Question Words (Въпросителни думи)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Bulgarian question words (кой, какво, къде, кога) always start the sentence to signal a question is coming.
- Question words go at the very beginning of the sentence: 'Кой е тук?' (Who is here?)
- They do not change the word order of the rest of the sentence.
- Always use a question mark at the end, even if the intonation is clear.
3. Core Question Words
| Bulgarian | English | Usage |
|---|---|---|
|
Кой
|
Who
|
People
|
|
Какво
|
What
|
Things
|
|
Къде
|
Where
|
Location
|
|
Кога
|
When
|
Time
|
|
Как
|
How
|
Manner
|
|
Защо
|
Why
|
Reason
|
|
Колко
|
How much/many
|
Quantity
|
Meanings
Question words are used to request specific information rather than a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer.
Identity
Asking about people or things.
“Кой е това?”
“Какво е това?”
Location
Asking about place.
“Къде е метрото?”
“Къде отиваш?”
Time
Asking about when something happens.
“Кога е срещата?”
“Кога идваш?”
Manner
Asking how something is done.
“Как си?”
“Как се казваш?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Identity
|
Кой + Verb
|
Кой е той?
|
|
Object
|
Какво + Verb
|
Какво правиш?
|
|
Location
|
Къде + Verb
|
Къде си?
|
|
Time
|
Кога + Verb
|
Кога идваш?
|
|
Manner
|
Как + Verb
|
Как си?
|
|
Reason
|
Защо + Verb
|
Защо плачеш?
|
|
Quantity
|
Колко + Verb
|
Колко струва?
|
Espectro de formalidad
Как сте? (Greeting)
Как си? (Greeting)
Как е? (Greeting)
К'во става? (Greeting)
Question Word Map
People
- Кой Who
Things
- Какво What
Place
- Къде Where
Ejemplos por nivel
Кой е това?
Who is that?
Къде е хотелът?
Where is the hotel?
Какво е това?
What is this?
Кога е влакът?
When is the train?
Как се казваш?
What is your name?
Коя е твоята книга?
Which is your book?
Къде живееш сега?
Where do you live now?
Кога ще се видим?
When will we see each other?
С кого отиваш на парти?
With whom are you going to the party?
Какво мислиш за този филм?
What do you think about this movie?
Откъде си купи тези обувки?
Where did you buy these shoes from?
Колко струва това?
How much does this cost?
Не знам кой е отговорен за това.
I don't know who is responsible for this.
Как бихте постъпили в тази ситуация?
How would you act in this situation?
Кога се очаква да пристигнат?
When are they expected to arrive?
Каква е причината за закъснението?
What is the reason for the delay?
Кой би могъл да предвиди тези събития?
Who could have predicted these events?
Каква полза има от това решение?
What is the benefit of this decision?
Къде ли се крие истината?
Where could the truth be hidden?
Кога ли ще спре този дъжд?
When will this rain ever stop?
Кому е нужно това усилие?
To whom is this effort necessary?
Какво ли не опитахме?
What haven't we tried?
Откъде-накъде решаваш ти?
On what grounds do you decide?
Кой да знае?
Who is to know?
Fácil de confundir
Learners mix up people and things.
Both mean 'what'.
Both relate to place.
Errores comunes
Ти къде си?
Къде си ти?
Какво ти правиш?
Какво правиш?
Кой е това книга?
Какво е това?
Къде ти живееш?
Къде живееш?
Кой е тя?
Коя е тя?
Какво ти каза?
Какво каза?
Кога ти дойде?
Кога дойде?
С кой отиваш?
С кого отиваш?
Защо ти не отиде?
Защо не отиде?
Какво мислиш за това?
Какво мислиш за това?
Кой да знае?
Кой да знае?
Откъде-накъде ти реши?
Откъде-накъде реши?
Кому е нужно?
Кому е нужно?
Patrones de oraciones
Къде е ___?
Кога е ___?
Какво правиш ___?
Кой е ___?
Real World Usage
Къде е летището?
К'во става?
Какви са вашите умения?
Кога ще пристигне поръчката?
Какво означава тази дума?
Колко струва това?
Start with K
No 'Do'
Gender Matters
Politeness
Smart Tips
Check the gender of the person first.
Use 'Какво' for general objects.
Start with 'Къде'.
Use 'Кога' for specific events.
Pronunciación
Stress
Question words usually have the stress on the first syllable.
Falling
Къде отиваш? ↓
Standard information question.
Memorízalo
Mnemotecnia
Remember 'K-K-K-K': Кой, Какво, Къде, Кога. They all start with K!
Asociación visual
Imagine a giant letter 'K' standing at the door of a house, acting as a guard that only lets questions in.
Rhyme
Кой е тук и какво прави, къде отива и кога се бави?
Story
A detective named K walks into a room. He asks 'Кой?' (Who did it?), looks at the floor and asks 'Какво?' (What is this?), then looks out the window and asks 'Къде?' (Where did they go?), and finally checks his watch: 'Кога?' (When did it happen?).
Word Web
Desafío
Write 5 questions about your day using a different question word for each.
Notas culturales
Bulgarians value directness in questions, but use formal 'Вие' for strangers.
Young people often drop the 'а' in 'какво' to sound cooler.
In formal settings, always use the polite form.
These words are of Proto-Slavic origin, common to many Slavic languages.
Inicios de conversación
Как се казваш?
Къде работиш?
Какво правиш през уикенда?
Защо избра да учиш български?
Temas para diario
Errores comunes
Test Yourself
___ е това?
___ е тоалетната?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ти къде си?
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
When is the meeting?
Answer starts with: Ког...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
___ е тя?
A: ___? B: Аз съм Иван.
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercises___ е това?
___ е тоалетната?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ти къде си?
правиш / Какво / ти
When is the meeting?
Кой - Who, Какво - ?
___ е тя?
A: ___? B: Аз съм Иван.
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
No, Bulgarian does not use auxiliary verbs like 'do' or 'does'.
Always at the beginning of the sentence.
Yes, it changes to 'Коя' for feminine and 'Кое' for neuter.
Use 'Колко струва?' (How much does it cost?).
Only in indirect questions, but avoid it as a beginner.
'Какво' is a pronoun (what), 'Какъв' is an adjective (what kind of).
The words themselves don't change, but the verb conjugation does.
You are likely putting the subject before the question word.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Quién, Qué, Dónde
Spanish uses accent marks.
Qui, Quoi, Où
French often uses 'est-ce que'.
Wer, Was, Wo
German has complex verb-second rules.
Dare, Nani, Doko
Japanese uses particles like 'ka'.
Man, Ma, Ayna
Arabic is VSO/SVO flexible.
Shei, Shenme, Nali
Chinese uses 'ma' at the end.
