаме време.

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
Имате ли химикалка?

Имате ли химикалка? (Asking for a pen)

Neutral
Имаш ли химикалка?

Имаш ли химикалка? (Asking for a pen)

Informal
Имаш ли химикалка?

Имаш ли химикалка? (Asking for a pen)

Jerga
Имаш ли химикалка?

Имаш ли химикалка? (Asking for a pen)

Usage of Имам

Имам

Possession

  • кола car
  • къща house

Abstract

  • идея idea
  • време time

Имам vs Нямам

Affirmative
Имам I have
Negative
Нямам I don't have

Asking a Question

1

Do you have something?

YES
Имаш ли...?
NO
Use 'Нямаш ли...?'

Common Objects

🏠

Possessions

  • • кола
  • • телефон
  • • ключ
  • • пари
Regístrate gratis para leer la explicación completa

Ejemplos por nivel

1

Имам ябълка.

I have an apple.

2

Имаш ли вода?

Do you have water?

3

Нямам време.

I don't have time.

4

Той има кола.

He has a car.

1

Ние имаме голяма къща.

We have a big house.

2

Вие имате ли билети?

Do you have tickets?

3

Те нямат деца.

They don't have children.

4

Имам нужда от помощ.

I need help.

1

Имам предвид този проект.

I have this project in mind.

2

Имаме ли уговорка за утре?

Do we have an appointment for tomorrow?

3

Нямаме никакви съмнения.

We have no doubts.

4

Имат ли те право на глас?

Do they have the right to vote?

1

Имам чувството, че грешим.

I have the feeling that we are wrong.

2

Той няма намерение да се връща.

He has no intention of returning.

3

Имаме ли основание за жалба?

Do we have grounds for a complaint?

4

Те нямат представа за ситуацията.

They have no idea about the situation.

1

Имам предвид всички възможни сценарии.

I am considering all possible scenarios.

2

Нямаме друг избор освен да приемем.

We have no other choice but to accept.

3

Имат ли те някакви претенции?

Do they have any claims?

4

Имам сериозни опасения относно това.

I have serious concerns regarding this.

1

Имам предвид, че това е сложен въпрос.

I am bearing in mind that this is a complex issue.

2

Нямаме никакво основание да се съмняваме.

We have no reason whatsoever to doubt.

3

Те имат пълното право да изразят мнение.

They have the full right to express an opinion.

4

Имам ли аз думата в този разговор?

Do I have the floor in this conversation?

Fácil de confundir

Conjugation of 'Имам' (To Have) - Present Tense vs Имам vs Има

Learners mix up personal possession (I have) with general existence (There is).

Conjugation of 'Имам' (To Have) - Present Tense vs Имам vs Притежавам

Learners use 'притежавам' for everything.

Conjugation of 'Имам' (To Have) - Present Tense vs Нямам vs Не имам

Learners try to negate 'имам' like other verbs.

Errores comunes

✗

Имаш кола?

✓

Имаш ли кола?

Questions require the 'ли' particle.
✗

Не имам.

✓

Нямам.

The negative is a single word contraction.
✗

Имам един брат.

✓

Имам брат.

Often the article is omitted in simple statements.
✗

Имаме кола.

✓

Имаме кола.

Actually correct, but watch for spelling.
✗

Той имаме.

✓

Той има.

Subject-verb agreement error.
✗

Имате ли вие?

✓

Имате ли?

Redundant pronoun usage.
✗

Нямаме ли?

✓

Нямаме ли?

Correct, but ensure context is clear.
✗

Притежавам кафе.

✓

Имам кафе.

Register error; 'притежавам' is too formal.
✗

Имам нужда от това.

✓

Имам нужда от това.

Correct, but ensure 'от' is used.
✗

Има ли време?

✓

Има ли време?

Correct, but ensure subject is clear.
✗

Имам се предвид.

✓

Имам предвид.

Incorrect reflexive usage.
✗

Нямаме никакъв избор.

✓

Нямаме избор.

Redundant intensifier.
✗

Имали ли сте?

✓

Имали ли сте?

Correct, but complex tense.

Patrones de oraciones

Имам ___.

Имаш ли ___?

Нямам ___.

Имам нужда от ___.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Имам нова снимка!

Texting constant

Имаш ли време?

Job Interview very common

Имам опит в маркетинга.

Travel common

Имате ли карта?

Food Delivery common

Имате ли вегетарианско?

Ordering Coffee very common

Имате ли мляко?

Regístrate gratis para ver todos los ejemplos
💡

Use 'ли'

Always add 'ли' for questions. It makes you sound natural.
⚠️

Don't use 'притежавам'

It's too formal for daily life.
🎯

Negation

Remember 'Нямам' is a single word.
💬

Directness

Bulgarians are direct; asking 'Имаш ли...?' is perfectly polite.

Smart Tips

Always place 'ли' immediately after the verb.

Имаш кола? → Имаш ли кола?

Use 'Нямам' instead of 'Не имам'.

Не имам време. → Нямам време.

Use 'Има' for general existence, not 'Имам'.

Имам много хора тук. → Има много хора тук.

Use 'Имам' for everything unless it's a legal document.

Притежавам химикалка. → Имам химикалка.

Pronunciación

EE-mam

Stress

The stress is on the first syllable.

Question

Имаш ли? ↗

Rising intonation at the end indicates a question.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Think of 'I-mam' as 'I am having'. It sounds like 'I'm am' with a twist.

Asociación visual

Imagine holding a giant 'I' in your hand. You are 'I-maming' (holding) the object.

Rhyme

Имам, имаш, има, всички имаме това!

Story

I have a cat. (Имам котка). You have a dog. (Имаш куче). We have a house. (Имаме къща).

Word Web

имамнямамимашимамеиматеимат

Desafío

Write down 5 things you have in your bag right now using 'Имам'.

Notas culturales

Bulgarians use 'Имам' very directly. It is common to ask 'Имаш ли деца?' (Do you have children?) early in a conversation.

Derived from Old Church Slavonic 'imati'.

Inicios de conversación

“

Имаш ли куче?

“

Имаш ли време за кафе?

“

Имаш ли опит в тази сфера?

“

Имаш ли предвид някакъв план?

Temas para diario

Write about 3 things you have in your room.
Write about what you don't have but want.
Describe your ideal job and what skills you have.
Reflect on a time you had no choice.

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form of 'Имам'.

Аз ___ кола.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: имам
First person singular is 'имам'.
Choose the correct negative form. Opción múltiple

Ти ___ време.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: нямаш
Second person singular negative is 'нямаш'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Имаш кола?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Имаш ли кола?
Questions need 'ли'.
Order the words. Sentence Building

ли / имаш / кола

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Имаш ли кола?
Standard question order.
Translate to Bulgarian. Traducción

I have a house.

Answer starts with: Има...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Имам къща.
First person singular.
Match the subject to the verb. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: имаме
First person plural is 'имаме'.
Change to negative. Sentence Transformation

Имам идея.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Нямам идея.
Negative of 'имам' is 'нямам'.
Choose the correct form. Opción múltiple

Те ___ много работа.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: имат
Third person plural is 'имат'.

Score: /8

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form of 'Имам'.

Аз ___ кола.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: имам
First person singular is 'имам'.
Choose the correct negative form. Opción múltiple

Ти ___ време.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: нямаш
Second person singular negative is 'нямаш'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Имаш кола?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Имаш ли кола?
Questions need 'ли'.
Order the words. Sentence Building

ли / имаш / кола

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Имаш ли кола?
Standard question order.
Translate to Bulgarian. Traducción

I have a house.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Имам къща.
First person singular.
Match the subject to the verb. Match Pairs

Ние...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: имаме
First person plural is 'имаме'.
Change to negative. Sentence Transformation

Имам идея.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Нямам идея.
Negative of 'имам' is 'нямам'.
Choose the correct form. Opción múltiple

Те ___ много работа.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: имат
Third person plural is 'имат'.

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

Yes, it is the standard verb for possession in Bulgarian.

Add 'ли' after the verb, e.g., 'Имаш ли?'

Only in very formal or legal contexts.

'Имам' is for personal possession; 'Има' is for general existence.

Yes, it is the negative form of 'Имам'.

No, the verb ending tells you the subject.

No, it is standard and polite.

Simply use 'Нямам'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Regístrate gratis para practicar

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Tener

Spanish uses 'tener' for age; Bulgarian uses 'съм' (to be).

French high

Avoir

French uses 'avoir' for age; Bulgarian uses 'съм'.

German high

Haben

German uses 'haben' for age; Bulgarian uses 'съм'.

Japanese moderate

Motsu

Japanese distinguishes between holding and existence.

Arabic low

Indi

Bulgarian uses a verb; Arabic uses a prepositional structure.

Chinese moderate

You

Chinese does not conjugate for person.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Expressing Possession with 'Имам'

Related Grammar Rules

A0

The Verb 'To Be' (Съм) - Present Tense
A2

Impersonal 'Има' (There is/are)
A1

Common Regular Verbs (Present Tense)
A1

Using 'Има' (There is/are)
Was this helpful?

Comentarios (0)

Inicia Sesión para Comentar
¡No hay comentarios todavía. Sé el primero en compartir tus ideas!